Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Symbolism in lord of the rings
Symbolism in lord of the rings
Symbolism in lord of the rings
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Symbolism in lord of the rings
Dark, imposing, devious, powerful beyond measure, Sauron is evil personified in the Lord of the Rings universe. He is the be all and end all when it comes to villiany in the Lord of the Rings tale. He is a major reason that the Lord of the Rings is regarded as a pinnacle of epic fantasy story telling. But he is not an overly complex villain, with morally gray motivations that some may say are required if an evil character, especially the central one, is to be regarded as important and beneficial to the plot. But the genius of Sauron's villaint is his absence of complex reasoning or motives that could be seen as not entirely evil. His one goal is to destroy the world of men. He can't be reasoned with or sympathized with, and this is what the this insatiable, all powerful, purely destructive nature of his villainy so vital to the Lord of the Rings. Sauron and his purely diabolical nature are the constant that every protagonist is leaned against and tested upon, and the podium on which Tolkien showcases the character growth of the many protagonists in this novel from the beginning of the story until the end.
Everything Tolkien uses to describe Sauron defines him as this massive, untouchable power that there is little chance to overcome, if any at all. It is no mistake that the story begins in the innocent, lush Shire, where innocent hobbits frolick without a care in the world, while Sauron is in Mordor, nearly all the way across the world. This immediately defines him in the readers head as an almost God-like entity, in an untouchable place. Thus, when Gandalf informs Frodo of just exactly what the Ring is Uncle Bilbo has given him is, that it is "the Master-ring, the One Ring to rule them all' and who it belongs to, the n...
... middle of paper ...
...n his hands, and a light was about him."
Aragorn is just one example of a protagonist who changes from the beginning of the story to the end, and each one improves in their own way. Whether it is Legolas and Gimli's friendship that blossoms even though one is an elf while the other is a dwarf, or Faramir's ability to accept himself, depsite his fathers approval of Boromir over him, there are dozens of characters that change. When your villain is one-dimensional, it provides a base for you to change your other characters effectively and efficiently. If it were not for Sauron's danger to the entire world, and evil that spans across many different people and places, affecting them all, Tolkien would not have been able to create such character depth in so many characters in such an organic in natural way, and that is what makes his nature vital to the story overall.
Peter Jackson’s film “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” revolves around a young hobbit by the name of Frodo Baggins and his unique group of companions. They go on a journey to destroy the One Ring of Sauron (the Dark Lord). In short, the One Ring has malevolent powers to whomever wears it.
Then Sauron, an old, undefeated enemy, began to arise once again and grow in power. Likewise, the multitudes of lands already under his rule began to grow increasingly in number. When Gandalf discovered that the mere trinket of a ring that was given to Frodo was the Ruling Ring, Frodo’s world fell into chaos. Worst...
Lord Sauron was a powerful ruler of the dark army and created the ring with the help of the foolish elves to create the One Ring that would rule over the Rings created by the elves. Sauron did this to have complete control of the world because the One Ring gave the wearer unimaginable power and because Sauron was evil and was hiding his true motives for creating the ring, the world wouldn't be able to stop him. After creating the Ring, Sauron chanted an elvish incantation to give the ring its power. Gandalf the Gray, re-tells the story of this to Frodo before reaching the elvish castle, "For in the day that Sauron flirt put on the One, Celebrimor, maker of the Three, was aware of him, and from afar he heard him speak these words,many so his evil purposes were revealed." (Tolkien, 1954, p 284) Sauron hid his corrupt and misguided plan to run the shire and later the world, by simply telling everyone his rings would help bring good to the world. Ultimately, supporting the theme of corruption by showing Sauron's dark, misguided, and corrupt desires to rule the
