Archetypes in Film
“Princess Bride”
Analysis Questions
1. Wesley, the hero, has characteristics of cunningness, bravery, and faithfulness which make for a fearless hero. When Wesley rescues the princess from the kidnappers he goes through three tests; one of strength against a bumbling giant, one of skill against a prestigious swordsman, and one of wits against an arrogant midget.
2. Miracle Max is the potion maker that restored Wesley’s life through means of concocting a chocolate coated pill that will resurrect him. When Indiago and Fezzik bring Wesley’s body to Max, he pronounces Wesley only mostly dead. Wesley still has something to live for, true love, so Max is compelled to help him in his quest to save Buttercup.
3. A major archetypal setting is the Castle. The Castle symbolizes safety from the outside world but harm within. This is evident in the events of Buttercup almost being murdered, Indiago killing the man he’s been chasing for twenty years who lurks in the shadows, Wesley saving Buttercup from suicide, and Fezzik protecting Wesley as he is semi-paralyzed.
4. A scene that displays the archetypal setting of the wilderness is when Wesley rescues Princess Buttercup from her kidnappers; he takes her into the wilderness to try to find temporary refuge from the kidnappers and the scouting party. This journey into the wilderness symbolizes the escape from society to reunite true love.
5. The 3 examples of special effects are in the
a. Fire Swamp scene when the Flame Spurt sends columns of blazing fire into the air, this adds to the dramatic effect by adding a danger of unpredictable fire geysers to the surrounding elements.
b. Castle scene when Indiago gets stabbed in the gut with a sword and blood gushes everywhere, adding suspense of whether Indiago will succeed in his to kill the man, who just stabbed him, who killed his father and creates a sense of concern in the audience.
c. Courtyard scene where Fezzik is disguised as a spirit with a black cloak which is on fire and has smoke coming from the platform on which he stands, instilling a frightening emotion in the audience even though they know it’s to save Buttercup.
6. The mood created in the end of the movie because of the digital effects was a joyfully triumphant mood because of the sunsets in the background, the low red-orange lighting, and the panning of the camera as Wesley and Buttercup showed the love for one another in peace and freedom.
7. A universal theme for this movie is true love will always find a way, and if another’s love does not, it’s not true nor was it love in the first place. This is evident when Prince Humperdink forces Buttercup to marry him even though Buttercup loves Wesley only to start a war, but Wesley rescues Buttercup on the wedding day.

Archetypes in Fairy Tales
Rapunzel
1. Rapunzel becomes the damsel in distress when her parents take some vegetables from Gothel’s garden and her and her parents trade her for endless supply of vegetables. Because of her parent’s decision when Rapunzel