Although J. R. R. Tolkien wrote a very history rich world with tons of lore and great stories, his greatest story is widely recognized asTheLord of the Rings. Amazon is creating a newLOTRtelevision series that will be one of the most expensive series ever made, but something the studio may be forgetting is thatThe Lord of the Ringsis so universally popular not necessarily for the setting and world, but rather the story and its characters, specifically Frodo and his journey to destroy The Ring.
Frodo’s character in the past has gotten a lot of negative attention from some fans claiming that the character is a little annoying or that he makes bad decisions. But really, Frodo is actually a very interesting character and has a beautiful arc full of personal growth and emotional beats, hisstory and subsequent relationshipto The Ring making him one of the greatest characters ever written. Frodo is such an important character to the story ofThe Lord of the Rings, and he is in some senses the heart and soul of the trilogy. This really is the story about Frodo’s journey to destroy The Ring.
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The characters themselves even acknowledge this, as at one point Sam talks about the possibility of Frodo and him beingimmortalized in glory through storytelling, and on multiple occasions, the other characters claim “for Frodo” before fighting evil in his name so that he may complete his journey. In the theatrical cut, the audience experiences the story through Frodo’s perspective. We start and end the journey with Frodo (minus the prologue inThe Fellowship of the Ringand the scene of Sam going back home at the end ofReturn of the King).
Frodo’s story is so compelling because even though the character is able to travel across Middle Earth with nothing more than a little hope and what he can carry, The Ring’s influence has been too powerful against Frodo. He completes his journey, but he fails in his mission of destroying The Ring. Frodo is forever changed by The Ring, and because of this, he can never be the same. The character of Gollumused to be quite similarto Frodo, in that he was a simple, small creature much like a hobbit that was mentally and physically corrupted by The Ring. And the more time Gollum spent in the presence of The Ring and in solitude, the more deformed he became.
At one point during principal photography, Peter Jackson put actor Elijah Woods in character makeup to show how Frodo wasfollowing the same paththat Gollum did. From a brief clip and some behind-the-scenes photos, fans can see how Frodo’s future would have looked had he not spared Gollum’s life, who later aided in the destruction of The Ring, making the mission successful. Frodo is devastated by the fact that he did not have the strength to let go of The Ring. Gollum bites off Frodo’s finger in order to retrieve The Ring, and after a physical struggle and altercation, Gollum and The Ring tumble over the side of the Cracks of Doom where they fall into the hot lava.
What happens next in Frodo’s story is truly sad. Sam walks up to the ledge of the cliff, and peers down at a wounded Frodo hanging on to the side of the cliff for life. Frodo attempts to reach for Sam’s hand, but he is covered in blood and slips out of his grip. The look in Frodo’s eyes says it all. He is defeated spiritually and mentally.Frodo is contemplating suicideby letting go of the ledge he grips onto because of his extreme guilt and shame for not being able to complete his mission.
But Sam, a true friend, loves Frodo and looks past his faults and shortcomings. Sam frequently reminds Frodo of all the good that is left in the world. Sam shows Frodo that it is not all bad because several times throughout the trilogy Frodo shows that he is severely depressed and wants to give up. Sam reminds Frodo of the small joys in life, like the first strawberries of spring with fresh cream. He tells Frodo that he better not give up, that he needs to reach for his will to continue life even after all the bad that has happened.
InThe Lord of the Rings, Sam serves as an extension to Frodo’s story. They both rely on each other as without one, neither would have succeeded. For Frodo, he must find hisnew purpose in life and a new identityso that he may find peace. When Frodo leaves Middle Earth at the end ofReturn of the King, the audience gets the conclusion to one of the most inspiring and emotional character arcs of all time about a coming of age story where a young man learns of the evil in the world, actively fights against it, and keeps living despite all the chances he had to give up after several failures.
