Inigo Montoya
Encyclopedia
Inigo Montoya is a fictional character in William Goldman
's 1973 novel The Princess Bride
. In Rob Reiner
's 1987 film adaptation
he was portrayed by Mandy Patinkin
. In both the book and the movie, he resided in the fictional country of Florin but came from Spain
. Note that while the common Spanish name is spelled "Íñigo", the name in the book is consistently spelled "Inigo".
fencer
and henchman to the Sicilian
criminal Vizzini. Inigo's father Domingo was a great swordmaker
, but he remained obscure because he disliked dealing with the rich and privileged. When Count Rugen, a nobleman with a six-fingered
right hand, asked him to forge a sword to accommodate his unusual grip, Domingo poured his heart and soul into the project. When Rugen returned, he reneged on his promised price. Thus, Domingo refused to sell him the sword, not as a matter of money, but because Count Rugen could not appreciate the great work of the sword. He proclaimed that the sword would now belong to Inigo. Angered, Rugen killed Domingo. Eleven-year-old (in the movie; 10 in the book) Inigo witnessed the crime and challenged Rugen to a fight, wherein Rugen easily disarmed Inigo, spared his life and allowed him to keep the sword, but scarred his face as a deterrent to further displays of bravery.
Devastated by the loss of his father, Inigo devoted himself to becoming a great swordsman to be able to avenge his father. His training started the next year, when he was twelve years old and included tutelage under the most skilled and savage fencing
masters of his time. In the 30th anniversary version of The Princess Bride, it is revealed that, while training for his revenge against Count Rugen, Inigo falls in love with a servant girl. He woos her, and she reveals that she is a Countess and is in love with him as well. The two dance, and it is implied that Inigo leaves the next day. After ten years of training, Inigo had become the greatest swordsman of his generation and the only living man to hold the rank of "wizard" (a fictional fencing rank above "master").
and alcoholism
before the criminal Vizzini finds him. Vizzini, Inigo, and a Turk named Fezzik are hired by an unknown man to kidnap and kill the "princess bride", Buttercup. Subsequent events lead to Inigo's duel with the "Man in Black" or Westley, Buttercup's childhood sweetheart, an extended sequence in both the book and the movie, in which both contestants begin fencing left-handed and eventually convert to their dominant right hands as the contest intensifies.
Inigo is knocked unconscious by the "Man in Black". When he regains consciousness, he enters the thieves' quarter of a major city, falls into depression, and becomes a useless drunkard once more. Eventually, Fezzik finds him and helps him regain his health. They eventually rescue the "Man in Black" from the Zoo of Death ("Pit of Despair" in the movie; in either case a torture chamber) and take him to the "miracle man" called Miracle Max, who rescues him from his state of being "mostly dead."
Toward the end of the film, Inigo joins the Man in Black to fight Humperdinck and fulfills his vow of revenge by killing his father's murderer while repeating the words: "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." Inigo says this line many times in the book; he's been waiting most of his life to say it to his father's killer.
Another line (from the film) that has recently become popular in other contexts: "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."
At the end of the film, having avenged his father and thus no longer in "the revenge business," the "Man in Black" offers Inigo the position of his successor as "The Dread Pirate Roberts
."
The novel ends with Inigo's wounds reopening while he is on the run from the Brute Squad, leaving his future in doubt.
William Goldman
William Goldman is an American novelist, playwright, and Academy Award-winning screenwriter.-Early life and education:...
's 1973 novel The Princess Bride
The Princess Bride
The Princess Bride is a 1973 fantasy novel written by William Goldman. It was originally published in the United States by Harcourt Brace, while in the UK it is/was published by Bloomsbury Publishing....
. In Rob Reiner
Rob Reiner
Robert "Rob" Reiner is an American actor, director, producer, writer, and political activist.As an actor, Reiner first came to national prominence as Archie and Edith Bunker's son-in-law, Michael "Meathead" Stivic, on All in the Family. That role earned him two Emmy Awards during the 1970s...
's 1987 film adaptation
The Princess Bride (film)
The Princess Bride is a 1987 American film based on the 1973 novel of the same name by William Goldman, combining comedy, adventure, romance, and fantasy. The film was directed by Rob Reiner from a screenplay by Goldman...
he was portrayed by Mandy Patinkin
Mandy Patinkin
Mandel Bruce "Mandy" Patinkin is an award-winning American actor of stage and screen and a tenor vocalist. He is a noted interpreter of the musical works of Stephen Sondheim, and is best-known for his work in musical theatre, originating iconic roles such as Georges Seurat in Sunday in the Park...
