The Nightingale and the Rose question and answer

1. Why does the young student pine for a red rose?

The young student is deeply in love with the professor’s daughter, who has set a condition that he must offer her a red rose for her to love him and dance with him at the prince’s party. Desperate to win her affection, he searches for a red rose in the garden, symbolizing his yearning and love for her.

2. Why does the nightingale admire the young student?

The nightingale, a symbol of love, admires the young student because he exemplifies genuine and passionate love. The student’s profound desire for a red rose to express his love for the professor’s daughter touches the nightingale, revealing the purity and sincerity of his emotions.

3. How does the nightingale wonder at the mystery of love?

The nightingale, initially singing love songs without fully understanding the depths of love, realizes the profound and enigmatic nature of love through the student’s desperate longing for a red rose. Witnessing the student’s sorrow and understanding the significance of the red rose, the nightingale contemplates the mysterious essence of love.

4. How does the Rose-tree growing beneath the student’s door agree to give her a red rose?

The nightingale approaches the rose-tree beneath the student’s window and requests a red rose. However, the rose-tree initially expresses its inability to grow a red rose during the chilly winter. It sets forth a challenging condition: the nightingale must press her heart against the rose-tree’s thorn, allowing her blood to flow and sing love songs throughout the moonlit night. Only then would the rose-tree consider producing a red rose.

5. Why does the nightingale decide to get a red rose at the cost of her life?

The nightingale, driven by her dedication to love and empathy for the student’s desperate situation, chooses to obtain a red rose even if it means sacrificing her own life. She learns of the student’s profound longing for a red rose to win the affection of the professor’s daughter, and this selfless act reflects her commitment to aiding the student’s cause. She values the importance of love over her own life, believing that her sacrifice is worth helping the young man’s love flourish.

6. What does the nightingale expect from the student in exchange for a red rose?

The nightingale approaches the student and offers to give him a red rose. However, in return, she expects the student to remain faithful and sincere in love. She wants him to prove that love is precious and wiser than philosophy. He should present the red rose to the lady he loves and confess his feelings for her.

7. What does the student write about the nightingale in his notebook?

The student, while listening to the nightingale’s song for the oak tree, takes his notebook and writes down his thoughts about her. He questions whether the nightingale has feelings and expresses doubt about it. He goes on to compare her to most artists, stating that she is all style without sincerity. He believes that she would not sacrifice herself for others and is primarily concerned with music. However, he acknowledges that she possesses some beautiful notes in her voice.
8. What does the nightingale do to get a red rose?

The nightingale, in her quest to obtain a red rose for the student, follows the instructions given by the rose tree. As the moon appears in the sky, she flies to the rose tree and presses her breast against its thorn. Throughout the entire night, she sings with her breast against the thorn. The thorn pierces deeper, and her life-blood ebbs away from her. It is through this self-sacrifice that a red rose eventually appears on the tree.

9. What kind of songs does the nightingale sing?

The nightingale, while sacrificing herself to obtain the red rose, sings songs of love throughout the night. She sings about various aspects of love, including:

The birth of love in the hearts of a boy and a girl.
The birth of passion in the soul of a man and a maid.
The love that is perfected by death, the kind of love that does not perish even in the tomb.
10. What is the effect of each song?

Each of the nightingale’s songs has a profound effect on the rose tree:

When she sings about the birth of love in the hearts of a boy and a girl, a marvelous rose blossoms in the tree in response to her song.

When she sings about the birth of passion in the soul of a man and a maid, a delicate flush of pink appears on the leaves of the rose.

Finally, when she sings about the love that is perfected by death, the marvelous rose transforms into a deep crimson color.

11. What does the student do with the red rose?

The student, upon seeing the red rose through his window, opens it, plucks the rose, and rushes to the professor’s house. He presents the red rose to the professor’s daughter with great enthusiasm and tells her, “Here is the reddest rose in all the world. You will wear it tonight and dance with me. As we dance together, it will tell you how much I love you.”

12. How does the professor’s daughter respond to the student’s gift of the red rose?

The professor’s daughter responds to the student’s romantic gesture with a frown and indifference. She informs him that her affections lie elsewhere, as she is in love with Chamberlain’s nephew, who has bestowed upon her real jewels. She believes that jewels hold more value than mere red roses and rejects the student’s love, stating that she would not marry a mere college student and risk spoiling her life.

13. Why does the student return to his books?

The student’s belief that presenting a red rose would win the professor’s daughter’s love and lead to a romantic dance is shattered when she rejects his heartfelt gesture. He realizes that his understanding of love, as described in books, has failed in reality. Disheartened by this rejection, he decides to return to his books and study metaphysics in an attempt to comprehend the nature of girls and the complexities of love.