The Princess Bride Themes

The Princess Bride Themes

Marriage

It's probably not surprising that marriage is a major theme in a book called The Princess Bride, and from the very first chapter, it's clear this book is going to center on the marriage of Buttercu...

Family

Next to love, family is probably the biggest theme in this book. The whole reason faux-William Goldman even bothered writing this book was to make sure that his son Jason would have the same wonder...

Violence

There are lots of stories like The Princess Bride floating around. But one of the things that sets this book apart from other children's stories is its portrayals of violence. You might start readi...

Cunning and Cleverness

The Williams Goldman—both real and fictitious—are clever writers. After all, how else could there be so many twists and turns in the plot, keeping us guessing as to what'll happen next? On top...

Society and Class

In the land of Florin, where The Princess Bride is set, there is a pretty big divide between the nobility and the commoners. It's so great, in fact, that Prince Humperdinck will avoid walking among...

Revenge

What's a classic adventure story like The Princess Bride without a great revenge plot? In this book, we need to look no further than Inigo Montoya, the swashbuckling Spaniard who has dedicated his...

Appearances

It's a rough thing to say, but there are more than a few occasions in The Princess Bride where things get pretty superficial. Appearances come up time and again in this book, and despite Buttercup...

Love

Guess what? Love is a major theme in The Princess Bride. In fact, it's probably the most important theme of all, since it totally drives the action of the whole story and it's the last thing mentio...