The Princess Bride: Study Questions

What is Fezzik's biggest fear?

Being alone and abandoned (boooooo).

In this part of the chapter, what sorts of things have we learned about the man in black?

He's a wizard at swordplay He's very strong, quick and agile He's the most skilled person ever, uses guild

Why do the crowds boo Fezzik in the ring?

He's too good and there's no fair fight

Where is Westley? Who is taking care of him?

*5th level of the Zoo of Death. *He's tended by the albino, the Keeper of the Zoo.

Anachronisms in chapter 6

*Books/articles *"jot this down" *cough drops *"I'm just swamped" *Honey to Buttercup

Three things have occurred as a result of the failed kidnapping?

*Humperdincks a hero *Buttercup is even more adored than before *Gildur is being blamed for the kidnapping

Why does Inigo go back to the Thieves' quarter? What does he do there?

*Inigo needs to go back to the beginning like Vizzini instructed him to do *He falls into old habits (drinking) *Feels like a failure

What does Fezzik do after he awakes?

*Looks for Vizzini and Inigo *Cries for Inigo *Goes to a cave, where he is found by the local boys and laughed at, just like when he was young

Count Rugen

An oddly perverse intellectual curiosity about pain. He likes to document what people to go through in pain. He creates the machine. Suction cup sucks life away, levers, silly looking

Describe Fezzik as a baby, child. How big was he? What was his personality like?

Baby: 16 pounds. At age 6, as a kindergartener, ready to shave. He was the size of an a normal man, and the other children made his life miserable. His personality: he doesn't like to fight with people, he's a coward, lets people bully him

Why are they taking care of him?

Because they want to try the machine on him and they won't have good results if he's not good. They want to torque him and observe what happens when he's tortured

Connections: Goldman and father

Fathers who highly encourage their sons to do something that they think is for their own good

How does Vizzini describe himself? Is the Sicilian really that smart?

Filled with guile, deceit, so shrewd cagey, diabolical , a foxy. Tricky as he is untrustworthy. (175). He's not that smart, but his ego tricks him into being that smart

What characters within the princess bride who has come of age?

Gaining a sense of reality Fezzik, Inigo

What do Buttercups dreams represent

Guilt

Where does Vizzini find Fezzik?

He starts fighting gangs, and joins the circus. They fire him and the crowds start to boo him. He's also eating all the food. They fire him in Greenland, the loneliest place on earth. Vizzini finds him sitting on a rock of the side of a road.

How does the Sicilian treat Fezzik

He uses him. The Sicilian has the upper hand. He criticizes him and gets really mad at him calling him a fool. Bully's Fezzik.

8.) What possibility does Humperdinck bring to Buttercup's attention? Is this true? What is her reaction? What are Humperdinck's real design?

Is that Buttercup could write a letter (4 copies) and send them to Westley to see if he would come back to Buttercup. No, it's not true b/c Westley isn't out sailing on his ship, he's being held captive. Her reaction is thinking that Humperdinck is really generous . Humperdincks real plans are to kill Buttercup, and act like it was Gildur assassins and start a war with Gildur

7.) what was the term coined by Karl Morgenstern for a coming-of-age story?

Life isn't fair (pg. 186)

What does his father teach Fezzik to do when he is in kindergarten?

Make a fist and fight, but Fezzik doesn't want hi. His father calls him a coward and edges him on to punch him. Fezzik finally punched him and broke his jaw.

Why does the man in black treat Buttercup so roughly after Vizzini dies?

Maybe b/c Weslteys under the impression that Buttercup moved on Maybe b/c he doesn't want buttercup to know who he really is Prince Humoerdinck is on their trail, get a move on Out of protection for her

What happens when you become of age?

Not so naive, bad experiences are a loss, betrayal, disappointment, learning that life isn't fair

What is Fezzik's biggest source of joy?

Rhyming words. Bother father, wooly bully

What is the battle of wits that the man in black proposes? How does it end and why does it end the way it does?

There are 2 wine glasses. One filled with Australian poison and one supposedly filled with none. The Sicilian picks the wrong one, both of them are poison but the main black has an immunity built up, so the Sicilian dies

Why is Goldman so upset that Buttercup is marrying Humperdinck?

There should always be a happy ending. He reconciles by knowing that Life isn't fair! He visits his neighbor who's an author that life isn't fair.

Describe the sword fight btwn the main in black and Inigo

They both started out left handed. When Inigo switched to his right hand, he thought he was winning, but then Westley switched to HIS right hand and won. (Pg. 148) as far as skill goes, they are equally matched. The man in black is as good as a wizard as he is. They're friendly and polite to eachother, complementing eachother. The fight ends w/the man in black winning. He doesn't kill Inigo, but hits him in the head.

How does the man in black beat Fezzik? Does he kill him?

They put down their rocks and swords, and fight like civilized people. The man in black beats him by slipping through his arms inside of a hold. And he jumps on his back and chokes him, until it gets to consciousness and death. And btwn there he'd lets go

What happens to Fezzik's parents?

They were on tour, a plague got them and died.

What anachronisms are in this part of the reading?

Turk Da Vinci Kindergarten in medieval times? No milkman No professional fighting Circus Australia

6.) Why was Goldman so upset at the possibility of Buttercup marrying Humperdinck? How is he able to reconcile this

Usually there's always a happy ending, where good triumphs evil. So when Humperdinck is gonna marry Buttercup, and Buttercups love is being held captive, it's not a happy part . He thinks about how there could be a happy ending, and he finally finds out, and he says I KNEW IT

Why does Goldman's father want to stop reading the story to him

When Westley was on the machine. He's afraid he couldn't handle is. When Westkey is going to die, it undoes Goldman, he's interested in the story, and he wants it to end well in his head