The Princess Bride by William Goldman

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Description

The Princess Bride is a true fantasy classic. William Goldman describes it as a "good parts version" of "S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure." Morgenstern's original was filled with details of Florinese history, court etiquette, and Mrs. Morgenstern's mostly... read more

Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis

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Summary

In a Renaissance-era fairy-tale world, a beautiful woman named Buttercup lives on a farm in the fictional country of Florin. She delights in verbally abusing the farm hand Westley by demanding that he perform chores for her. Westley's only answer is "As you wish", which represents his great... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)

Cast of Characters

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Buttercup: Buttercup is a simple girl whose life takes a drastic turn after her beloved Westley leaves her to seek his fortune so that they can marry.
Westley: Westley is a farm boy who loves Buttercup. After they realize their mutual affection, he leaves to seek his fortune so that he can marry her.
Dread Pirate Roberts: Kidnaps Buttercup's true love, Westley.
Inigo Montoya: Spaniard, expert swordsmen.
Fezzik: A Turkish giant.
Vizzini: A wily, Sicilian.
Prince Humperdink: Prince of Florin.

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Memorable Quotes

“As you wish.”
Farm Boy
“Pardon, I'm not crazy, but have you seen any six-fingered noblemen lately?”
Inigo Montoya
“And Inigo began to retreat. "Who are you?" he screamed. "No one of import. Another lover of the blade." "I must know!" "Get used to disappointment."”
“"Life is pain. Anyone who says differently is selling something."”
Fezzik's Mother (in the book), Westley (in the movie)
“I love you ... I thought an hour ago that I loved you more than any woman has ever loved a man, but a half hour after that I knew that what I felt before was nothing compared to what I felt then. But ten minutes after that, I understood that my previous love was a puddle compared to the high seas before a storm ... I love you so much more now than twenty minutes ago that there cannot be comparison. I love you so much more now than when you opened your hovel door, there cannot be comparison. There is no room in my body for anything but you. My arms love you, my ears adore you, my knees shake with blind affection. My mind begs you to ask it something so it can obey. Do you want me to follow you for the rest of your days? I will do that. Do you want me to crawl? I will crawl. I will be quiet for you or sing for you, or if you are hungry, let me bring you food ... Anything there is that I can do for you, I will do for you; anything there is that I cannot do, I will learn to do.”
Buttercup, speaking to Westley
“The farm boy had eyes like the sea before a storm.”
Buttercup
“Do I love you? My God, if your love were a grain of sand, mine would be a universe of beaches.”
Westley, speaking to Buttercup
“Whenever doctors are confused about something, which is really more frequently than any of us would do well to think about, they always snatch at something in the vicinity of the case and add, "That explains it."”
“He's been mostly dead all day.”
“Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.”
Inigo Montoya
“You fool! You fell victim to one of the classic blunders! The most famous is never get involved in a land war in Asia, but only slightly less well-known is this: never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha...”
Vizzini