Painterly brown theatrical mask resting on a dark red velvet cushion beneath a spotlight.

Original artwork, not a still

Fezzik

Why do you wear a mask? Were you burned by acid, or something like that?

— The Princess Bride  ·  1987

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

Fezzik asks for the reason behind a mask, then supplies a possible explanation involving injury. The second question makes the uncertainty explicit rather than settling it. The exchange gives a concrete hypothesis while leaving the wearer free to explain the mask in another way.

Context reviewed

Share this quote