When Frodo’s journey is about to unfold, the ring that was given to Frodo by his uncle/cousin Bilbo turns out to be the One ring that holds the essence of the dark lord Sauron. Because of Gollum, the previous owner of the ring, Sauron becomes aware of the rings locations and sends out the Black Riders to collect his precious.are sent out to claim the ring (Tolkien). This conflict is foreshadowed on page 13 and 14 of the prologue. “ He returned to his home at Bag End on June the 22nd of the fifty-second year (S.R. 1342), and nothing very notable occurred in the Shire until Mr.Baggins began the preparations for the celebration of his hundred-and-eleventh birthday (S.R. 1401). At this point this history begins.” Tolkien is very subtle with most of his writing, besides imagery and personification, examples like foreshadowing and metaphors are very hard to pick up on. This event sets the story in motion, and gives the readers a glimpse of what challenges Frodo is to face in the future. Another very important conflict arises between Boromir, Captain of Gondor and Frodo Baggins. In chapter 10 of the second book when the Fellowship is at Amon Hen, Boromir follows Frodo into the woods,and insists that Frodo let him have the ring but Frodo says no. Boromir attacks Frodo for the ring due to the influence of the ring pulling him in, but Frodo slips on the ring becoming
Essay Assignment 1 The movie, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, was a powerful period piece that will continue to stick out among adventure/war movies because of the well-crafted storyline and a strong theme of hope in the face of impossible odds. The sequel to the first movie in the trilogy, The Fellowship of the Ring, the movie picks up following two young hobbits, Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee, on a quest to destroy the Dark Lord Sauron's’ one true ring of power. When the first movie ends, “The Fellowship”, is broken because Gandalf the Grey is presumed dead and the group splinters. This movie furthers the quest of “Fellowship” to destroy the ring and each “splinter” has their own objective to help defeat Sauron.
“One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them,” (55). The One Ring controls Gollum, Bilbo, Boromir, and Frodo in attempts to return to Sauron, Its Creator, the Lord of the Rings, and the utmost evil present in J.R.R. Tolkien’s novels. But the Ring never achieves Its goal because each character possesses a unique set of skills which resist the evil temptations of the Ring. Gollum is the first victim of the Ring, with no knowledge of Its powers or guidance away from Its control. Bilbo is the second ring bearer, with an almost complete knowledge of the Ring’s power still has difficulty resisting the Ring’s temptation. Gandalf guides Bilbo to constantly resist the evil of the Ring. Boromir never gets his hands on the Ring but craves Its power thinking he can use it for good, ignoring the guidance offered to him at the Council of Elrond. Frodo has the most knowledge and guidance of all the characters but also seems to have the strongest temptations. J.R.R. Tolkien uses characterization in the Fellowship of the Ring to prove that people without a longing for power resist temptation through knowledge, good habits, and guidance.
...es of love present in The Lord of the Rings, and the Hobbit as well, are constantly being shown as the impetus behind all things that eventually lead to the demise of Sauron. These examples start off simple, a love for a friend, one’s homeland, a leader, but they result in saving Middle Earth and it’s people from the theft of their free will and the dominion of Sauron. Tolkien successfully demonstrates throughout the entire series that the most powerful force in existence is love.
During the Anglo-Saxon period and Medieval Ages, cultural influences, including religion and social status, affected the characteristics of a hero. During these two time periods, characteristics between heroes shared similarities and some differences. Beowulf and the main characters of The Lord of the Rings were the upmost example of what a hero should be. All heroes are expected to have strength, glory, and wisdom. Chivalry and responsibility were also inspirational traits. Heroes are expected to be physically and mentally resilient. Each of these traits reflects the elements of a heroic tale. All heroic tales involved the elements of weaponry and treasure. All heroes are also required to go on an adventure or more in order to defeat a monster or monsters. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, and the heroic epic of Beowulf, translated by Clarence Griffin Child, continue to follow similar guidelines, events, and share similar characteristics despite their different time periods and influential cultures. However, they also demonstrate some dissimilarity that reflects the contrast among other heroes.
