Buttercup In William Goldman's The Princes Bride

Westley, the heroic protagonist in William Goldman’s classical novel The Princes Bride, is devoted to Buttercup, the prettiest girl in Florin. Westley is devoted to Buttercup because she is the love of his life. Consequently, he is committed to putting Buttercup’s needs and desires before his own. This is why Westley is more than willing to do whatever is necessary to make sure Buttercup is safe and happy. Subsequently, Westley is constantly sacrificing his own well-being for the well-being of his love. Even if this means putting himself in harm’s way, Westley will do so because his loyalty to Buttercup is everlasting. One time Westley showed he was devoted to Buttercup was after Prince Humperdinck of Florin hired a trio of bandits called …show more content…
This would then provide Prince Humperdinck with the perfect excuse to start a war with Guilder. The plan hit a snag, however, when a mysterious man dressed entirely in black followed the trio to capture the already kidnapped Buttercup. Once the Man in Black was able to defeat each of the members of the trio in individual battles, he rescued Buttercup. Soon after, the Man in Black revealed to Buttercup that he was really her true love Westley, the man she thought had died three years earlier when taking a ship to America. Westley then shared that on his trip to America, his ship was captured by the Dread Pirate Roberts, a pirate notorious for never leaving survivors, and everyone but Westley was brutally murdered. While the others begged for their lives or offered bribes, Westley instead just asked the Dread Pirate Roberts to please not kill him. Westley told Buttercup that when the Dread Pirate Roberts asked why he should not be killed, he said, ‘“I explained my mission, how I had to get to America to get money to reunite me with the most beautiful woman ever reared by man, namely you”’ (208). Yet, The Dread Pirate Roberts was still uncertain if he should spare Westley’s life.