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Question 1

Theme of Loyalty in Simon Morgenstern’s The Princess Bride

The characters in The Princess Bride go through situations that bring out the ideal meaning and value of loyalty for each other. The actions in the novel are majorly motivated by pure loyalty for each other. The theme of loyalty is demonstrated through different characters throughout the book. Westley and Buttercup endure suffering and tribulations but fight for each other and remain loyal to each other (Goldman 2007). The relationship between Westley and Buttercup though hailed as the epitome of true love is amplified by the level of loyalty the two have for each other.

Westley is determined to rescue Buttercup from the hands of her enemies and also to free her from getting engaged to the evil Prince. Westley encounters many problems in achieving his goals including a sword fight with Inigo, a battle of wits with Vizzini, a fist fight with Fezziki, the Giant, the fire swamp, the pit of despair and lastly the machine. Although the book initially portrays him as a young man consumes with love, his love for Buttercup later makes him more intelligent, wise and powerful. H is motivated by love and loyalty to do anything within his ability to save Buttercup. His loyalty results in subtle shifts in his personality. His incredible loyalty is shown when despite not having seen the love of his life for many years, his main goal remains finding her, regardless of the danger. On her part, Buttercup remains loyal to Westley even after being told of his death. When she pushes the pirate Roberts, he shouts his trademark words. Upon discovering that actually Roberts is her Westley she goes down and the two enjoy a romantic moment. She is still loyal to him and so is he.

Another example is that of Inigo Montoya who is fiercely loyal to his father. He sets out to avenge his father’s det in the hands of a six-fingered man. His sole goal is to kill his father’s killer, a fact that demonstrates remarkable family loyalty. He choses to become a swordsman mainly to show his undying loyalty to his father and family.

Though there’s nothing spoken outright about Inigo and Fezzik as done to Westley and Buttercup, their friendship is a real example of true companionship. Fezzik’s insecurity over his strength and fear of being left alone exposes him to selfish manipulation by Vizzini (Goldman 2007). However, Inigo treats him kindly and gently, thus making Fezzik happy. They both work together and combine their strengths to enter the Zoo of death to accomplish their goals (Gale, 2016). It’s because of love and loyalty between Inigo and Fezzik that they are miraculously reunited.

Through the book, Goldman creates a story that helps readers understand how to evaluate relationships. He suggests that people should not base relationships on rankings but rather on how they treat each other. The theme of loyalty supersedes all other themes in this text.

Works Cited

Gale, Cengage Learning. A Study Guide for William Goldman’s” The Princess Bride”. Gale Cengage Learning, 2016.

Goldman, William. The princess bride: S. Morgenstern’s classic tale of true love and high adventure. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2007.

Symons, Yoram. “Inconceivable: Genre in the ‘Princess Bride’.” Screen Education 46 (2007): 90.

Question 2

The adaptation of literary art from one medium to another always comes with new elements. These elements could either make the two versions accurate or create something very different from the original work. The princess bride film ranks as one of the most successful films released by Hollywood in the ’80s. It has got most features of modern cinema, including torture, fighting, fencing, monsters, revenge, true love, escapes, and miracles, among others.

An example of the changes includes the way the film cuts Fezzik’s backstory and distills the backstory of Inigo to justify his relationship with count Rugen. Initially, the shrieking eels were sharks, and the lighting sand was snow sand. A notable difference was the change from the pit of despair to the Zoo of Death. In summary, although both the book and film are great and have a great deal of semblance, the abridging framing device modified the plot.

There also some incidences where jarring changes are ranging from fantasy and reality. From a cinematic point of view, this made the plot very confusing, and even some crucial sections were removed from the original book to make the film less severe. The reliable narrative technic evidenced in the movie makes it an exciting watch. It reflects the actual narration of the book.