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The Princess Bride
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Read The Princess Bride

The Princess Bride (1973) (edit title/settings)

by William Goldman (Author) (edit contributors)

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Beautiful, flaxen-haired Buttercup has fallen for Westley, the farm boy, and when he departs to make his fortune, she vows never to love another. So when she hears that his ship has been captured by the Dread Pirate Roberts - who never leaves survivors - her heart is broken. But her charms... read more

Summary edit see section history

465p. 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... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)

465p. 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 affection her. After Buttercup realizes the true meaning of the words, as well as the fact that she returns his love, Westley leaves to seek his fortune so they can marry. Buttercup later receives word that his ship was attacked at sea by the Dread Pirate Roberts, who is notorious for killing all those whose vessels he boards. Believing Westley to be dead, Buttercup is forcibly engaged to marry Prince Humperdinck, the heir to the throne of Florin. Before the wedding, Buttercup is kidnapped by a trio of outlaws: the Sicilian criminal genius Vizzini, the Spanish fencing master Inigo Montoya, and the enormous and mighty Turkish wrestler Fezzik. A masked man in black follows them across the sea and up the Cliffs of Insanity, whereupon Vizzini orders Inigo to stop him. Inigo arranges a fair fight, allowing his opponent to rest before the duel, during which Inigo reveals that he is seeking revenge on a six-fingered man who killed his father. The man in black wins their duel, but leaves the Spaniard alive. Vizzini, stunned, orders Fezzik to kill him. Fezzik, moved by his conscience, throws a rock as a warning, and challenges the man to a wrestling match. He accepts the challenge and chokes Fezzik until the giant blacks out, and then catches up with Vizzini, and proposes a battle of wits. Vizzini is tricked into drinking poison and dies. With Prince Humperdinck's rescue party in hot pursuit, the man flees with Buttercup, and reveals that he is the Dread Pirate Roberts, Westley's murderer. Enraged, she shoves him into a gorge, yelling "You can die, too, for all I care!" only to hear him call, "As you wish!" while he is falling. She realizes at this point that he is Westley, who tells her that the Dread Pirate Roberts did attack his ship, but kept Westley alive after Westley explained the depths of his love for Buttercup. Westley became the Dread Pirate Roberts' apprentice, learning to sail, fence, and fight. Eventually, Roberts secretly passed his name, captaincy, and ship to Westley. Westley and Buttercup travel through the feared Fire Swamp to evade Humperdinck's party, but upon exiting, they are captured by Humperdinck and his menacing six-fingered assistant, Count Tyrone Rugen. Buttercup negotiates for Westley's release and returns with Humperdinck to the palace to await their wedding. Rugen, who has no intention of releasing Westley, instead takes him to the underground hunting arena called the 'Zoo of Death', where he is tortured so as to provide information by which to complete the Count's book on pain. Meanwhile, Buttercup has several nightmares regarding her marriage to the prince. She expresses her unhappiness to Humperdinck, who proposes a deal wherein he will send out four ships to locate Westley, but if they fail to find him, Buttercup will marry him. Humperdinck reveals to his accomplices that, although he arranged Buttercup's kidnapping in order to start a war with the neighboring country of Guilder, it will be better propaganda if she dies on her wedding night. On the day of the wedding, Inigo meets with Fezzik, who tells him that Count Rugen is the killer of Inigo's father. They seek out the man in black, hoping that his wits will help them overcome the guards. Buttercup learns that Humperdinck never sent any ships, and taunts him with her enduring love for Westley. Enraged, Humperdinck tortures Westley to death. Westley's screams draw Inigo and Fezzik to the scene; upon finding Westley's body, they enlist the help of the King of Florin's former "miracle man", a magician named Miracle Max. Max pronounces Westley to be merely "mostly dead" and resurrects him, although Westley remains partially paralyzed. Westley devises a successful plan to invade the castle during the wedding; the resulting commotion prompts Humperdinck to cut the wedding short. Buttercup decides to commit suicide when she reaches the honeymoon suite. Inigo pursues Rugen through the castle and kills him in a sword fight, reciting throughout the duel his long-rehearsed oath of vengeance. Westley reaches Buttercup before she commits suicide and assures her that she is not yet married as the ceremony has not been completed. Still partly paralyzed, he bluffs his way out of a sword fight with Humperdinck. Instead of killing his rival, Westley decides to leave him alone with his cowardice. The party rides off into the sunset on white horses conveniently discovered by Fezzik. (source: Wikipedia)

