The Princess Bride (film)/Characters

In The Story

Westley / The Dread Pirate Roberts

Westley, in "Dread Pirate Roberts" garb.

• Acquired Poison Immunity: To iocaine powder.
• Anti-Hero: Type II or III
• Back From the Dead: Thanks to the Miracle Pill.
• Bits of Me Keep Passing Out: Inverted and Played for Laughs as it takes a while for Miracle Max's cure to fully take effect on Westley, and Inigo and Fezzik have to carry him around while Storming the Castle as bits him are "waking up" one at a time.
• The Big Damn Kiss: "Since the invention of the kiss there have been five kisses that were rated the most passionate, the most pure. This one left them all behind. The End." Made ironic when the kid insists on skipping or editing all the kissy stuff at first but starts enjoying it by the end (film only).
• The Blade Always Lands Pointy End In: During his duel with Inigo Montoya, the Man in Black throws his sword. It spins end over end and impales itself in the ground point first.
• British Accents: Cary Elwes uses his native RP accent in the role.
• Cold-Blooded Torture: Damn you, Rugen.
• Cool Mask: As the Man in Black.

Fezzik: Why are you wearing a mask? Were you burned by acid or something like that?
Man in Black: No, it's just that they are terribly comfortable. I think everyone will be wearing them in the future.

• Deadpan Snarker: Before he reveals to Buttercup that he is indeed Westley, he occasionally snarks at her. Later he starts snarking at Humperdinck.
• Death Is Cheap
• Farm Boy: Starts out as one.
• Genre Savvy
• Guile Hero
• Hair of Gold
• The Hero
• Lady and Knight: Or Lady and Pirate, whatever.
• Master Swordsman - Can fight Montoya to a standstill.
• Names to Run Away From Really Fast: The Dread Pirate Roberts.
• Only Mostly Dead: The Trope Namer!
• Paper-Thin Disguise: Westley <-> Dread Pirate Roberts. It's amazing Buttercup takes so long to realize it. It also qualifies as Clark Kenting, although the book depicts him wearing a more complete disguise. Also, Buttercup had no reason to expect Westley to be alive, so wasn't looking for him.
• Passing the Torch: In the film, Westley asks Inigo if he's ever considered piracy, implying that he will pass on the title of Dread Pirate Roberts to be with Buttercup.
• The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: Probably, although a popular fanon joke is that prior to reuniting with Buttercup, he spent several years raping and pillaging and spreading terror.
• Pretty Boy: Oh yes. Cary Elwes is decidedly hot as Westley, especially compared to his later roles in Liar Liar and Twister, where he plays goofy/jerkass characters respectively.
• Resurrection Sickness: Westley is very weak after taking the Miracle Pill.
• Scheherazade Gambit: His relationship with the previous Dread Pirate Roberts.
• The Scream: While in Count Rugen's death machine. Inigo and Fezzik find him because of it.
• Secret Test: The Man in Black doesn't reveal his true identity to Buttercup after he rescues her in hopes of finding out whether she still loves him.
• Something Only They Would Say: "As you wish," meaning "I love you." Former Trope Namer.
• Spell My Name with an "S": Westley/Wesley.
• To the Pain: Trope Namer!

Westley: "To the pain means that the first thing you lose will be your feet below the ankles. Then your hands at the wrists, next your nose... The next thing you lose will be your left eye, followed by your right... Your ears you keep, and I'll tell you why: so that every shriek of every child at seeing your hideousness will be yours to cherish; every babe that weeps at your approach; every woman who cries out, 'Dear God! What is that thing?' will echo in your perfect ears. That is what 'to the pain' means; it means I leave you in anguish, wallowing in freakish misery, forever."

• This Is Sparta: Drop. Your. Sword.
• Wham! Line: "As you wish" while falling down the hillside.
• You Fight Like a Cow: The famous Inigo/Westley duel, but with compliments and discussion of swordfighting tactics instead of insults. (In most DVD editions, that chapter is titled "The Chatty Duelists.")

