The Princess Bride

Prince Humperdinck’s Zoo of Death is one major plot element that was withheld from The Princess Bride film. Prince Humperdinck refers to it as an “animal sanctuary,” but, in reality, it’s closer to a slaughterhouse; animals are brought in from all over the world for the express purpose of being killed for entertainment and personal validation. He approaches construction of his Zoo in a manner consistent with The Pursuit of Art, devoting different floors to different skill sets and arranging it to present the most satisfying possible challenges. The Zoo has much in common with Count Rugen’s Machine, being a complex creation designed to maximize and perfect its owner’s artistic practice.

One of the Zoo’s distinctive features is its empty fifth floor: “The Prince constructed it in the hopes of someday finding something worthy, something as dangerous and fierce and powerful as he was” (55). In reality, the prince wants the fifth floor to remain empty, affirming him as the most powerful being in existence. He uses the empty level as a mechanism to assure himself of his own strength, skills, and prowess; it symbolizes both his vanity and his insecurity.

Later, the Zoo of Death serves as an arena to showcase Inigo and Fezzik’s individual strengths.