The nature of evil lies in its ability to enchant the beholder by veiling its true intentions, and using mankind’s greeds, desires and passions to corrupt the most pure of heart. Tolkien uses contrasts of light and dark, and good and evil to show the nature of evil in Middle-Earth. Before Gollum finds the ring we can see how easily the ring was able to corrupt him, because he stops looking to the light/good, and instead his gaze focuses on looking downward into the dark as he becomes more corruptible (51-52). There is a connection in Fangorn Forest as the trees in the day time are dulled by the light, but at night when there is no light they are more aware, and prone to do evil deeds (118). There is a correlation between evil and the fading
J.R.R. Tolkien's concept of too much power is summed up by Lord Acton when he once said, "Power corrupts, but absolute power corrupts absolutely." In Tolkien's first book of his fantasy based trilogy, Lord of the Rings, the Fellowship of the Rings tells a story of a quest to destroy a powerful ring throughout Tolkien's created "Middle Earth". This quest was headed by a "Hobbit" named Frodo Baggins who, in the end, becomes corrupted by power himself. This corruption begins when Frodo uses his ring to become invisible over and over again to escape certain situations. The quest to destroy the powerful "Ruling Ring" forms the basis for this story.
“Yes, sooner or later—later, if he is strong or well-meaning to begin with but neither strength nor good purpose will last—sooner or later the dark power will devour him” (141). This quote from Gandalf shows him warning Frodo about the power of the Ring in The Fellowship of the Ring: Book One. This quote displays J.R.R. Tolkien’s mistrust of unlimited power, which he expresses in each of his books. He served in World War I where he saw the effects of tyrannical leaders with unlimited power firsthand. Tolkien believed that with great power comes corruption. So, no one person can be trusted to wield so much power. He demonstrates this in each character that has a role of leadership of the different groups of Middle-earth. Galadriel, Boromir, and Saruman, all hold positions of power or influence within their various groups. Yet none of them could be trusted to possess the dark power of the Ring, while the simple hobbit named Frodo seems to be able to carry on the
Aragorn is the most qualified to bear the ring and cast it into the fires of Mount Doom due to his pure, kind heart, and his immense passion and dedication. Lastly he possesses powerful intellect and knowledge. These character traits would aide him on his journey to demolish and destroy the ring making him the most capable and competent member of the fellowship. It is these very honorable qualities that would best assist him in accomplishing his goal and purpose. In J.R.R Tolkien’s The Lord of Rings: The Fellowship of The Ring, Aragorn was initially presented as Strider, a queer, strange, scruffy, and grubby character who produced a suspicious ambiance at the inn in Bree making the Hobbits extremely cautious, for they perceived him as a doubtful, devious and untrustworthy person. But it was beneath this strange exterior that his humble and kind heart hid. He was a mighty, respectable warrior in disguise. It is later validated that he is an outstanding individual with clear, honest intentions. It is with these sincere intentions that Frodo and the entire Fellowship was persistently rescued from lurking dangers and hazards. His outer shell did not define the deep integrity and goodness he withheld.
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, born as a protestant, later converted to Catholicism. He converted along with his mother, when he was eight. Tolkien’s mother was very dedicated to her faith, even when her soon to be in-laws did not approve. This dedication gave inspiration to Tolkien at a young age (Christianity Today, Tolkien: Man Behind the Myth) Tolkien gave a comment about his mother, “My own dear mother was a martyr indeed, and it is not to everybody that God grants so easy a way to HIs great gifts as He did to [my brother] and myself, giving us a mother who killed herself with labour and trouble to ensure us keeping the faith.” (Hollow Verse, J.R.R. Tolkien) Tolkien looked up to his mother as a role model for her Christian faith. Tolkien
Wicked, dishonorable, corrupt, villainous, malicious, and vicious all have one thing in common: they define evil. A person or a group of people that display these qualities are often defined as evil beings or creatures. Two people that have many of these characteristics developed within them are Iago from Shakespeare’s Othello and Lucifer from the Bible. Both Iago and Lucifer are developed with many “evil” qualities woven intricately into their character development. The representation of each “evil” characteristic gives them something they have in common, allowing the description and portrayal of both Iago and Lucifer in literature show the audience they share common “evil” characteristics and that they lead to chaos and downfall.
J.R.R. Tolkien’s most renowned work was the 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy, but he has written many stories before that. One of those stories is 'The Children of Hurin', which was later edited by his son, Christopher.'The Children of Hurin' tells the account of Turin Turambar, son of Hurin, hero of the Elder Days. Six thousand years before the Fellowship of the Ring, a great evil was over the Earth. Morgoth was his name, and attempts to end his iron grasp ended in fruitless victories and heartbreaking defeats.