The Complete Philosophy of The Lord of the Rings

I think most of us can remember when we first discovered the Lord of the Rings whether you were introduce through the films or through the books the feeling of being transported so completely to a world beyond our own is not easily forgotten it is undeniably one of the great stories of our time not only because it serves as well-written escapism but also because it touches on something deeper something essential that clearly touched the hearts of many when creating the world of Middle Earth Tolkien was heavily inspired by the myths of old taking influences from Norse paganism as found in for example the poetic Eda and the Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf but it was his own Christianity that ultimately shaped the Lord of the Rings into what he himself believes to be a fundamentally religious and Catholic work unconsciously so at first but consciously in the revision at first glance we indeed find a lot of Christian imagery in The Lord of the Rings there are angels and demons Heaven and Hell Temptation resurrection and a clear distinction between a physical and spiritual reality this however does not mean the story is a Christian allegory in fact Tolkien famously disliked allegories stating he rather prefers history be it real or fictional he was particularly fond of Mythology especially fairy tales because in his words they open the door on other time and if we pass through though only for a moment we stand outside our own time outside time itself maybe when written successfully such Journeys beyond our own world allow us to Glimpse at deeper meanings that are not bound by any time or place but that are Universal to all there is indeed no better medium for moral teaching than the good fairy story and this is what made the Lord of the Rings such a phenomenal success as one Arthur comments exploring tolkien's world was not just interesting it was not even just fascinating it was sheer joy for we knew that here we had touched the truth this book was a homecoming this book broke our hearts here was a world that was real in fact more real more solid than the one we left behind when we opened the covers of that book and cuts it's great we'll check the guide in this ambitious task of translating the Lord of the Rings to film Peter Jackson understood the mythological essence of tolkien's work approaching it not as Whimsical fantasy but as actual history I said look we've been given the job of making the Lord of the Rings but I want to from this point on I want to think that Lord of the Rings is real that it was actually history that these events happened and more than that I want us to to imagine that we've been lucky enough to be able to go on location and shoot our movie where the real events happened on top of that he was able to use the specific qualities of Cinema to not only adapt but also expand on tolkien's mythology most notably by using New Zealand's natural beauty to give Middle Earth the strong sense of place that makes it feel both otherworldly as well as intimately familiar and by composing a fast soundtrack that uses musical light motifs to enrich the various cultural histories and crowned us even further into this world as one that actually exists to me these are elements that have since become Inseparable from tolkien's work and perhaps even vital to understanding it in its fullness and so today I want to use both tolkien's worldview and Jackson's cinematic Vision to explore the underlying truth that the Lord of the Rings reveals and examine its deeper workings and power as a mythology my interpretation is mainly based on the books following Gandalf epic battles and moral victory in the Lord of the Rings by Matthew Dickerson J.R.R tolkien's sanctifying myth understanding Middle Earth by Bradley Berger and the philosophy of Tolkien the world view behind the Lord of the Rings by Peter craved although these sources are about tolkien's writing and not Peter Jackson's adaptation of that riding the essence of the important themes are considered to be preserved well enough and so I will discuss the books and films interchangeably unless the differences are significant enough to be worth mentioning with that in mind let's begin our journey into the vast Landscapes of Middle Earth immerse ourselves in the sights and sounds that gave it life and explore the deeper meanings that turned an epic adventure into a mythology for the ages [Music] we begin in Rohan with the people who most resemble the Anglo-Saxons in their cultural Aesthetics and musical themes when we first entered the city of eduras we find a land in Decline that has lost its glory and spirit and whose King is but a pale shadow of the man he once was it captures the bleakness that was at the heart of many Pagan mythologies a vision of a doomed World soon to be destroyed by the gods or by time yet it is in this struggle with mortality that Tolkien very much like the poet who wrote Beowulf finds the Pagan's most noble virtues courage and raw will indeed much of the main story arc of the people of Rohan is centered around reclaiming these virtues when we first meet Theoden his mind is corrupted by Saruman but even after he is released from his spell his Spirit has not been fully restored he still finds himself self-trapped he is still afraid to face death and mortality and so instead of facing his enemies head on as Gandalf urges him to you must ever treats his people to homes deep to be locked away in a giant Fortress I know what it is you want of me but I will not bring further death to my people I will not risk open War it is only after being besieged by the Uruguay at the very last moment when death is upon him and his people that Theoden rediscovers the spirit of his ancestors ride out with me and faces his Doom with courage for death and Glory but his journey does not end here as Tolkien believed that the best qualities of the Pagan World shouldn't