Buttercup

• The Big Damn Kiss: "Since the invention of the kiss there have been five kisses that were rated the most passionate, the most pure. This one left them all behind. The End." Made ironic when the kid insists on skipping or editing all the kissy stuff at first but starts enjoying it by the end.
• Catapult Nightmare: In the movie.
• Cuffs Off, Rub Wrists: After being untied.
• Damsel in Distress: She's especially useless in the fight with the ROUS. C'mon, swing that branch, don't just jab with it like a pool cue! Or pick up Westley's sword, or something.
• Dreaming the Truth: The Ancient Booer.
• Dumb Blonde: In the book. She's a little smarter in the movie.
• Everything's Better with Princesses: Buttercup gets promoted to princess, because she was born a commoner but Humperdinck wants to marry her. The book explains how she had to attend royalty school for three years, and was given the title of Princess of Hammersmith (which was part of the Florinese property but nobody ever paid attention to it) because the Prince couldn't marry a commoner.
• Everything's Even Worse with Sharks: In the book, Buttercup tries to swim away from Vizzini, so he excites the sharks. In the movie, it was changed to the shrieking eels.
• Fairytale Wedding Dress: Naturally.
• Green-Eyed Epiphany: In the book, the reason she realizes her love for Westley is because the Countess Rugen has the visible hots for him.
• Ice Queen / Defrosting Ice Queen: She flip-flops between these two throughout the book: In the beginning she was an Ice Queen, then defrosts after she realizes her love for Westley. She freezes up again after Westley's reported demise, then defrosts after realizing that he's still alive.
• Job Title: Her precise function in the story, at least as far as Humperdinck is concerned, is to be a princess and a bride. And a murder victim.
• Lady and Knight
• Marry for Love
• Neutral Female: Buttercup is hilariously useless.
• Only One Name
• Pressure Point: Fezzik uses a Vulcan Neck Pinch on Buttercup. In the book Vizzini does it.
• The Power of Love

Buttercup: "You can't hurt me. Westley and I are joined by the bonds of love. And you cannot track that, not with a thousand bloodhounds. And you cannot break it, not with a thousand swords. And when I say you are a coward, that is only because you are the slimiest weakling ever to crawl the earth."

• Quicksand Sucks
• Rags to Royalty
• So Beautiful, It's A Curse: Her beauty is enough to get her promoted to future queen, except the Prince threatens to kill her if she refuses. And he's planning to kill her anyway. In fact, if she were slightly less beautiful, the whole conflict wouldn't have happened.
  • Slightly averted in the book, where he originally had every intention of going through with the marriage, until he came up with the plot to frame Guilder. He specifically says to Count Rugen that he wants a wife who is so insanely beautiful that the whole world will be jealous, which is why Rugen shows him Buttercup in the first place.
• Ugly Guys Hot Daughter: Both of Buttercup's parents (who are not in the movie) are hilariously ugly. Lampshaded when it's said they don't know how they managed to produce such a beautiful child.
• World's Most Beautiful Woman: The book even explains how she became the worlds most beautiful woman.

Inigo Montoya

• The Alcoholic: after being bested by Westley, but he gets better. He was also one before Vizzini found him, having gotten depressed due to lack of worthy opponents and his inability to find Count Rugen.
• Badass Spaniard: Let's hope you didn't kill his father.
• Best Served Cold: His revenge against the six-fingered Count Rugen for killing his father.
• Catch Phrase:
  • Hello
  • My Name Is Inigo Montoya (Trope Namer)
  • You Killed My Father (almost Trope Namer)
  • Prepare to Die (not-really-but-kind-of Trope Namer)
• Excuse Me, Coming Through:

Inigo: Excuse me...excuse me... Fezzik, please?
Fezzik: EVERYBODY MOVE!
Crowd: *clears a path*
Inigo: Thank you.

• Fake Nationality: Mandy Patinkin is not from Spain.
• Good Scars, Evil Scars: Has classic good scars in the parallel slashes Rugen gave him to the face.
• Heel Face Turn
• Heroic Second Wind: He's not going down that easily, Rugen.
• Heterosexual Life Partners: With Fezzik.
• I Am Not Left-Handed: Trope Namer. Pulls this against The Man in Black. Backfires when it turns out the man in black isn't left-handed either.
• I Gave My Word: Played straight with Westley on the Cliffs of Insanity. He initially swears that he will get Westley up to the top alive on his honor as a Spaniard. Westley says that's no good ("I've known too many Spaniards.") He then swears on his father's soul, and Westley believes him.
• The Lancer
• Master Swordsman: Only Westley can equal him in swordsmanshup.
• Minion with an F In Evil
• One-Man Army: Humperdink's four elite guards didn't have a chance the second he appeared.
• Parental Abandonment: His father, Domingo Montoya, was a skilled swordmaker. One day Count Rugen comes to their nice, Arcadian village demanding a sword for a six-fingered man, offering to pay handsomely for it. Domingo accepts and for a year is either exceedingly happy or horribly depressed over his progress on the sword. When it is finally complete and Rugen comes to claim it, he deems it unacceptable and kills Domingo.
• Precision F-Strike: During his final match.

Inigo: I want my father back, you son of a bitch!

• Punch Clock Villain: He says it in the film -- "I just work for Vizzini to pay the bills."
• The Slow Walk: During his final match with Rugen. Justified as he is seriously injured at the time.
• Spell My Name with an "S": "Inigo" is the English variant of the Spanish name "Íñigo," so some fans end up using the latter.
• Spexico
• Wall Slump: During his final match with Rugen.
• Worthy Opponent: Westley.
• You Fight Like a Cow: The famous Inigo/Westley duel, but with compliments instead of insults. (In most DVD editions, that chapter is titled "The Chatty Duelists.")
• You Keep Using That Word: Trope Namer

Fezzik

• The Big Guy/The Brute

Fezzik: "It's not my fault I'm the biggest and the strongest. I don't even exercise."

