Unconventional Humor

So far in our study of The Princess Bride, we’ve seen several conventional and unconventional elements that make up its signature style of storytelling. From having some classically structured characters, like Westley, Buttercup, and Humperdinck, to nontraditional roles, like Fezzik, Inigo, and Miracle max, there is a wide array of people to explore in The Princess Bride. While we’ve looked briefly at the actual structure of the story, however, we’ve focused mostly on the characters that make up the story’s cast. In our examination of the bones of the story, we’ve seen that in most aspects it’s pretty typical, but for the sake of saving the best for last, we haven’t discussed one major unconventional aspect of the style in The Princess Bride. That’s what we’re looking at today: the uncommon humor that’s made this story so memorable for audiences young and old.

The humor found in The Princess Bride, in the film at least, begins before the book is ever opened. We are introduced to a setting that is far from the land of Florin: the bedroom of a sick little boy who is being visited by his grandpa. The stubbornness of the boy to not enjoy a “kissing book” matched by the stubbornness of his grandfather to finish said book provides hilarious injections into the story. The grandson complains about normally enjoyable elements of the story until the very end, and approves pieces of the story that typical viewers would not (see “Killed by pirates is good!”). The whole dynamic between these two family members and the story that they’re bonding over sets the scene for the even more outrageous humor found within the book’s pages.

Once we do get to the humor found in the actual story, though, we are far from disappointed. A big piece of what makes the storyline within the book is its relation to the grandfather and grandson enjoying the story along with us. The two of them are there to accentuate the already comical events of the story. I call the events of the story comical not only because they are so dramatically distant from those in real life, but also for how positively dramatic and serious the character’s reaction to the circumstances are. When the audience is already laughing at how quickly and bluntly we were told that Westley was killed by pirates, Buttercup only heightens the humor of the situation by “locking herself in her room” and declaring that she would “never love again”. Now, I understand that these circumstances were not in any way comical to first-time viewers who enjoy being wrapped up in a good story, but let’s be honest: the delivery and the outlandishness of it all is kind of funny. We see this type of dramatic seriousness in the rest of the story, from Inigo and Westley’s sword fight to the Fire Swamp and still to the palace of Humperdinck. It’s almost as if the characters themselves are working overtime to stay serious in the face of what’s happening around them.

Then we hit the point in the story where we meet Miracle Max. If the rest of the characters were trying to hold it together despite their circumstances, Max gave up on that a long time ago. He blatantly finds the prospect of ruining Humperdinck’s life hilarious, and doesn’t attempt to hide his humorous quirks. He’s only half serious about even his miracles, stopping in the middle of explaining his miracles to talk about MLTs and advising against swimming after getting a miracle from him. To top off the humor of the story, We’re met with the “Impressive Clergyman” (yes, that’s how he’s listed on IMDb). Although not intentionally comical like Max, his speech impediment and the serious reactions he reaps from the Humperdinck and Buttercup never fail to send audiences into fits of laughter. How Humperdinck could be so mad and Buttercup act so depressed in the face of the hilarity of the clergyman still baffles me.

I believe that all the ‘stereotypical’ elements of The Princess Bride were crafted that way intentionally. All elements of this cult-classic point and add to the humor that’s so widely recognized and enjoyed, and if a single part had been altered, it just wouldn’t be the same. As is tradition with the last post of the month, I will announce the next story of the month, but first I have a not as fun announcement to make. Due to circumstances of life beyond my control, my life has been a little out of control lately, and I need a month to get things sorted out and get standing on my own two feet again. Which is why I will not be making posts in February of 2019, but instead will resume in March 2019. I hate to make this call, but I don’t believe my posts would have been the quality that I demand of myself for my readers had I continued on through February. Once we return in March, we will begin a series that I am very much looking forward to: We will give an in-depth look at The Chronicles of Narnia! C.S.Lewis is one of my all-time favorite authors, and The Chronicles of Narnia have impacted my life in too many ways to count. I hope to see all of us regrouped and ready to dive into the story of Narnia Lewis graced us with in March. Goodbye for now, story addicts. I will return in little more than a month’s time!

