Screenplay: The Princess Bride (screenplay)

Overview
William Goldman's 1987 screenplay of "The Princess Bride" adapts his own novel into a film script that preserves the original's blend of fairy-tale romance, swashbuckling adventure, and sly meta-humor. The screenplay frames a traditional quest tale inside a modern conceit: a grandfather reads the story aloud to his skeptical, bedridden grandson. That framing device allows Goldman to play with storytelling conventions, comment directly to the audience, and keep a brisk, witty pace.
The screenplay balances earnestness and irony, giving its romantic core real emotional stakes while allowing comic asides and deliberate anachronisms. Goldman's voice remains unmistakable: warm, clever, and repeatedly self-referential, with memorable set pieces and quotable lines that translate naturally from page to screen.

Plot and Structure
The narrative follows Buttercup, a young woman living on a farm, and Westley, her farmhand and true love. After Westley leaves to seek his fortune and is reported dead, Buttercup is forced to marry the cunning Prince Humperdinck. Westley returns as the mysterious Man in Black to rescue her, setting off a sequence of encounters that include the Cliffs of Insanity, a battle of wits over a poisoned wine cup, a brutal duel in a castle, and a daring escape through the perilous Fire Swamp.
Goldman structures the screenplay as a succession of tightly constructed set pieces, each designed to showcase a different tone: romantic reunion, comedic caper, poignant revenge, and outright adventure. The scenes are compact and dialogue-driven, often punctuated by sudden shifts in mood that keep the audience off-balance in a deliberate, pleasing way.

Characters and Dialogue
The screenplay's characters are vivid archetypes given fresh life by specific, humane details. Westley is both resourceful hero and devoted lover; Buttercup evolves from a haughty beauty to a woman who understands and trusts love. Inigo Montoya is a noble swordsman consumed by a quest for vengeance against the six-fingered man who killed his father, while Fezzik is a gentle giant whose physical strength belies a tender, comic sensibility. Prince Humperdinck and Count Rugen provide the story's darker political and psychological threats.
Goldman's dialogue is the screenplay's chief strength. Lines like "As you wish" and "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." function as emotional anchors. The dialogue is both functional, propelling plot and revealing motive, and delightfully self-aware, trading in aphorism, terse wit, and sudden, sentimental truths that linger beyond the credits.

Themes and Legacy
Underneath its adventure tropes, the screenplay explores loyalty, the nature of storytelling, and the possibility of true love. It treats mythic elements with affection rather than reverence, allowing the characters to feel simultaneously archetypal and deeply human. The framing device also invites reflection on why stories matter, particularly to children and the adults who preserve them.
The film adaptation became a cult classic, in large part because Goldman preserved the novel's tone and much of its dialogue while tightening the narrative for cinematic rhythm. The screenplay's mix of warmth, irony, and memorable moments has ensured enduring popularity, with its lines and scenes entering popular culture and continuing to be quoted, taught, and celebrated decades after its release.