• Fake Nationality: Although never stated in the movie, in the book Fezzik is Turkish.
• Gentle Giant: No, really!
• Heel Face Turn
• Heterosexual Life Partners: With Inigo.
• Minion with an F In Evil
• Parental Abandonment: His backstory is never explained in the movie but his parents died of a desert plague while they were in Mongolia.
• Plot-Powered Stamina: His arms never get tired.
• Punch Clock Villain: Like Inigo, he works for Vizzini and that's the only reason he's a bad guy. The book explains that he takes the job because it means he won't be alone anymore.
• Rhymes on a Dime: Fezzik is very fond of doing this.

Vizzini: No more rhymes, now, I mean it!
Fezzik: Does anybody want a peanut?

• Scarecrow Solution: "The Dread Pirate Roberts" rig that Fezzik wears.
• Worthy Opponent: Westley.

Vizzini

• Catch Phrase: Inconceivable!
• Evil Genius: So he keeps claiming.
• Fake Nationality: Nope, Wallace Shawn is not Sicilian. Shocking, we know.
• I Don't Pay You to Think: To Fezzik.

Vizzini: "You were not hired for your brains!"

• I Know You Know I Know: While trying to figure out which goblet contains the poison.

Vizzini:...so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of me! But you would have counted on my thinking that, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of you!...

• Look Behind You!: Pulls this on the Man in Black in order to switch the goblets.
• The Napoleon
• No Indoor Voice
• Out-Gambitted: Former Trope Namer.
• Poisoned Chalice Switcheroo
• Smug Snake
• Ted Baxter: Let's face it, he's not nearly as smart as he thinks he is.

Prince Humperdinck

• Affably Evil
• Big Bad
• Prince Charmless: Oh, boy.
• The Chessmaster
• The Evil Prince
• Fat Bastard: Only in the novel.
• Genre Savvy
• Great White Hunter: More prevalent in the book than the movie, but even in the movie, Buttercup notes that "he can track a falcon on a cloudy day." He also deduces the nature and outcome of the duel between Wesley and Inigo by examining their footprints.
• Properly Paranoid: "I believe everything to be a trap. It's the reason I'm still alive."
• Romantic False Lead: Everyone except Count Rugen genuinely believes that he's in love with his bride-to-be.
• Scarily Competent Tracker
• Succession Crisis: In the book, the whole thing gets started when Prince Humperdinck learns that his father is dying and he has to marry to produce an heir. FALSE.
• Wicked Stepmother: Subverted. His stepmother is actually quite nice, it's just that he grew up reading fairytales with wicked stepmothers and as such refers to her as "Evil Stepmother" ("E.S" for short), a term of endearment between them.

Count Rugen

• Affably Evil
• Creepy Monotone
• The Dragon: To Humperdinck.
• Mad Scientist
• Stop saying that!: To Inigo after the latter repeats his Catch Phrase one too many times.
• Red Right Hand: He has six fingers on one of his hands.
• Robotic Torture Device: The Machine.
• Torture Technician

Miracle Max and his wife Valerie

• Alchemy Is Magic
• Ambiguously Jewish: Described by Billy Crystal (Max) as a pair of "Jewish trolls".
  • Lampshaded in the novel.

And so here the point is, if Max and Valerie sound Jewish, why shouldn’t they? You think a guy named Simon Morgenstern was Irish Catholic? Funny thing — Morgenstern’s folks were named Max and Valerie and his father was a doctor.

• Berserk Button: Mentioning Prince Humperdinck's name will drive Max up the wall.
• Cool Old Guy: Max.
• Cool Old Lady: Valerie.
• Happily Married: Not so obvious in the movie, but the book implies as much--for example, explaining that when Max calls Valerie "witch" it's in fact a term of endearment and part of their whole act.
• Henpecked Husband: Max to an extent.

Valerie: LIAR! LIAR! LIIAAAAR!

• One Scene Wonders

The Albino

• The Igor
• Punch Clock Villain: He seems to enjoy his job in the film a little more, though. In the book he's very timid and feels deeply sorry for Westley, offering to poison him to put him out of his misery.

Outside The Story

The Kid

• He's Just Hiding:

The Boy: "Wait, what did Fezzik mean, 'He's dead?' I mean he didn't mean dead. Westley's only faking, right?"

• Ill Boy: His grandfather comes to read him the story because he's been extremely sick.
• No Name Given
• Suspiciously Specific Denial: After his grandfather tells him that Buttercup doesn't get eaten by eels, he vehemently denies he was nervous about it, instead stating he was 'concerned.'

The Grandfather

• Cool Old Guy
• Deadpan Snarker

Grandfather: Yes, yes, you're very smart. Shut up.

• No Name Given
• The Storyteller

---

Back to The Princess Bride (film)