Learning Module Seven - “Human Action” Myth in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Summary
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.
Along their journey, they have memorable experiences and learn about the One Ring’s imperceptible powers. Furthermore, Frodo and his fellowship discover the powers of the One Ring growing along with the armies of Sauron with respect to time. Ultimately, Frodo and his eight companions must do what it takes to destroy the One Ring and
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In other words, things that are out of the ordinary human beings control. Jackson’s film “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” depicts not only the concept of a cultural truth-value of a modern myth, but also the idea of a “human action” myth in the sense of how the main character Frodo, clashes against the supernatural force, as well as the metaphysical fate of the One Ring. In addition, this overlaps with concepts in classical mythology.
In “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” we see countless examples of how Frodo fights against the mystical force of the One Ring. A case in point is how the One Ring bestows a great amount of power to whomever is wearing in the moment. On the other hand at the same time, the One Ring restores an immeasurable amount of pressure on it wearer. Thus, corrupting him of her. It acts as a force that is uncontrollable when worn. In spite of the wearer’s initial purposes, whether it be good or evil, the One Ring’s supernatural control overturns the wearer to
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More specifically, Ovid’s “Metamorphoses.” In Ovid’s work, fate plays a crucial role as it did in “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.” Fate in the poem is seen as a story that cannot be changed. People cannot escape their destiny or fate.
Furthermore, Ovid illustrates fate as a concept that not only supports the powers of the Gods, but also challenges it. The readers view many cases in which mortals suffer horrible fates due to the passion of the Gods. Thus, they pray to the Gods to escape or go opposite of their already destined fates quite similar to how Frodo did when he was given the opportunity to destroy the One Ring (the “Mount Doom” scene in the film), but could not. This sort of opposition to fate due to uncontrollable forces can be seen with the mythological roles of Hercules, as well as Orpheus in the sense of how either one of them are recognized for their accomplishments and success.
The idea of a “human action” myth is displayed in “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.” Frodo is a character that fights against his own fate, as well as the supernatural force of the One Ring. Similarly, these ideas over shadow works in classical mythology.
Citations
• “Classical
Through his burden of carrying the ring, Frodo is subject to many new perspectives that make him realize the importance of the group. Without the help of the others, especially Sam, Frodo would have not been able to accomplish the great task he was given. At first Frodo does not want Sam to come along as he feels it’s too dangerous to subject his friend to. This illustrates his perspective in the beginning of the story of being selfish and thinking that his journey can be taken alone, “It would be the death of you to come with me, Sam," said Frodo, "and I could not have borne that.""Not as certain as being left behind," said Sam."But I am going to Mordor.""I know that well enough, Mr. Frodo. Of course you are. And I'm coming with you.” He later learns through new perspectives that without the help of Sam he would not have gotten far in his journey. Frodo is foreign to the harsh reality he is thrust into. Not only is he away from home, he is also burdened with the task of keeping the ring safe. This burden becomes quite a strain on Frodo, “There is no real going back. Though I may come to the Shire, it will not seem the same; for I shall not be the same. I am wounded with knife, sting, and tooth, and a long burden. Where shall I find rest?” J.R.R Tolkien The Lord of the Rings. With the help of Sam and the realization that he is doing this for more than himself,
When Déagol finds the ring on Sméagol’s birthday, the ring uses its influence to corrupt him into murdering Déagol (52). When Gandalf tells Bilbo to let go of the ring, the influence the ring has is shown as Bilbo calls the ring his precious, and he puts his hand on the hilt of his sword in defiance of Gandalf (33-34). The ring has the power to dominate the will of all that are around it, and is itself its own character. Frodo arrives at the Prancing Pony, and he feels the desire to put on the ring and vanish, but when he chooses not to put on the ring it uses its power to try and reveal itself by slipping on Frodo’s finger making him disappear (154-157). Even when a ring bearer is free from the ring it still influences its former possessor. When Bilbo sees Frodo in Rivendale he asks to see the ring, and as he does this Bilbo’s face changes into a shadowed version of what Gollum looked like (225-226). The nature of evil lies with its ability to corrupt the weakest and even the most pure of heart at the same
“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.
The differences in the protagonists and the journey they embark in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings Series and the Arabic Tale of Buluqiya shows the difference in the cultures that created them. For one, The Lord of the Rings shows that the hero does not seek the task but is presented to him and any rewards that come from it are circumstantial. In our culture, one does not look well upon someone who seeks wealth and eternal life, but someone who puts the needs of others before his or her own. We see heroes as those who are able to be the best person possible, not giving in to the temptations of the world, but doing that which is beneficial for all beings.
Frodo and Sam find themselves lost in the rocky hills west of the river and know that Gollum, the creature wanting the Ring, is following them closely. They manage to capture the corrupt creature and keep him with them for a while. Since Frodo is carrying the Ring as Gollum once did, he pities and feels sorry for the ugly creature. Frodo agrees to let Gollum go and Gollum agrees to guide Frodo and Sam to the Black Gate, the entrance to Mordor. It is in these gates and up in the mountain where the Ring must be destroyed. Gollum swears by the Ring to obey its master which is Frodo and Frodo accepts the promise. Sam by the way is worried and remains suspicious. Frodo begins to call Gollum by his true name which is Sméagol. Sméagol seems very eager and willing to please Frodo.
