The Princess Bride Theme of Friendship

What's a story about love without some ironclad friendships to go along with the kissy stuff?

There are all different kinds of love, of course, and maybe none stronger than the bonds between two people who weren't forced to spend time together from birth, and who don't have to share a bed with one another every night. (That might sound great, but trust us—it can get old.)

Two of the most endearing and enduring characters from The Princess Bride are Inigo and Fezzik, who could probably have gone off and shot a dozen buddy comedy spin-offs that would have made millions. We love them both individually, and we love them even more together. They've got a loyal friendship.

Questions about Friendship

  1. Humperdinck and Rugen appear to be friends, but can a relationship built on cruelty, violence and deceit really be considered "friendship"?
  2. Inigo and Fezzik don't appear to have all that much in common. Why did they form such strong ties?
  3. Miracle Max and Valerie might love one another, but they certainly scream at each other a lot. Is it possible to have love without friendship, or friendship without love?
  4. Fezzik does an awful lot to help Westley and Inigo without much in it for himself. Did he help purely out of friendship, or did he have something else to gain?

Chew on This

Take a peek at these thesis statements. Agree or disagree?

Inigo and Fezzik aren't really helping one another out of friendship, but instead because it gives them a chance to show off their respective abilities.

The greatest friendship on display in this movie is the one between Westley and Buttercup.