by MaryAnn Evans

Created on: November 23, 2011   Last Updated: November 24, 2011

“For on the loom of Sorrow, and by the white hands of Pain, has this my robe been woven. There is Blood in the heart of the ruby, and Death in the heart of the pearl.” (The Young King, Oscar Wilde)

‘The Young King’ is the first of four short stories published in Wilde’s A House of Pomegranates collection of fairy tales. Despite being classed as fairy tales, Wilde claimed that the stories where not intended for “the British child nor the British public.”

As a very socially aware writer, much of Wilde’s work contains contemporary satire. ‘The Young King’ does not consist of many instances of Wilde’s infamous wit. However, it is a social commentary; an examination of the distribution of wealth and the injustices that come by accident of birth.

‘The Young King’ tells the tale of a young goatherd, who, at the age of sixteen, discovers that he is actually the illegitimate heir to the throne. As mentioned, it doesn’t contain any of Wilde’s trademark scathing witticisms. In fact, the story is told in a very simple fashion.

The tale opens with the young man alone in a sumptuous chamber of the palace, where he is to spend the night awaiting his accession. Having only known a peasant’s existence, the future king is awed by the opulence around him, “Those who accompanied him to the suite of rooms set apart for his service, often spoke of the cry of pleasure that broke from his lips when he saw the delicate raiment and rich jewels that had been prepared for him, and of the almost fierce joy with which he flung aside his rough leathern tunic and coarse sheepskin cloak.” And he eagerly awaits the arrival of three very special items: the crown, sceptre and robe, which are to be part of his coronation ceremony the next morning.

Surrounded by luxurious items and with the assistance of several pages, he prepares for bed. However, his night is far from restful, as he is confronted (in a style not dissimilar from Dickens’ A Christmas Carol) by three nightmares that radically alter his perceptions of his newfound lifestyle.

The first dream transports him to a “a long, low attic, amidst the whirr and clatter of many looms.” There, he meets the weavers who have crafted the robe that he is due to wear in the morning. He discovers that these peasants are worked incredibly hard for very little money. One weaver informs the young king, “Misery wakes us in

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