be merely adopted they should be appropriated and recontextualized into Christianity and in that process be Sanctified the most important aspect of this was to separate these virtues from the glorification of war and death in battle that is found in so much of the language and literature of the Anglo-Saxons although Tolkien valued the will to fight and the courage to sacrifice oneself he did not believe in achieving Glory through great Deeds of violence or death in battle and so theodin is spared from Death at Helms Deep the restoration of his spirit is not yet complete but before we continue his character Arc I think it's useful to consider that of eowin who perhaps best exemplifies tolkien's sanctification of the Pagan's Noble virtues who knows what you've spoken to the darkness when all your life seems to shrink the walls of your power closing and about you when we meet aeowin she too is trapped by fear but unlike theodon it is not death that scares her what do you fear my lady stay behind bars until use an old age accept them and all chance of Valor has gone beyond recall or desire and the cage is exactly what she finds herself in but it is not necessarily because she was forced to take care of Theoden or because she is excluded from Warfare due to her gender now her cage is to believe that real honor is only found in battle I'm to be sent with the women into the caves that is an honorable charge to mind the children to find food and bedding when the Men return what Renown is there in that as author Matthew Dickerson puts it while her uncle is so afraid of death that he has become shameful she is so afraid of shame that she seeks death Aragorn does represent the battle-hardened heroism that eowin admires and she becomes attracted to him but Aragorn eventually rejects her making it clear that the image she projects onto him and by extension the ideal of Honor in battle is mistaken it is but a shadow on a thought that you love and so while breaking out of her gender role to take part in the war is definitely part of her character Arc it's not its final destination which is why after finally riding into battle and slaying the witch King A.D that is certainly great enough for her to Die With Honor she too is spared from death as briefly mentioned in the beginning Middle Earth is separated in a physical and spiritual reality and it is this latter one that was most important for Tolkien and where we find the essence of his sanctification what he wanted from his characters was not a great deed in battle nor a glorious death for those would reach their conclusion in the physical world instead he wanted them to use their courage to achieve a victory in the spiritual realm he wanted them to have a moral Victory Theoden achieves that Victory when he shows courage not only for his own people but for those of Gondor as well [Music] and Rohan will answer he rides out again this time not because he seeks Death Or Glory but because it is the right thing to do and so when he reaches the ballinor fields the outcome of the battle no longer matters for him it was his choice to give himself to this greater cause that granted him his moral Victory and made him a true king worthy of the highest honor shall not the completion of Air1 story is slightly different but similar in spirit she survives the battle of the ballino fields and during her recovery falls in love with faramir who in the book helps her to see that there is no shame in pity for that is the gift of a gentle heart to which a win eventually replies I will be a shield Maiden no longer nor VI with the great Riders nor take joy only in the songs of slaying I will be a Healer and love all things that grow and are not Barren her moral Victory comes when she realizes there is honor outside of battle and kiss upper pursuit of military glory to instead devote herself to a life of compassion now a lot can be said about the Journey of a woman learning the value of a domestic life and the bigger issue of gender roles in Middle Earth but it should be noted that eowyn's character Arc is very similar to that of faramir who was also spared from what would have been a pointless death born out of a desperate hope for Glory and given Mercy instead it does suggest that Tolkien was making a point that transcends gender especially considering that faramir and eowin go on to a level life that is not unlike his dearest characters let us cross the river ferromeo says to Aeon in the book and in happier days let us dwell in Fair ethelion and dare make a garden all things will grow with joy there the talking valued moral factories above all else can be traced all the way back to The Hobbit where we find that one of the most important moments revolves around a moral choice here Bilbo is trying to escape the tunnels while wearing the ring Gollum however blocks his way out the safest option would be to kill the violent creature as it is unarmed and unaware of Bilbo's presence but just as he is about to stab Golem Bilbo is overcome by pity and chooses to spare his life even though it puts himself at a greater risk the moment signifies an issue that becomes more prominent in The Lord of the Rings let's move to Gondor although named the city of Kings it has been a long time since Minister it has had an actual King instead it is ruled by the steward dinosaur who especially in the films represents a man who is solely focused on maintaining his Reign he wants to ensure victory in the Physical Realm at any cost even when that means using the ring the Ultimate Weapon of evil back to back to safe not to be used unless at the uttermost end of need by contrast his son faramir also wants to protect the city but not at any cost not at the cost of evil I would not use the ring not administeredith were falling in ruin an eye alone could save her although faramir immediately rejects the ring in the book the film gives him a bit more of a journey to get to this point nevertheless in