If the most prevalent theme in The Princess Bride is love, then a close second is betrayal. Which shouldn't be a shocker. Love and betrayal often go hand-in-hand. If you've ever dated anyone for more than a week-and-a-half, you probably know what we're talking about.
The thing about betrayal is that it can't happen without commitment. A stranger on the street can't betray you, because they've made you no promises. If somehow they have already made you some promises, that relationship is moving a tad too quickly. We recommend that you ask for some space and move to the sidewalk on the other side of the street.
In this movie, there are some pretty strong commitments being made, which makes any betrayal—or any perceived betrayal—all the more difficult to swallow.
Questions about Betrayal
- Was Westley too hard on Buttercup when he rescued her from Vizzini, or was his outrage about her engagement to Humperdinck justified?
- Humperdinck becomes enraged when Buttercup hammers home the love she feels for Westley. But, although the prince and Buttercup are engaged, is it really a betrayal, since she never really loved her betrothed in the first place?
- Lying isn't always bad—sometimes you have to tell a lie in order to protect someone's feelings. Is betrayal the same way? Are there instances of...well-intentioned betrayal?
- Would Inigo have been betraying his father to not devote his life to killing Rugen?
Chew on This
Westley didn't really believe all that stuff he was saying about Buttercup's unfaithfulness; he was just testing her.
By not having Westley kill off Humperdinck, the filmmakers betrayed their audience.