The Six-Fingered Sword
The History of the Six-Fingered Sword in The Princess Bride
Domingo Montoya is the person who made the six-fingered sword in the story The Princess Bride. Domingo Montoya was a master swordsmith, he was also the father of Inigo Montoya. One day, Domingo Montoya got a request from a nobleman, Yeste, he later revealed to be Count Rugen (the nobleman), to make a sword for him. The sword Count Rugen asked for was unusual to all swordsmiths. The reason being is because he had six fingers instead of five. Thus all of the measurements of the six-fingered sword were very different from a regular sword. Therefore, when he asked Domingo Montoya to make the sword, Domingo Montoya poured all his heart and soul to carefully create the one-of-a-kind sword. He asked Count Rugen to come back a year later to pick up the six-fingered sword. That year, he spent countless days and nights without sleeping or eating to make the six-fingered sword for Count Rugen. He did face various challenges making the seemingly impossibly to create sword, however, with his persistence and determination, the sword was made. When Count Rugen came back for the sword, he didn’t appreciate the hard work and craftsmanship of Domino Montoya, instead, he told Domingo Montoya that he is willing to pay one-tenth of the amount he first suggested to buy that sword. Domingo Montoya was not happy on how Count Rugen just completely ignored the sword he spent countless nights on. Therefore, he refused to sell the sword to Count Rugen and instead, gave it to his son, Inigo Montoya. Count Rugen was enraged by Domingo Montoya, so as a result, he killed him in front of Inigo. Inigo wanted to avenge his father, therefore, set out on a journey to find the six-fingered man.
History of the Six-Fingered Sword in reality:
The six-fingered sword is a unique sword, because not many people have the abnormality of having six fingers. Consequently, it is different from the regular sword. I think that the structure of the six fingered sword itself is different. For instance, a six-fingered sword must have a larger, wider grip for the six-fingered swordsmen to be comfortable holding the sword instead of cramming their fingers in a regular five-fingered sword. Having a good grip is crucial for swordsmen in battle. The six fingered sword has a forte, strong part, and foible, weak part. You can see the sword going from the thick to thin. The forte and the strong part of the sword is usually best for blocking blows from another sword because it is the strongest part. The foible part, weak part, is best for going to attack because it’s sharp thinness is able to easily cut through an object or a person. The six-fingered sword has these features but it’s not that visible due to the fact that it is considered a small sword also known as the court sword. A small sword served as a sign of rank and dueling weapon. It is double edged, which means that it is very thin and is able to add lots of damage, but you won’t be provided with as much guard from a small sword. The six fingered sword one kind of small sword. Therefore, I think the measurements should be very different.
Measurements: A typical small sword weighs about 1 pound, 6 ounces. That is very light considering a regular sword weighs about 2.5 to 4 pounds. The blade length should be 31 inches and the overall length should be 38 inches. The width at the forte is about 1 ⅛ inches. The width at the foible should be ⅜ of a inch. This decreasing width can be crucial because it can create a powerful thrust. |
How to Pay for it
The golden coin Yeste gave Domingo Montoya to build the sword was the currency system in Florence, Italy in about 1344 AD. During that period of time, they used a monetary system, the LSD system. Under the LSD system, it was said that there is about 6 shillings in one gold coin, 12 pence in a shilling, 4 farthing in a pence, and 2 halfpence is in a pence, about 20 shillings is a pound sterling (One British pound). So about 3 gold coins is one pound sterling. However, the value of those coins now is very different. For instance, one farthing is worth 1/960 of a pound sterling, one pence is worth 1/240 of a pound sterling and one shilling is 1/5 of a pound sterling. One pound sterling is worth 1.24 USD(current value).
Population:
The population of Florence keep increasing every year. In 1200, the city of Florence were home to about 50,000 people. However, in 2011, the population grew to more than 358,000 people. During the 13th century, the population was about 80,000 people. However, that number soon dropped to 60,000 people in the 14th century because of the black death during the renaissance period. From that period on, every year, the population steadily increased. |
Newspaper Article to Theme
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The second reason why I chose this newspaper article is because I think the story in the newspaper article is very relatable with the love between Westley and Buttercup. For example, when Buttercup was forced to love and marry Prince Humperdinck, she didn’t have a choice. However, their persistence and determination, she and Westley fought together to change their destiny. This is just like how Spire-Sweet had the kidney disease, but he couldn’t have done anything to prevent it. However, he and Benson fought the disease and changed their destiny with the same things, persistence and determination.
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This newspaper article is about a couple that proves that it is possible to change their destiny. They didn’t let their dreadful future stop their love. This newspaper article is about Travis Spire-Sweet, the boyfriend, who was born with a kidney disease. He needed transplant and surgery. Before he got transferred into the hospital, he met Benson, his girlfriend. Benson tried everything to help find a viable donor for Spire-Sweet, but none had show up. Although she knew only 1 in 30,000 people is a viable donor, Benson decided to get tested herself. As is fate decided, she was a match. Then they do the transplant surgery, and it was successful. They then got married and lived with a happy family life.
There are various reasons why I chose this newspaper article. The first reason being is that it fits our theme, which is finding love. Finding love means to search for someone you care for dearly and eating nothing stand in your way on your search for love. I think this newspaper article can relate and represent the importance of finding love. This is because if Spire-Sweet never met Benson, he couldn’t have lived, his future was changed. The dreadful situation turned into a happy one. Spire-Sweet got to live his life to the fullest with Benson. I think this is the importance of finding love. It can change your life forever. |