Miracle Max and Valerie

If and when someone were to begin a conversation with you about the plentiful number of characters in high-fantasy fiction stories who fall into the generalized category of wise, old members of society who have magical tricks up their sleeve, which, for the record, happens to me all the time, characters who spring to mind are Gandalf. Dumbledore. The professor from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Mentors that provide wisdom to the main characters and help bail them out of hard situations, when need be. In high-fantasy type stories, we see repeated, classic personifications of the mentor archetype. So where does this character appear in a wonderfully otherworldly story such as The Princess Bride? Though he looks almost nothing like any of the mentors mentioned above, I’m here to tell you: that man is Miracle Max.

The first of many unconventional aspects of Miracle Max that sticks out to me is the timing of his entrance into the plot of The Princess Bride. Usually the magical mentor figure appears close to the beginning of the story, there to help the hero navigate their adventure from the beginning. Sometimes the hero will know their mentor before they embark on their adventure, like with Gandalf and Frodo. Other times, the mentors are allies that the heroes find after they’ve already begun their journey, like with Harry and Dumbledore. Either way, the mentor serves as a navigator for the hero, helping them orient themselves on their path. Miracle Max is a massive exception to these standard cases. Until the story is just about three quarters over, we don’t even know that Miracle Max exists. Even when he enters the scene, he doesn’t do much mentoring for anyone involved, either. He’s sort of just there to offer his magical abilities and cures.

He doesn’t offer these things freely, however: Max is obstinate that he won’t help Inigo and Fezzik revive Westley. He tries to tell us that this is because his self esteemed is ruined due to Prince Humperdinck firing him. In reality, Max is still throwing himself a massive pity party because he was fired from his work at the palace, and is essentially pouting and refusing to do anything because he’s too busy pouting. Enter another often-unseen variation on the wise mentor: Max’s wife, Valerie. She has been listening in on the dialogue between Max and Inigo and Fezzik the whole time, and is outraged at the pity party her husband is insistent on having. She’s heard that Westley deserves to life for his true love, and is getting on her husband for not helping them.

This is when it hits Inigo: Max is full of plenty of selfish motives against Prince Humperdinck, which is not common for mentors. Usually the wise, old person in the mentor role has only the greater good in mind, and has faith in the hero or heroes that they can do what’s right, if only with a little help. Not so with Miracle Max. Max is bitter, having been fired by Humperdinck himself. It’s only when Inigo figures out that this is the only thing that will motivate Max that he can talk Max into reviving Westley. The only thing that would turn his head was that if Westley lived, he would take down Prince Humperdinck, as the prince was holding Buttercup captive. Miracle Max nearly exploded with glee at this point, and he became suddenly all too eager to help Westley.

There is one last huge part of Max that sets him apart from his peers such as Gandalf and Dumbledore. Max doubles as comedy relief. Granted, the vast majority of The Princess Bride is some form of comedy relief, but this is highly unusual to see in a character that upholds the mentor archetype. The whiny tone to everything he says, his banter with Valerie, and even the comical quality to the cure he has for being almost-dead makes us laugh with and at Max. This is a deviation from the typical sage guide that is the hallmark of a mentor, and everyone loves and remembers Max for it.

The unique humor of Miracle Max, and, really, the whole of The Princess Bride is going to be the focus of the last post of the month, coming this Monday as we close out not only our study of the conventional and unconventional aspects of the story of the month, but the study of The Princess Bride as a whole. Join us again on Monday as we dissect this beloved tale in a new light and I announce the topic of conversation for next month!

Classic Story Structure

Story structure is something that writers study for most of their lives, only to bend and twist and make their own when they’re ready to write the story that’s been inside them all along. There are countless studies and classes and books about how to go through this process of making story structure unique to you and your story, and a lot of them rightly center around the theme of your story. What you’re trying to get across through your work of fiction predominantly determines how you’re going to structure your story, since story structure does so much to affect how things come across in your writing. Today, we don’t have time to look at the entire structure of The Princess Bride, but we will look at a few main points of the story that are very in line with traditional story structure.

One of the most easily recognizable elements of story structure is the point in the story where it feels like the writers are almost building up the hero’s endurance before he or she has to face the main villain once and for all. Sometimes writers do this through puzzles and other intelligence tests, sharpening the hero’s wit and adding to the tricks up their sleeve that will come in handy when they need to outsmart their nemesis. Other times a writer focuses on bettering their hero’s combat skills, sending increasing numbers of soldiers (or the equivalent for their story) to challenge the hero and delay him or her on their quest to take down the goon’s master. In The Princess Bride, Westley had to face both types of trials wrapped up into one. When he returns from the pirate ship Revenge as the man in black who follows Vizzini and company in an effort to rescue Buttercup, he is about to face three trials before he faces Prince Humperdinck himself. Inigo tests Westley’s skill with a sword, Fezzik tested his strength and agility in hand-to-hand combat, and Vizzini himself challenged his wits and ability to think on his feet to win this final competition. Westley came through every test with flying colors, just as the audience who was cheering him on knew he would.

The moment of most tension in a story, the moment when all hope is lost, and there’s no way everything could possibly be resolved in the few minutes of movie or scarce chapters left – this is the moment of death and rebirth. In some stories, a part of the hero dies; maybe an addiction or a toxic relationship. Sometimes the audience is led to believe that the hero has actually died, perhaps if they fell off a cliff or were stabbed. The exact opposite of what was needed for a happy ending has happened, and, if the storyteller has roped people in well, the audience has lost hope. This moment, interestingly enough, actually happens twice in The Princess Bride. The first time we see this happen is when Humperdinck comes into the pit of despair where Westley is being held captive and uses Count Rugen’s machine to suck fifty years of Westley’s life away, leaving him dead, for all the audience knows. Even though Fezzik and Inigo find Westley after this has happened and cured him with the help of Miracle Max, the death-and-resurrection moments are not done yet. Even though the new trio works valiantly to stop the wedding of Humperdinck and Buttercup, they get married, and Buttercup is full of despair. She doesn’t know what to do. She’s beating herself up over letting Westley go again after she had him, and decides that the only way to escape her circumstances is by taking her own life. Thankfully, Westley was there to stop her, which leads rather nicely into the last traditional element of story structure that we’re going to talk about today.

After all the trials, hard decisions, and perilous times, there is one thing that you can always count on in the end of The Princess Bride and other stories like it: a happy ending. Westley saves the day, Inigo finally takes down the six-fingered man, Fezzik is waiting outside of the palace with getaway horses when they’ve successfully conquered their foes, and Westley and Buttercup share a kiss that leaves all the other most passionate kisses in history behind. It’s what the audience has been waiting for, and The Princess Bride does not disappoint. Some stories take several installments to reach their happy ending, and a lot of times they’re not quite as perfect as Westley and Buttercup’s moment of victory, but that doesn’t change how wonderful and satisfying the end of this beloved classic is.

Tomorrow is the last Friday of the month, and as such, we’re going to be looking at characters from The Princess Bride for the last time. Join us as we look into two characters who are both traditional and out-of-the-box elements of the story: Miracle Max and his wife (not a witch), Valerie!

Buttercup

Buttercup, the princess referred to in the title The Princess Bride, is the leading lady of the story. Many see Buttercup and are quick to point out how shallow and unrealistic she is, and in some respects, this is true. In a post later on this month, I will talk about why I think that this character construction was intentional, but for now, we’re going to look at a couple of the ways that Buttercup was a realistic representation of things that everyone goes through, even though what she went through herself was not the everyday occurrence.

The first way I notice Buttercup as a tangible character is how she recognizes and deals with her feelings. At the very beginning of the movie, recognizing and dealing with her feelings is something Buttercup seems loathe to do. It takes her what the narrator tells us is quite a while before she realizes what the audience suspected from Buttercup’s first few moments on screen: she loves the farm boy named Westley as much as she loves to give him grief. She goes from pestering him without a second thought as to why, to realizing that he loved her, to slowly realizing that she loved him back. I think that it’s very human to have such an obliviousness to our own emotions and feelings, and it’s also normal to have a rather hesitant nature in dealing with them once we realize that they’re there, just like Buttercup did. She started acting silly, like telling Westley to fetch her something that was easily within her reach, just to keep him around before she ever admitted her feelings to herself, much less Westley.

