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Count Rugen
Vizzini is a Sicilian criminal in the story of The Princess Bride. While others describe him as having a hunchback, Morgenstern describes Vizzini as a bit misshapen and with legs that are two different lengths. Because of Vizzini's physical deformities, he has dedicated himself to developing his brain and thinks of himself as extremely intelligent. After he recruits Inigo and Fezzik, Vizzini forms the criminal organization The Sicilian Crowd. Prince Humperdinck hires him to kidnap Buttercup and kill her on the Guilder frontier. During the kidnapping, however, Vizzini's intelligence comes into question. He deems it "inconceivable" that anyone could follow them and refuses to acknowledge the clear evidence that Westley is indeed following them. Both Inigo and Fezzik engage in mental gymnastics so that they don't anger Vizzini by questioning his intelligence, though they see the truth of the situation. He's extremely cruel to Fezzik in particular and continually tells Fezzik that he's not even capable of thought. Vizzini meets his downfall when Westley challenges him to a battle of wits surrounding a poisoned wine goblet. Vizzini cheats during the battle but dies anyway, because Westley had filled both goblets with a poison to which he himself is immune.
Vizzini Quotes in The Princess Bride
The The Princess Bride quotes below are all either spoken by Vizzini or refer to Vizzini. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 5 Quotes
“I just feel better when I know what's going on, that's all,” the Turk mumbled. “People are always thinking I'm so stupid because I'm big and strong and sometimes drool a little when I get excited.”
“The reason people think you're so stupid,” the Sicilian said, “is because you are so stupid. It has nothing to do with your drooling.”
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As Fezzik, Inigo, and Vizzini prepare to scale the Cliffs of Insanity, Fezzik and Vizzini argue over whether or not Fezzik is intelligent. First, it's important to note that Vizzini—here referred to as the Sicilian—uses the power he thinks he has because he's intelligent to make Fezzik feel as though he's not smart. This abuse in turn makes Fezzik feel even less capable of thinking for himself, given that whenever he tries to do so or asks to be included in plans, Vizzini insults him. This scene helps establish Vizzini as a conceited bully and Fezzik as an easily manipulated Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo m
“I can feel him,” Fezzik said. “His body weight on the rope.”
“He'll never catch up!” the Sicilian cried. “Inconceivable!”
“You keep using that word!” the Spaniard snapped. “I don't think it means what you think it does.”
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When Westley, in disguise as the man in black, starts to climb up the rope after Fezzik, Vizzini declares this to be “inconceivable.” Inigo's response, in turn, is one of the first clues that he's not as unintelligent as others think he is; at the very least, he can interpret information and use what he discovers to make sense of the world around him. Vizzini, on the other hand, is too caught up in his own sense of self-importance to consider that he might be wrong. Indeed, his bold claim that it’s “inconceivable” that anyone could catch up to him Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantiu
He might also have whispered heavable thievable weavable but that was as far as he got before the Sicilian started talking again, and that always meant he had to pay very strict attention. Nothing angered the hunchback as quickly as catching Fezzik thinking. Since he barely imagined someone like Fezzik capable of thought, he never asked what was on his mind, because he couldn't have cared less.
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When Fezzik notices that the man in black has beaten Inigo, he begins to rhyme things to himself like he might've with Inigo, but stops when he remembers that Vizzini doesn't want him to think. The way that Goldman describes Vizzini here suggests that Vizzini thinks that only he (Vizzini) is capable of intelligent and reasonable thought. This, of course, will prove to be his downfall when Westley later outwits him. Vizzini bullies his followers and earns their loyalty only by insisting that they can’t think for themselves; as such, he finds indications that Fezzik is, in fact, capable of Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusant
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Vizzini Character Timeline in The Princess Bride
The timeline below shows where the character Vizzini appears in The Princess Bride. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter Five: The Announcement
...away from the castle, Buttercup runs into a strange-looking trio. A Sicilian with a humpback (Vizzini) explains that he and his companions, a giant (Fezzik) and a Spaniard (Inigo), are circus...
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Inigo suggests that they tell Buttercup that they're kidnapping her for ransom, but Vizzini declares that she's awake and has been listening for a while. Buttercup thinks that Vizzini...
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...dives into Florin Channel. Both Fezzik and Inigo refuse to dive in after her and Vizzini listens carefully for the sounds of her swimming. Inigo notes that the sharks will get...
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...her back into the boat. He gently wraps her in a blanket and explains that Vizzini will kill her later. Vizzini shushes Fezzik, but Buttercup tells Vizzini that she thinks that...
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...and thinks her captors can't climb them. Inigo asks if anyone could be following, something Vizzini deems is “inconceivable.” Inigo points out that there's a small black boat behind them and...
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As the group reaches the Cliffs, Vizzini leaps and grabs a rope that's affixed to something at the top of the cliffs....
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Vizzini is afraid of heights, so he distracts himself by thinking about the man in black,...
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Vizzini angrily tells Inigo that the man in black isn't following them and then tells him...
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...and three years later, he barely practices because he's bored and drunk. This is when Vizzini finds him and recruits him for his criminal organization. The two of them and Fezzik...
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...Inigo has “baggage of much value” but refuses to say more about why he's following Vizzini. Inigo hopes that this man is a real master.
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...disarms Inigo. The man in black knocks Inigo out, ties him up, and runs after Vizzini.
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...only one who doesn't laugh about Fezzik's love of rhymes. He points this out to Vizzini, who angrily spits that Inigo must've been unfairly beaten. Fezzik doesn't dare argue and pays...
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...the circus fires him. Alone in the middle of Greenland, Fezzik sits on a rock. Vizzini finds him there, promises to protect him from the boos, and for this reason, Fezzik...
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...the neck and chokes him until he blacks out. The man in black runs after Vizzini.
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The man in black comes upon Vizzini at a beautiful spot with a view of Florin Channel. He has a picnic set...
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Vizzini is thrilled. He talks through his reasoning as to why the man in black might...
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...leaving Count Rugen in the dust, and Rugen catches up when Humperdinck stops to inspect Vizzini's body. On foot, Humperdinck follows Westley and Buttercup's footprints until he gets to the top...
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Chapter Six: The Festivities
...and cuts himself free. Now, he must go back to the beginning, which is what Vizzini told him to do if things went wrong. Inigo even made up a rhyme for...
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...what he was supposed to do, but he can't remember the rhyme. He runs after Vizzini and finds Vizzini asleep. A bit later, Fezzik realizes Vizzini is dead. He panics suddenly...
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...going to war with Guilder. He can see now that he was wrong to hire Vizzini to kill her. Now, fortunately, the people love her even more than they did before...
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...come around the corner, they hear Inigo yelling that he's not going to wait for Vizzini forever. The smaller brute tries to talk Inigo into following him and as he does,...
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...into the Thieves Quarter and goes to Inigo. Inigo passes out when Fezzik says that Vizzini is dead. Fezzik makes Inigo some tea and a snack and mentions that the six-fingered...
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...has been making good money on the brute squad. They discuss that Westley somehow killed Vizzini, probably with poison, and then Fezzik explains that Count Rugen is in the castle with...
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...Fezzik that Guilder isn't guilty; they kidnapped Buttercup, and he believes that Prince Humperdinck hired Vizzini to do so. He also notes that Count Rugen is probably lying about Westley's whereabouts...
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