Tools of Characterization

Characterization in The Princess Bride

Physical Appearances

Perhaps the most glaring demonstration of the importance of physical appearance is when Buttercup is out for her daily ride, and bumps into Fezzik, Inigo and Vizzini, standing all in a row, and pretty much running the gamut in terms of stature. The guy on one end could clean leaves out of gutters without a ladder; the fella on the other end needs a step stool to reach the stuff on the top shelf of the refrigerator.

It isn't just the hulking figure of Fezzik or the diminutive one of Vizzini, though. Great attention was clearly paid to the looks of every character in the film, from the albino with the patchy skin, to the heavily prosthetic made-up Miracle Max. As many of the events and storylines in this fairytale are over-the-top, so are the characters. They are allowed to be bigger (or smaller) than life, because this ain't real life.

And then there are the clothes. The Zorro-esque black mask that Westley wears that simultaneously hides his identity and makes him look really cool. The long, beautiful, flowing dresses that Buttercup wears that accentuate her beauty. And with everyone else, you can tell almost exactly their standing in society based on how regal or ratty their threads are.

Except with the grandson. The Bears T-shirt could go either way.

Social Status

The Princess Bride is very much a story of the "haves" and "have nots." You've got the wealthy, set-for-life crowd, most of whom live in the castle and have all of their wants and needs constantly attended to; then there are the peasants, farmers and townspeople who are working hard to put a crust of bread on the table. Well, all right…we can't say definitively that they're all working hard. Some of them are probably lazy as all get-out.

The point being that there's an obvious divide here. Not much of a middle class. And this movie is totally pro-the-little-guy. Of the wealthy folks, the king's the only one who seems even somewhat kind-hearted, and that may just be because senility is setting in. Everyone else is cruel, deceitful and manipulative. And while they may look at those three things as positive traits, most of us would beg to differ.

But among the poor and downtrodden, you've got a variety of individuals with noble purposes that are worth rooting for. Westley's had a hard time of it, being captured on a ship for years and now needing to rescue his true love from an evil prince. Inigo saw his father killed before him when he was a child, and wants to avenge that needless death. Fezzik…well, Fezzik just wants to be loved. Is that so wrong?

Actions

As the phrase goes, actions speak louder than words. Which is saying something in terms of this movie, because many of the characters are awfully loud. We're looking at you, Vizzini.

In the eyes of the viewer, everyone here is judged by their actions. All of Humperdinck's riches mean squat when he chickens out at the end of the film. Now he's not only a jerk, he's also a big ol' coward.

Same goes for Rugen, who first turns and runs when confronted with Inigo, and then throws a knife into his pursuer's gut rather than fight him fairly. Guess he learned from the best.

On the opposite side of the coin, we can barely keep track of all of Westley's grand gestures and romantic one-liners. Buttercup, despite the accusations of unfaithfulness, has always fought fiercely to keep her hope alive, and makes courageous demands of Humperdinck when she thinks there's still some chance she might see Westley again. Inigo doesn't shy away from the prospect of death at the hand of the man who slayed his father, and Fezzik agrees to be lit on fire if it will improve the chances of rescuing Buttercup. Now that's a good friend.