The Symbolism Of Chivalry In The Film The Princess Bride

Decent Essays
In the film, “The Princess Bride,” the character Westley clearly represents the code of

chivalry from the medieval era. According to the code of chivalry, one does not refuse a

challenge from an equal. This is shown after Westley successfully climbed the Cliffs of

Insanity when Inigo challenged him to a duel, and he did not refuse. Additionally, the

code of chivalry states that one must persevere until the end in the enterprise that he

began in. For instance, even though Westley was "mostly dead,” he still found the

strength to invade Prince Humperdinck’s castle, with the help of both Inigo and Fezzik,

and save Buttercup. Furthermore, the code states that one must also respect the

honour of women. This is shown in the film when,

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Archetypal Spectrum Carl Jung created the concept of the collective unconscious, which is universal thoughts, beliefs and ideas that are shared amongst many people. For example, individuals from all over the world have the same vision that constructs the image of the ideal hero. A few traits that a hero identifies with would be, using their muscles and powers for the good and also for the better of the community. A similar picture is painted universally when thinking about this specific character, thus a hero is categorized as an archetype. Along with the hero archetype, there is also the villain archetype.…

    • 1088 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Chivalry was a code of conduct that was followed by the knights in the medieval times. This code of conduct explains how the knights should live out their life including being brave, courteous to others, courageous, etc. The movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail, pokes fun of many aspects of chivalry. There are many different scenes in this movie where an aspect of chivalry is being parodied and is taking out of proportion. One of the first scenes where chivalry is being parodied is when King Arthur fights the black knight in the woods.…

    • 835 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the Middle Ages, if you were a knight chivalry was very important. To be a knight you put your life on the line for your lady and king. The excerpt from Sir Gawain and The Green Knight, translated by Burtin Raffel, demonstrates the code of chivalry Gawain’s brave actions in an effort to reflect the enhancement of the character in this literature of the Middle Ages. One example of chivalry was when Gawain stepped up and took the axe over author to swing the axe at the Green knight.…

    • 645 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    For the women in Bell’s article they must pick whether to be a good girl or a bad girl. Jayanthi performance reflects a bad-girl whereas Alicia is seen as the good girl. The expectation of a women to not be labeled a ho by exploring her sexuality, causes them to pick between the two. In the essay “The Naked Citadel” by Susan Faludi the men are expected to behave masculine and any sign of femininity is highly discouraged.…

    • 1571 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Movies are a great way to learn about leadership. And not many movies can compete with the Princess Bride (Reiner, 1987) when it comes to learning leadership. Let’s take a look at how leadership is demonstrated in each of the characters, based on the work of Komives, Lucas, and McMahon (2013): in Table 8.2: Examples of Common Roles in Groups (Komives et al., 2013, 323-324). These roles are as follows: “Information Seeker, Opinion Seeker, Opinion Giver, Summarizer, Clarifier, Gatekeeper, Encourager, Mediator, and Follower.” (Komives et al., 2013, 323-324; explanations of these roles may also be found there.)…

    • 959 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The nobility were at the top of the Medieval social pyramid, but they also had economic and military needs. The king needed a group of loyal supporters, providing him with the things to stay as the ruler. He demanded and received goods and services from nearly everyone, rich or poor (Nardo 27). Because of that, he was able to maintain a powerful yet comfortable lifestyle (Nardo 27). The king also received protection as the lord supplied him with great armies of knights (Biel 9).…

    • 869 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the film “The Princess Bride”, Westley represents the Code of Chivalry because he is truthful, never declines challenges, and refrains from the wanton giving of offence. First of all, Westley speaks the truth and keeps promises. For instance, in the beginning, he tells Buttercup that he would come back for her. Even though he comes back many years later, he still kept his word. Throughout the whole movie, Westley never lies to anyone.…

    • 227 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Knights Code of Chivalry was part of the culture of the Middle Ages and understood by all (lordsandladies.org). It was a moral system which went beyond rules of combat and introduced the concept of Chivalrous conduct, qualities idealized by knighthood, such as bravery, courtesy, honor, and gallantry toward women (lordsandladies.org). The Knights Code of Chivalry played a central role in medieval culture, and was therefore a reoccurring theme in stories of the time. These stories are filled with tales of kings and knights whose lives are based upon principles of this code. This essay will examine the actions of King Arthur in the story I am Mordred to determine if Arthur displays qualities found within the Knights Code of Chivalry.…

    • 669 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Princess Bride published in 1973, written by William Goldman, contains misogynistic views of women from Americans’ current view, but not necessarily through the eyes of men and women of the early 1970s. Despite the beginning of the women’s rights movement, the early 1970s was an extremely sexist time period compared to 2016. However, the 1970s, compared to previous decades, showed the beginning of women standing up for themselves and society changing for the better, slowly but surely. It is important to understand the context of women’s rights in the early 1970s to understand how the women are portrayed in Goldman’s book. Specifically, Goldman’s fictionalized character of himself reacting to his overbearing wife and the hot starlet in Hollywood…

    • 1031 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Princess Bride, created by Rob Reiner, presents love, death, and fate. This movie brings the characters closer together as they go through their own quests and complete their quests. Archetypal criticism reveals that the strength of a relationship can overcome misfortune by reflecting the quest archetype. In Princess Bride, Westley's quest is to return to his true love, Buttercup, whom he has loved since a young worker on her family's farm.…

    • 796 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Chivalry is a religious, moral, and social code that knights of England followed. The code is similar to the Anglo-Saxon code. Many parts of the code are still honored in today’s society. Each time a man holds open a door for woman or somebody gives up their seat for an elder, chivalry is displayed. Chivalry was a standard set for all knights to follow.…

    • 649 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Chivalry was the moral code that the noblemen of the middle ages strived to follow. This code outlined how a knight should behave in battle and to a greater extent how they should act at home. Gawain and the Green Knight and Marie De France’s Lanval can both be read as explorations of chivalry. Both works present chivalry as an impossible ideal rather than a fact of medieval life. Lanval, Gawain, and Arthur’s court are all pillars of the chivalric ideal, in Marie De France’s Lanval Arthur’s court is said to have, “had no equal in all the world”(154) and in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Arthur’s court is said to consist of, “the most courteous and chivalrous knights known to christendom;”().…

    • 1058 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    When one thinks of chivalry, an image of a valiant knight in armor appears in their head. However, in reality, the code of chivalry was a strict set of rules and guidelines that knights had to live by and was often impractical and difficult to uphold. In the chivalric romance Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by the Pearl Poet, Gawain undergoes a series of challenges that test his adherence to chivalry. In addition, the poem illustrates the rift between the code and human nature instinct. These instances provide examples of the impracticality of the medieval code of chivalry.…

    • 1182 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Chivalry Is Dead Essay

    • 1538 Words
    • 6 Pages

    However, on the large scale of things, chivalry is dead. In order to support this statement on whether chivalry is dead or not, a single definition of chivalry must be determined. Just by simply looking at a dictionary, chivalry is defined as, “the sum of the ideal qualifications of a knight, including courtesy, generosity, valor, and dexterity in arms.” From this definition,…

    • 1538 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Disregarding the age of womanhood, guidelines to live by have been given to all women by society. Women are supposed to act and also…

    • 1428 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays