Princess Bride vs. Callirhoe: A Study of Parallel Characters Anonymous College

Many of the great modern works of literature and film find their inspiration in the classical works of authors such as Homer, Chariton, and Xenophon. While modern authors may not even realize they are imitating the characters and generic conventions of ancient authors, the tropes created by classical writers laid the groundwork for many of the famous stories today. The Princess Bride, a widely acclaimed movie released in 1987, was directed by Rob Reiner and based off of a book written by William Goldman, and uses many characters that are similar to characters in Chariton’s Callirhoe. The character of Westley in The Princess Bride comprises of traits from both Chaireas and Callirhoe, while Buttercup is very similar to Callirhoe’s character. The evil Humperdinck is very similar to Dionysius, illustrating how ancient novels helped inspire more contemporary tales.

Westley from The Princess Bride is an amalgamation of conventions character traits borrowed from both Callirhoe and Chaireas. In the film, Westley leaves his love Buttercup on a ship to find his riches in America. However, shortly after his departure, it is reported that he had been killed by the Dread Pirate Roberts, leaving Buttercup to mourn Westley and vow to never...