Simile: Jewels
The Swallow promises the Happy Prince he will return from Egypt one day, bringing with him jewels that would replace the ones taken out. He says, "The ruby shall be redder than a red rose, and the sapphire shall be as blue as the great sea" (9). These similes make the reader aware of how stunning the gems will be, and how they are part of nature just as the rose and the sea are. Nonetheless, the Prince does not care for the valuable gems for their own sake but merely for being a way to alleviate the suffering of his people. At this point, the Swallow still isn't understanding the Prince, but this will change soon.
Simile: Tears
The Rocket wants to prove to the others how emotional and affected he is, so he begins to cry: "...he actually burst into real tears, which flowed down his stick like rain-drops" (48). Wilde's comparison of the tears to rain shows just how dramatic they are. It is clear that the Rocket, as the histrionic figure he is, would not be contented with a mere tear or two; rather, he must pour them down from his eyes like rain.
Simile: Rose
The Nightingale decides she will sacrifice herself to produce a red rose for the Student to give to his love, so she allows a thorn from a pale rose to piece her breast. Wilde writes, "And a delicate flush of pink came into the leaves of the rose, like the flush in the face of the bridegroom when he kisses the lips of the bride" (64). This is a gorgeous simile in that the reader can imagine the light little flush coming into the rose and its similarity with the happy pink cheeks of the new husband. However, it is an insidiously gorgeous simile in that we are reading about the Nightingale dying, her very life's blood creating this pink flush. Wilde reminds readers that beauty and love are often inextricable from pain and suffering and death, and that sometimes the most beguiling things are the most deadly.
Metaphor: Burdens
The Bishop is disconcerted with the Young King's choice to forego his kingly raiment and to dwell on the sufferings of others, and advises him, "The burden of this world is too great for one man to bear, and the world's sorrow too heavy for one heart to suffer" (86). He uses a metaphor of sorrows and cares being as heavy as a physical burden one might try to carry; the weight of the burden is too heavy and crushes the man. The Bishop is trying to get the young King to fulfill his role and thus does what he can to make the boy think that caring about others is too difficult.
Simile: Dwarf
When the Dwarf realizes what he actually looks like and that the Infanta was only mocking him, "He crawled, like some wounded thing, into the shadow, and lay there moaning" (115). This is a startling, sad, and pitiful image. Comparing the Dwarf to something that is wounded, such as an animal, reinforces the fact that he is weak, dying, and bereft of succor. It is also a striking image in contrast to the beauty and youth and vitality of the young Infanta.