. In both the book and the movie, he resided in the fictional country of Florin but came from Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. Note that while the common Spanish name is spelled "Íñigo", the name in the book is consistently spelled "Inigo".
Character background
In The Princess Bride, Inigo Montoya is portrayed as a SpanishSpanish people
The Spanish are citizens of the Kingdom of Spain. Within Spain, there are also a number of vigorous nationalisms and regionalisms, reflecting the country's complex history....
fencer
Fencing
Fencing, which is also known as modern fencing to distinguish it from historical fencing, is a family of combat sports using bladed weapons.Fencing is one of four sports which have been featured at every one of the modern Olympic Games...
and henchman to the Sicilian
Sicilian people
Sicilian people may refer to either:* The people of Sicily, i.e. their ethnicity, see Sicily#Demographicsor* Individuals of Sicilian ancestry or birth, see the List of Sicilians...
criminal Vizzini. Inigo's father Domingo was a great swordmaker
Bladesmith
Bladesmithing is the art of making knives, swords, daggers and other blades using a forge, hammer, anvil, and other smithing tools. Bladesmiths employ a variety of metalworking techniques similar to those used by blacksmiths, as well as woodworking for knife and sword handles, and often...
, but he remained obscure because he disliked dealing with the rich and privileged. When Count Rugen, a nobleman with a six-fingered
Polydactyly
Polydactyly or polydactylism , also known as hyperdactyly, is a congenital physical anomaly in humans, dogs, and cats having supernumerary fingers or toes....
right hand, asked him to forge a sword to accommodate his unusual grip, Domingo poured his heart and soul into the project. When Rugen returned, he reneged on his promised price. Thus, Domingo refused to sell him the sword, not as a matter of money, but because Count Rugen could not appreciate the great work of the sword. He proclaimed that the sword would now belong to Inigo. Angered, Rugen killed Domingo. Eleven-year-old (in the movie; 10 in the book) Inigo witnessed the crime and challenged Rugen to a fight, wherein Rugen easily disarmed Inigo, spared his life and allowed him to keep the sword, but scarred his face as a deterrent to further displays of bravery.
Devastated by the loss of his father, Inigo devoted himself to becoming a great swordsman to be able to avenge his father. His training started the next year, when he was twelve years old and included tutelage under the most skilled and savage fencing
Fencing
Fencing, which is also known as modern fencing to distinguish it from historical fencing, is a family of combat sports using bladed weapons.Fencing is one of four sports which have been featured at every one of the modern Olympic Games...
masters of his time. In the 30th anniversary version of The Princess Bride, it is revealed that, while training for his revenge against Count Rugen, Inigo falls in love with a servant girl. He woos her, and she reveals that she is a Countess and is in love with him as well. The two dance, and it is implied that Inigo leaves the next day. After ten years of training, Inigo had become the greatest swordsman of his generation and the only living man to hold the rank of "wizard" (a fictional fencing rank above "master").
In The Princess Bride
Unable to find his father's killer and fearing that he would never fulfill his quest, Inigo sinks into depressionClinical depression
Major depressive disorder is a mental disorder characterized by an all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem, and by loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities...
and alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
before the criminal Vizzini finds him. Vizzini, Inigo, and a Turk named Fezzik are hired by an unknown man to kidnap and kill the "princess bride", Buttercup. Subsequent events lead to Inigo's duel with the "Man in Black" or Westley, Buttercup's childhood sweetheart, an extended sequence in both the book and the movie, in which both contestants begin fencing left-handed and eventually convert to their dominant right hands as the contest intensifies.
Inigo is knocked unconscious by the "Man in Black". When he regains consciousness, he enters the thieves' quarter of a major city, falls into depression, and becomes a useless drunkard once more. Eventually, Fezzik finds him and helps him regain his health. They eventually rescue the "Man in Black" from the Zoo of Death ("Pit of Despair" in the movie; in either case a torture chamber) and take him to the "miracle man" called Miracle Max, who rescues him from his state of being "mostly dead."
Toward the end of the film, Inigo joins the Man in Black to fight Humperdinck and fulfills his vow of revenge by killing his father's murderer while repeating the words: "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." Inigo says this line many times in the book; he's been waiting most of his life to say it to his father's killer.
Another line (from the film) that has recently become popular in other contexts: "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."
At the end of the film, having avenged his father and thus no longer in "the revenge business," the "Man in Black" offers Inigo the position of his successor as "The Dread Pirate Roberts
Dread Pirate Roberts
The Dread Pirate Roberts is a fictional character in the novel The Princess Bride and its film adaptation.-Role in The Princess Bride:...
."
The novel ends with Inigo's wounds reopening while he is on the run from the Brute Squad, leaving his future in doubt.