Synopsis
In
a Renaissance-era
fairy-tale world, a beautiful woman named Buttercup lives on a farm in the
fictional country of Florin. She delights in verbally abusing the farm hand
Westley by demanding that he perform chores for her. Westley's only answer is
"As you wish", which represents his great affection for her. After
Buttercup realizes the true meaning of the words, as well as the fact that she
returns his love, Westley leaves to seek his fortune so they can marry.
Buttercup later receives word that his ship was attacked at sea by the Dread Pirate Roberts, who is notorious for
killing all those whose vessels he boards. Believing Westley to be dead,
Buttercup is forcibly engaged to marry Prince Humperdinck, the heir to the throne of
Florin.
Before
the wedding, Buttercup is kidnapped by a trio of outlaws: the Sicilian
criminal genius Vizzini, the Spanish
fencing
wizard Inigo Montoya, and the enormous and mighty Turkish
wrestler Fezzik. A masked man in black follows them across the sea and up the
Cliffs of Insanity, whereupon Vizzini orders Inigo to stop him. Before the man
in black reaches the top of the cliff, there is a flashback of Inigo's past, in
which it is revealed that he is seeking revenge on a six-fingered
man who killed his father. When the man in black arrives, Inigo arranges a fair
fight, allowing his opponent to rest before the duel. The man in black wins
their duel, but leaves the Spaniard alive. Vizzini, stunned, orders Fezzik to
kill him. Fezzik, moved by his conscience, throws a rock as a warning, and
challenges the man to a wrestling match. He accepts the challenge and chokes
Fezzik until the giant blacks out, and then catches up with Vizzini, and
proposes a battle of wits. Vizzini is tricked into drinking wine poisoned with iocaine
powder and dies.
With
Prince Humperdinck's rescue party in hot pursuit, the man flees with Buttercup,
and reveals that he is the Dread Pirate Roberts, Westley's murderer. Enraged,
she shoves him into a gorge, yelling "You can die, too, for all I
care!" only to hear him call, "As you wish!" while he is
falling. She realizes at this point that he is Westley, and follows him down
into the gorge to find him battered but largely unhurt. While they travel
through the Fire Swamp to evade Humperdinck's party, Westley tells Buttercup
that the Dread Pirate Roberts did attack his ship, but kept Westley
alive after Westley explained the depths of his love for Buttercup. Westley
became the Dread Pirate Roberts' valet and later his friend. Over the course of
four years Westley learned how to fence, fight and sail. Eventually, Roberts
secretly passed his name, captaincy, and ship to Westley, just as his
predecessor had done. Upon exiting the fireswamp, after facing many trying
ordeals such as snow sand and ROUSes (Rodents of Unusual Size), they are
captured by Humperdinck and his menacing six-fingered assistant, Count Tyrone
Rugen. Buttercup negotiates for Westley's release and returns with Humperdinck
to the palace to await their wedding. Rugen, who has been secretly instructed
by Humperdinck not to release Westley, but instead take him to the underground
hunting arena called the 'Zoo of Death', does so. Here Westley is tortured so
as to provide information by which to complete the Count's book on pain and
also to satisfy Humperdinck's annoyance that Buttercup prefers Westley to him.
Meanwhile, Buttercup has several nightmares regarding her
marriage to the prince. She expresses her unhappiness to Humperdinck, who
proposes a deal wherein he will send out four ships to locate Westley, but if
they fail to find him, Buttercup will marry him. It is revealed that
Humperdinck arranged Buttercup's kidnapping and murder in order to start a war
with the neighboring country of Guilder, but believes that it will inspire his
subjects to war even more effectively if she dies on her wedding night.
On the day of the wedding, Inigo meets with Fezzik, who tells
him that Count Rugen is the killer of Inigo's father. They seek out the man in
black, hoping that his wits will help them overcome the guards. Buttercup
learns that Humperdinck never sent any ships, and taunts him with her enduring
love for Westley. Enraged, Humperdinck tortures Westley to death. Westley's screams
draw Inigo and Fezzik to the scene and down through the many dangerous levels
of the zoo of death; upon finding Westley's body, they enlist the help of the
King of Florin's former "miracle man", a magician named Miracle Max.
Max pronounces Westley to be merely "mostly dead" and resurrects him,
although Westley remains partially paralyzed.
Westley devises a successful plan to invade the castle during
the wedding; the resulting commotion prompts Humperdinck to cut the wedding
short. Buttercup decides to commit suicide when she reaches the honeymoon
suite. Inigo pursues Rugen through the castle and kills him in a sword fight,
reciting throughout the duel his long-rehearsed oath of vengeance. Westley
reaches Buttercup before she commits suicide and assures her that she is not
yet married as the ceremony has not been completed. Still partly paralyzed, he
bluffs his way out of a sword fight with Humperdinck. Instead of killing his
rival, Westley decides to leave him alone with his cowardice. The party rides off
into the sunset on the prince's purebred white horses conveniently discovered
by Fezzik.