Characters edit see section history

  • Buttercup: Buttercup is a beautiful girl whose life takes a drastic turn after her beloved farmboy, Westley, leaves her to seek his fortune so that they can marry. Is said to be most beautiful woman in all the world.
  • 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. However, the ship he travels on is attacked by the Dread Pirate Roberts not long after leaving.
  • Dread Pirate Roberts: Kidnaps Buttercup's true love. Is the most feared Pirate of the Seas.
  • Inigo Montoya: Spaniard, expert swordsman. Fezzik's best friend. An ex-drunk. Is hired by Vizzini. Wants to kill a six fingered man for his fathers death.
  • Fezzik: A Turkish giant who enjoys rhyming. He is employed by Vizzini along with Inigo.
  • Vizzini: A cunning, hunchbacked Sicilian 'genius.' Employes Fezzik and Inigo for his plans of war.
  • Prince Humperdinck: It's all in the name.
  • Miracle Max: The king's miracle man. He revives a character who is only mostly dead. Has a "witch' for a wife.
  • Yellin: Keeper of the castle gate, the cousin of the albino man. Chief of All Enforcement for Florin City.
  • Count Rugen: Prince Humperdinck's supporter, loves to watch pain. The Prince's right hand man.
  • Domingo Montoya: Inigo Monotoya's father. A sword maker. A master of the sword who only wants to be an "artist".
  • Noreena: Princess of Guilder, likes hats
  • King Lotharon: King of Florin, father of Humperdinck. Is very old and mumbles a lot. Only his wife can really decipher what he's saying. Is very sick and about to die.
  • S. Morgenstern: The fictional author of the 'full version' of the Princess Bride.
  • Macpherson: Scotsman who trains Inigo in fencing.
  • Thibault: Originator of techniques Inigo learns in swordplay
  • Queen Bella: The queen of Florin, Step-Mother of Humperdink. The only one that can understand the King.
  • The Albino: Keeper of The Zoo of Death. Hardly speaks but is always there out of sight.
  • Valerie: Wife of Miracle Max.
  • Jason: The narrator's son for whom he is telling the story
  • Helen: The narrator's wife who is a psychiatrist
  • Waverly: Buttercup's daughter whom Fezzik rescues
  • Piccoli: The acknowledged king of the mind who teaches Inigo to control his own mind and block out the sounds of battle
  • Pierre: Chief medico on The Revenge
Show all 24 characters
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Quotes edit see section history

  • “As you wish.”
    Westley
  • “Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.”
    Inigo Montoya
  • “The farm boy had eyes like the sea before a storm.”
    Buttercup
  • “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
  • “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
  • ““That’s all you needed? Easy. I love you. Okay? Want it louder? I LOVE YOU! Spell it out, should I? I ell-oh-vee-ee why-oh-you. Want it backward? You love I... I've been saying it so long to you, you just wouldn't listen. Every time you said 'Farm Boy do this' you thought I was answering 'As you wish' but that's only because you were hearing wrong. 'I love you' was what it was, but you never heard, and you never heard."”
    Westley
  • “There have been five great kisses since 1642 B. C., when Saul and Deliah Korn's inadvertent discover swept across Western civilization. And the precise rating of kisses is a terribly difficult thing... But on any system, there are five that everyone agrees deserve full marks.Well, this one left them all behind.”
  • “She was eighteen. She was the most beautiful woman in a hundred years. She didn't seem to care.”
  • “Pardon, I'm not crazy, but have you seen any six-fingered noblemen lately?”
    Inigo Montoya
  • “You keep using that word. I don't think it means what you think it does.”
    Inigo
  • “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
  • “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)
  • “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.”
  • “Don't expect too much from life. Learn to be satisfied with what you have.”
    Buttercup
  • “"It must just be some local fisherman out for a pleasure cruise alone at night through shark-infested waters."”
    Vizzini
  • “Inconceivable!!”
    Vizzini
  • “"You mean you'll put down your rock and I'll put down my sword and we'll try to kill each other like civilized people, is that it?"”
    Westley
  • “"My brains, your strength and his steel against a hundred troops? And you think a little head-jiggle is supposed to make me happy?"”
    Westley
  • “I didn't even know this chapter existed until I began the 'good parts' version. All my father used to say at this point was, "What with one thing and another, three years passed," and then he'd explain how the day came when Buttercup was officially introduced to the world as the coming queen, and how the Great Square of Florin City was filled as never before, awaiting her introduction, and by then he was into the terrific business dealing with the kidnapping. Would you believe that in the original Morgenstern this was the longest chapter in the book? But from a narrative point of view, in 105 pages nothing happens. Except this: 'What with one thing and another, three years passed.'”
  • “Inigo: But you should know that when you get up here I plan to kill you! Westley: That does put a damper on our relationship.”
  • “Rest, then. Terrible things can happen when you're overtired. I was overtired the night your father proposed.”
  • “It was all part of growing up. You got these little quick passions, you blinked, and they were gone. You forgave faults, found perfection; then the next day the sun came up and it was over.”
  • “That was the way his sentences went: It is raining today and I love you. My cold is better and I love you. Say hello to Horse and I love you.”
Show all 25 quotes from this book

Setting & Locations edit see section history

Florin, a fictional European country

First Sentence edit see section history

This is my favorite book in all the world, though I have never read it.

Table of Contents edit see section history

The Bride
The Groom
The Courtship
The Preparations
The Announcement
The Festivities
The Wedding
Honeymoon

Glossary edit see section history

  • ROUS: Rodents Of Unusual Size, who live in the fireswamp.
  • Fireswamp: A large, deadly swamp with pits of quicksand and occaisional bursts of flame. Home to the deadly ROUS.

Themes & Symbolism edit see section history

  • True love conquers all.: Westley and Buttercup were separated when Westley left. Later, they are reunited and then separated again. Eventually, they are reunited again. They got through everything that happened because of the love they had for each other. True love got them through it all.

Series & Lists edit see section history

This is book 11 of 99 in National Public Radio's Top 100 Science Fiction and Fantasy. (authoritative list)

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

  1. William Goldman (Author)

First Edition edit see section history

Original Language: English
Publisher: Harcourt Publishers
Country: United States of America
Publication Date: 1973
ISBN: 0-345-41826-3
Page Count: 493

Awards edit see section history

  • Geffen Award (Finalist, 2002: Best Translated Fantasy Book)

Classification edit see section history

  • Library of Congress: PZ4.G635 Pr PS3557.O384
  • Dewey: 813.54

Notes for Parents edit see section history

Reading Level: Young Adults

Younger children might not understand, especially the prologue.

Links to Supplemental Material edit see section history

  • The Reunion Scene
  • Book and Film Review: So there we have it. This book could stand proudly on a shelf with A Tale of Two Cities, The Catcher in the Rye and Lolita (all of which are on this list by the way) based simply on its first and last lines. The first line informs you that you moving into a post-modernist world, the story of a book before we even get to the book. The last line tells you all you need to know. The line would become slightly different in the film (“Who said life is fair? Where is that written?) and it works for the film just like this line works for the novel. It is exactly the right line for the right book and it belongs where it is. Millions upon millions of people are familiar with The Princess Bride. An entire generation seems to know every word of the film, which is pretty remarkable given that it finished 41st in the box office tally for 1987. But how many of those people know the book? How many of them know that so much of what they love about the film comes directly from the book. Of course, both the film and the original novel come from the same writer, William Goldman, but it is remarkable how good a job he did at taking his post-modernist classic and turning it into such a wonderful film.

Movie Connections edit see section history

More Books Like This edit see section history

   
  • Stardust
  • Someplace To Be Flying
  • Callahan's Crosstime Saloon
  • Myth Conceptions
  • The Masterharper of Pern
  • Diplomatic Immunity
  • Dream Country
  • The Last Light Of The Sun
  • The Door into Summer
  • Dragon
  • Beauty
  • Child of Galina

Books with Additional Background Information edit see section history

   
  • The Totally Geeky Guide to The Princess Bride

Books That Influenced This Book edit see section history

   
  • The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love & High Adventure

Books Influenced by This Book edit see section history

   
  • The Silent Gondoliers
  • Stardust

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