In ancient times the Rings of Power were crafted by the Elven-smiths, and the Dark Lord, forged the one ring, filing it with his own power so that he could rule all other. But the one ring was taken from him, and though he sought it throughout Middle-Earth, it remained lost to him. After many years it fell into the hands of Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit of all creatures. In a sleepy village in the Shire, young Frodo Baggins finds himself faced with an immense task as his elderly cousin entrusts the ring to his care. Frodo must leave his home and make a perilous journey across Middle-Earth to the Cracks of Doom, there to destroy the Ring and foil the Dark Lord in his evil purpose. Gandulf, who is a dear, old friend of Bilbo's, tells Frodo what the ring is, and what should happen if the Dark Lord shall get it back. Frodo asks Gandulf what he must do, to help with this heavy burden. Gandulf tells Frodo to Bree with Sam, but he has to be careful because of the Ringwraiths. Ringwraiths are dark creatures working for Sauron, and they are trying to get the ring back for their master. As they are on their way they run into Merry and Pippin, two close friends. Frodo decides to tell Merry and Pippin what they are doing out here, and what's going on. Merry and Pippin know a shortcut to Bree, and they deicide to help Frodo and Sam.
The ring uses deceit and temptation to destroy the good in the earth just as society sometimes does. Tolkien uses the metaphor of a completely evil item to warn people against their lust for power, descent to corruption, and fall to temptation. As depicted by Tolkien, evil can cast all these things upon us, but we must be strong minded, unlike Sméagol, and refuse to let it turn us into our own form of Gollum. We must not fall to evilness because once it takes a hold of us, it is nearly impossible to be free of its grasp. Tolkien wants us to learn from Sméagol and his murderous crime so that we understand that evil is not relentless and it does not care who it targets. If it does reach a hold of our souls though, it will drive us to madness.
The elements of a character’s true personality and attitude make that fate. a reality and force the destiny to become the destination. The stories of Gilgamesh, Oedipus the King, and The Tragedy of Sohrab and Rostam. all teach the readers that destiny and character are intertwined. In Sophocles’ Oedipus the King, destiny and Oedipus’ actions.
The idea of fate has existed for a long time and exists even today. Fate revolves around the idea that people's lives are predetermined and that no matter what is done it cannot be changed. With the gods it was used to explain events that seemed strange. Sophocles expands on this idea by introducing Oedipus' fate. The thought of fate is strong considering no matter how hard he struggles he still receives what was predetermined. As a baby he survived the elements on Mount Cithaeron. As Oedipus was destined to live, it shows the dominance of fate. Having fate play such a large part of the play is certainly an insight into the Greek's idea that fate controls us no matter how hard we struggle against it.
J.R.R Tolkien’s book, The Fellowship of The Ring, is a story about a journey that is made possible by certain characters, and events during the book. The journey would not have been successful without the help of people like Aragorn and Gandalf. The quest of Frodo Baggins and company would not prevailed with out the courage and bravery of certain characters that embarked on the journey with Frodo.
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.
Tolkien was struck by the amount of courage in his fellow soldiers. Many had no choice but to go to war, leaving loved ones and their comfort behind them. Tolkien described the soldiers as heroes. Many soldiers returned home from battle walking like zombies; dull in the face, looking straight ahead with limited expression. Soldiers were forever affected by their encounters on the battlefields. They were to never forget the trench warfare and brotherhood built between them and their fellow soldiers, even the ones who didn’t make it out alive. There is some reflection of Tolkien’s experiences during World War I and in The Lord of the Rings. The courage that Frodo and Sam constantly display is a reflection of the soldiers at war. Frodo and Sam are both very unlikely heroes, but they display insurmountable courage. Their tasks are never in their favor but they seem to always breakthrough. The temptation and corruption in the world we live in is also present in The Lord of the Rings. The ring, which makes the one in possession to be invisible, is a constant temptation of corruption. Corruption is a problem in the era and today as well. Many war leaders and government leader began to lead in corrupt ways. The temptation of the ring can be a correlation to the ongoing struggle of good versus evil in the world. As stated earlier, Tolkien’s passion for nature as a child is also
In Oedipus The King, Sophocles presents a view of life fixed by fate. This fate, predetermined by the gods, is the sole factor in deciding human destiny. Tiresias expresses his understanding of the unchangeable fate of Oedipus, laid out by the gods, as he argues with the King about revealing the truth of all the Theban troubles. When Oedipus, frustrated by the lack of cooperation, insults Tiresias, he responds "I pity you, flinging at me the very insults / each man here will fling at you so soon."(322) Even more telling of the fated existence of Sophocles' characters is Jocasta's revelation of prophecies given before Oedipus' birth which foretold all that the gods had in store, which had indeed come to pass (332).
The Ring must be destroyed, but that can only be done by returning it to the flames of Mount Doom in Mordor, where it was forged. Frodo volunteers to take on this daunting task, and a “Fellowship of the Ring" is formed to aid him: Sam, Merry, Pippin, Aragorn, Gandalf, Gimli the Dwarf, Leagolas the Elf, and Boromir, the Man, son of the Ruling Steward Denathor of the realm of Gondor. Frodo escapes after a battle with the others against the Orcs and determines to continue the quest alone, though Sam guesses his intent and comes along. The Fellowship of the Ring is broken. Orcs sent by Saruman and Sauron kill Boromir and kidnap Merry and Pippin. Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas pursue the orcs bearing Merry and Pippin to Saruman.
At the heart of the story is the Ring and it is The One Ring of power. Lord of the Rings is a tale of good deeds that triumph over evil. It is also a story of power and corruption. The desire for absolute power is the topic of The Lord of the Rings. The Ring acts as a symbol of evil that the author explores in his novel. It represents power, and with that power it corrupts anyone that comes in contact with it. When Sauron forged the Ring, he infused his own power and soul into it to ensure that it had the power needed for him to reach his goals. It is because of this that it doesn’t matter if one’s intention is to do good, all that is done with the Ring, including the ring bearer, becomes evil through its corrupt influence.