You know those days when you just really need to grade a bunch of stuff, get the children to stop talking for a minute, or straight up veg-out for a little while…but you also can’t justify losing instructional time?
Let me tell you why The Princess Bride is the absolute best thing in the whole wide world for those days.
It’s not just the perfect “fun Friday” movie. It’s one of the richest texts you can use to teach core ELA concepts across any grade level and it even compares well to so many of the classic texts that you’re probably already teaching.
Whether you’re teaching plot, character, author’s craft, or theme, this movie fits. It’s the ultimate “teach it all” story in disguise and it is PERFECT for “one of those days.”
The Princess Bride Works for Every Secondary ELA Classroom
Let’s start with the obvious: The Princess Bride is clean, clever, and endlessly quotable. It is rated PG! And even though that is a 1987 rating (times were different, you know) CommonSense.org still gives it a 9+ age rating.
But beneath the humor and sword fighting is also a masterclass in storytelling.
The movie’s layered structure (a story within a story) models complex comprehension processes in real time, which is perfect for connecting to Scarborough’s Reading Rope – and you know that’s kind of my thing.
- The surface-level story gives students access to characters, setting, and complex vocabulary.
- The story-within-a-story narrative (Grandpa reading to his grandson) builds awareness of point of view, tone, and author’s purpose.
- And the interplay of genres (romance, adventure, satire) opens up conversations about text structure, archetypes, and irony.
In other words, it’s not just entertaining… it is an educational gold mine!
Connecting The Princess Bride to Classic Literature
What makes The Princess Bride such a brilliant choice for secondary ELA is that it’s more than a fun fantasy movie. It’s a conversation with the classics. The story borrows from centuries of literary tradition: epic quests, star-crossed lovers, revenge plots, and moral lessons that echo throughout classic and modern literature.
Teachers can use scenes and characters from the film to compare classic themes, structures, and archetypes, making it easy to tie into LITERALLY whatever texts you’re currently teaching.
I have a free guide + worksheets for figuring out how to use this with your middle or high school audience. Grab it and then read on to see how you can tie it in. ⬇️
Middle School Connections
- Adventure & Hero’s Journey — Westley’s quest mirrors that of Percy Jackson’s or Brian’s in Hatchet. Use it to help students visualize the stages of the hero’s journey in a clear, accessible way.
- Character Motivation — Like Rainsford in The Most Dangerous Game or Margot in All Summer in a Day, Buttercup and Inigo make choices that are driven by emotion and circumstance. This makes character motivation super easy to discuss.
- Conflict & Theme — Inigo’s inner conflict between revenge and honor can be compared to the moral dilemmas in A Christmas Carol or The Outsiders or any other story you’re currently teaching, honestly.
- Frame Narrative — The Grandpa/Grandson storytelling frame is a fun introduction to structure for younger readers. Use it with any story-within-a-story text to watch and compare.
High School Connections
- Satire & Parody — The Princess Bride pokes fun at fairy tale tropes the same way Don Quixote mocks knights and A Midsummer Night’s Dream plays with romance. Introduce satire or compare how it’s done in your text and the movie.
- True Love & Sacrifice — Westley and Buttercup’s story connects naturally to Romeo and Juliet. I’m in the midst of a unit on The Odyssey but this will serve as a transition to R&J as we review the hero’s journey and then start exploring love, loyalty, and fate.
- Revenge & Justice — Inigo’s pursuit of vengeance pairs perfectly with Hamlet or The Count of Monte Cristo. You can highlight the moral complexity and personal growth that Inigo goes through.
- Narrative Structure & Author’s Craft — This movie is gold mine for studying author’s craft. Watch it in it’s entirety and give students a way to analyze perspective and storytelling layers.
By comparing this modern parody to whatever timeless work you’re studying, students can see how themes, archetypes, and structures evolve across time. This will deepen their comprehension and engagement, all while reinforcing key reading standards in a format they’ll actually enjoy.
Like I said, we’re in the middle of a unit on the hero’s journey through Telemachus’s and Odysseus’s Odyssey but we’ll be reading Romeo and Juliet after winter break and this is the perfect transition!
Watch the whole movie or choose your ELA focus.
Choose Your Focus: How to Teach ELA Concepts with Movie Clips
The movie makes it easy to “choose your focus.” Instead of showing the whole film, you can teach short, targeted lessons using individual scenes.
Here are just a few examples from the Complete Movie Clip Guide:
| ELA Concept | Scene / Clip | Focus Question |
|---|---|---|
| Characterization & Motivation | Inigo and the Man in Black duel | How does Inigo’s dialogue reveal his values and backstory? |
| Theme & Tone | “True love” and “Inconceivable!” moments | How does exaggeration help the movie comment on fairy tale tropes? |
| Plot Structure | Grandpa’s story framing | How does the frame narrative affect how we experience the story? |
| Archetype & Satire | The Fire Swamp and Miracle Max scenes | How does the film parody the traditional hero’s journey? |
| Point of View | The interruptions from the grandson | How does shifting between stories shape our understanding of what’s “real”? |
Whether you’re teaching theme, tone, characterization, or author’s craft The Princess Bride is the BEST! It fits seamlessly into ANY curriculum.
And I’ve got the definitive Princess Bride Movie Clip Guide to help you plan a quick “just press play” lesson.
Are you ready for a little more ELA movie magic? I’ve teamed up with TEN other secondary ELA teachers to put together a full Movie Marathon in ELA to help you get through the craziest school days of the year with lessons that are fun and aligned to the standards (so that you can actually get away with it). Grab the entire collection of Movie Marathon ideas!
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