The Lord of the Rings :: essays research papers

In The Fellowship of the Ring, the Protagonist is Frodo Baggins, a hobbit from the Shire who becomes the Ring-bearer. The Antagonist is Sauron, the Dark Lord that forged the One Ring to take over Middle-Earth. In the fellowship, aside for the ring-bearer, are three other hobbits, Samwise Gamgee, Peregrin Took and Meriadoc Brandybuck, three of Frodo’s closest friends. There is also Gandalf, the wizard; Legolas Greenleaf, son of the Elf King of Northern Mirkwood; the dwarf Gimli, son of Gloin; Aragorn, son of Arathorn, and heir to the throne of Gondor; and Boromir, oldest son of the Steward of Gondor. They all have some talent or purpose in aiding Frodo in the quest. Gandalf is a powerful wizard, second to only Saruman the White. Legolas is an elven archer with a true aim. Gimli wields a powerful axe in battle and is a great craftsman. The true King of Gondor hasn’t yet re-claimed his throne but spends his time protecting and aiding the fellowship members. Boromir, next in line to be the Steward of Gondor, doesn’t always seem trustworthy. However, as time passes he forms a bond with the ‘Halflings’ (the hobbits) and is very protective of them. It is also quite useful for them to have two such humans, strong and tall, they both are a great help. The book takes place in different parts of Middle Earth during the â€Å"Third Age†. The mood is often quite tense with suspense and a sense of doom. They are in constant danger, always being watched or hunted. The hobbits leave their precious homes and travel through the Old Forest to get to Bree, where they meet Aragorn and he aids them in their journey. All five later leave for Rivendell and the mood is quite tense with the Black Riders hunting them down. On the way, they stop at Weathertop, where Frodo is, unfortunately, stabbed with a Morgul blade. Luckily, they all get to Rivendell safely with the help of Glorfindel, an elf. Once there, Frodo is given time to heal before Lord Elrond summons a council and the fellowship is formed with nine members. The fellowship continue on their quest to get rid of the ring and were forced to trudge through Caradhras in order to avoid ‘the dark and secret way’. However, they were forced to take that path, after being forced off Caradhras, through the Mines of Moria where it is believed that Gandalf had â€Å"fallen into shadow† in their escape.