Original artwork, not a still
We face each other as God intended. Sportsmanlike. No tricks, no weapons, skill against skill alone.
— The Princess Bride • 1987
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
Fezzik is the gentle giant who plays by the rules, and the line is the film's courtesy-before-violence joke: a man the size of a wall insisting on sportsmanship. Fans quote it for any moment when someone proposes a fair fight, and it is shorthand for Fezzik's decency, which is why he ends up a hero rather than a henchman.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for The Princess BrideShow the scene
At the top of the Cliffs of Insanity, the giant Fezzik, one of Buttercup's kidnappers, faces the Man in Black, who has already beaten Inigo in a sword duel. Fezzik has thrown a rock that deliberately missed, then proposes a fair fight with no weapons rather than a killing blow. The Man in Black points out that this means putting down their weapons to try to kill each other like civilised people, and lays his sword on the ground. The Man in Black, who is Westley, then wins by choking Fezzik unconscious.
Sources (2)
- Wikiquote: The Princess Bride (film)scene sectionsReference checked
- Wikipedia: The Princess Bride (film)Plot sectionReference checked
Context reviewed
