The Princess Bride characters

Appears from the start

A young woman raised on a farm in the country of Florin who grows into the most beautiful woman in the world. In her youth she takes for granted the poor farm boy who does her bidding, and only understands that she loves him once he leaves to seek his fortune overseas. When word comes that his ship was taken and that he was killed, she resolves never to love again, and in time she consents to marry the prince who chooses her, though her heart is empty.

Appears from the start

The poor farm boy who works for Buttercup's family and answers her every command with the words 'As you wish', which she comes to understand as his way of saying that he loves her. Determined to earn enough to marry her, he sails away to make his fortune in a distant land. Soon afterward comes news that his vessel was attacked at sea by a notorious pirate said to leave no survivors.

First appears in chapter 2

The heir to the throne of Florin, a powerful and physically imposing man whose great passions are hunting and the pursuit of dangerous game. Obliged to take a wife, he searches his realm for a suitable bride. Beneath his royal bearing he is calculating and ruthless, and his true intentions toward the woman he selects are not what they appear.

First appears in chapter 2

A nobleman who serves as the prince's closest confidant and advisor. Cold and studious, he has a scholarly fascination with the nature of pain, which he studies deliberately. He has six fingers on one hand, a feature that sets him apart from other men. He is trusted with the prince's schemes and with his cruelest work.

First appears in chapter 4

A Spanish master of the sword and one of three outlaws hired to abduct Buttercup. As a boy he watched a six-fingered nobleman murder his father, a gifted swordmaker, and he has since devoted his life to perfecting his fencing so that one day he can find the killer and take his revenge. He is loyal, honorable in his own fashion, and given to drink when despair overtakes him.

First appears in chapter 4

An enormous, immensely strong man from Turkey, gentle and good-natured despite his frightening size and his reputation as a wrestler. Slow to anger and fond of rhymes and word games, he is devoted to his friend Inigo. He is one of the trio hired to carry out the kidnapping of Buttercup.

First appears in chapter 4

A hunchbacked Sicilian criminal who considers himself the most intelligent man alive and never tires of saying so. He leads the small band hired to seize Buttercup and provoke a war between kingdoms, ordering the swordsman and the giant about with open contempt. He prides himself above all on his cunning and his certainty that he can outthink any opponent.

First appears in chapter 7

A miracle worker who was dismissed from the prince's service and now lives in bitter retirement with his wife. Cantankerous and easily provoked, he is nonetheless the one person who might be able to restore a man who is only 'mostly dead'. He is sought out when Buttercup's rescuers find themselves in need of the impossible.