The other piece of Buttercup that I find to be close to how a real person would act is her rash decision making skills. Once she knows that the masked man is in fact Westley, she is desperate to not loose him to death ever again. So, once the pair is out of the fire swamp and are met with Prince Humperdinck and his guard who are determined to take Buttercup to the palace, Buttercup panics and agrees to go with Humperdinck so long as Westley gets to live the life he’s established on the high seas. Audiences and Westley alike gasped with confusion as she offered to return with the horrid prince, but to her, Westley’s life was more important than her happiness. This may not be the motivator for the rash decisions that real people make, but it was Buttercup’s, and when this choice didn’t work out the way she had intended, she planned to make another choice that not all of us would’ve chosen: killing herself. She had expected Westley to return from his pirate ship and rescue her before her wedding to Humperdinck, but since Westley was never returned to his ship in the first place and was instead kept in captivity, this didn’t happen. She tells her new father in law, the king of Florin, that she intends to kill herself as soon as she gets back to her room. Thankfully, Westley had indeed come for her, and she never got the chance to follow through with that plan.

Buttercup was, in many aspects, a traditional Damsel in Distress. But the structure of her character also had some realistic flaws, and I believe that the ones listed here today helped Buttercup become a beloved household name to all who have watched The Princess Bride. I apologize to my fellow story addicts about the delay in posts; you can expect a new post both this coming Thursday and Friday. Tomorrow we will look at a very traditional element of The Princess Bride: its standard story structure. The topic for tomorrow is rich and full of things to learn from; I can’t wait to dive in!

Westley

Welcome back to Built of Stories, story addicts! I hope the winter holidays were kind to everyone, and that your New Year is off to a wonderful start! This year holds so much potential as we dive into stories we haven’t looked at before. Stories are one of those things that will always be there for you, no matter the ups and downs of life that you experience, and one of my main goals is to help the stories that you love become new and exciting again, so that you can see them in a new light. We’re going to do this for one of my favorite movies during the month of January. Let’s jump back into things and learn about The Princess Bride!

Today’s topic for discussion is the dashing hero of this beloved story: Westley himself. One of the interesting things about Westley is that most of his character development happens when he’s away sailing the seas, and, consequently, when we don’t see him. In The Princess Bride, it’s more like we see a before-and-after comparison of Westley’s character. Instead of growing and changing dramatically during the main body of the movie, Westley’s character has already been changed off-screen, and when he comes back to the spotlight, his new characteristics are tried and tested to demonstrate these changes.

When we first see Westley, he’s a humble farm boy carrying a torch for the (seemingly only) person he works for: Buttercup. Westley is a gentleman, however, and doesn’t insist on having his feelings recognizes. As as matter of fact, he doesn’t even overtly display his feelings, opting for a subtler series of hints we know as the phrase “as you wish”. He waited patiently for Buttercup to realize that he loved her, and waited longer still for her to realize that she loved him back. Like in nearly all stories, there is a moment of happiness… and then that moment ends.

Westley knows that his status is meager, and recognizes that he has no money for marriage. So he resolves to find work on a ship and set sail, returning the moment he can provide for his love. Buttercup soon receives the news that his ship was attacked by the Dread Pirate Roberts, however, and Westley was among the casualties. Later on, it is revealed that Westley wasn’t really killed, but taken in by Roberts and trained up to be the next pirate bearing that name.

When Westley comes back, we see all sorts of changes in him. He is confident and walks tall. He is witty and cunning, skilled with a sword and knowledgeable in the ways of battle. But one thing hasn’t changed: his deep love for Buttercup. Thanks to this, he is deeply hurt when he first sees her again, for while he was gone, Prince Humperdink, exercising his legal right, chose Buttercup to be his bride. When Westley returns, Buttercup and Humperdink are engaged, and Westley doesn’t know what to think. He feels betrayed, and it’s only after Buttercup explains that he is at rest knowing that she still loves him as well.

Westley is, from a writing standpoint, classic hero material. Ridiculously handsome, kind and loving, willing to die for his love – what more could a girl as for in the hero of a romance story? A lot of things about The Princess Bride are seen as massively cliche, and in some cases people who say that aren’t entirely wrong. As this month progresses, though, we’re going to look at not only what elements of this story make it cliche, but more importantly, what the author and director did with those cliches to make them fresh and interesting and humorous. We will look at one of these such elements of story this coming Monday; join us as we explore Prince Humperdink’s character!