both versions faramir defines a line that cannot be crossed a point after which defeat is more desirable than victory a question that often arises in time of war is what are we willing to sacrifice for victory and while this is obviously a question that many if not all characters face Tolkien seems to turn this question around to ask an equally important one for what values are we willing to suffer defeat this question is especially relevant to the Dilemma faced by Galadriel because whereas Condor still has a Fighting Chance even without the ring Galadriel faces certain defeat regardless of her decision this is because her home lothorian is sustained by the magic of one of the Rings of power created by seller brimbor the power of this ring however seems to be tied to the power of the one ring as it is suggested that its destruction would also mean the destruction of lothlorian and so when Frodo offers her the one ring she is perhaps more than any other character tempted to take it yet still she resists and makes the ultimate sacrifice to achieve a moral victory go into the west and remain galadria knowing how important it was for Tolkien to have his characters achieve a moral Victory we can begin to understand what makes the ring so fundamentally evil to put it simply achieving a moral Victory requires choice and choice requires freedom and this is exactly what the ring takes away one ring to bring them all and in the darkness find them the purpose of the ring is to dominate other Minds to enslave them and to place its own will upon them thereby taking away the freedom of others to make their own choices the very Freedom that makes heroism and moral victories possible The Ring Of course is an extension of Sauron whose only cause is ultimate power and domination and into this ring he poured his cruelty his malice and his will to dominate all life the rain recognizes no other authority than its creator which also explains why trying to use the ring for military achievements is not enough section for this would still lead to a defeat as those under the Ring's influence will eventually succumb to its corruption and end up a slave under sauron's Dominion ultimate power is singular it does not desire friends or Allies it does not work towards a greater good it's an end in itself like a black hole consuming everything it touches instead of building connections it breaks them instead of virtue it wants obedience there is only one Lord and he does not share power as we feel more than one occasion this manipulation of the Mind happens without the knowledge of those who are being manipulated the ring deceives through illusions of grandeur Often by giving its victims the false belief that it can be used for good for this it needs Darkness it needs to operate in secrecy as a symbolized by the power of invisibility the ring gives to its carrier but invisibility however also implies isolation as Peter craved explains the ring cuts herself from community and contact we are alone with the eye there's no room for two eyes no room for another in the one ring but it is in this isolation that we also find its weakness for power is limited to itself it knows Force pride and selfishness but not gentleness humility and empathy it knows how to take but not how to sacrifice and here we find a shimmer of Hope an unexpected Advantage but only if we're brave enough to use it still it might not seem like such values are enough to stand a fighting chance against the might of Sauron and the sheer force of his Devastation and indeed the quest to destroy the ring often feels like a hopeless one but in tolkien's Middle Earth there are other forces at play forces that give spiritual victories a greater purpose that give even the smallest moral decisions Cosmic significance and although they only show themselves implicitly they play a vital role in the fate of Middle Earth and might even form the fairy essence of tolkien's Mythology when the fellowship is trying to find its way through the minds of Moria Gandalf Comforts Frodo by revealing the existence of a higher authority guiding his fate there are other forces at work in this world Rhoda besides the will of evil Bilbo was meant to find the ring in which case you also Were Meant to have it and that is an encouraging thought it is the first real reference to a god-like presence in The Lord of the Rings a notion that is not to be overlooked as it implies that the characters act within the context of an unseen Force working towards its own purpose a second reference to the existence of this force can be found when Gandalf fights the balrog and reveals himself to be a servant of the secret fire I am certain to the secret fire not available which can be seen as the gift of an independent existence containing self-awareness and most importantly free will the flame imperishable was the greatest gift given by a Louis vuitar because as Matthew Dickerson writes it is this Freedom that enables them to participate in the louvitar's music and to themselves assist in sub-creating new Beauty in fact so great a gift is it that none other than eru ulubutar himself can give it his sole ownership of the flame imperishable came to the great Envy of his most powerful ainor called melgor who similarly to Satan and John Milton's Paradise Lost wanted to replace his creator and take away the gift of Freedom he desired rather to subdue to his will both elves and Men envying the gifts with which illuvita promised to endowed him and he wished himself to have subjects and servants and to be called lord and to be a master over other Wills he became more goth as you can probably guess his chief lieutenant and representative character in The Lord of the Rings is Sauron although this barely scrapes the surface of the silmarillion it already reframes the central conflict in The Lord of the Rings into one with a greater Cosmic significance for Tolkien it was obvious that the ultimate power only belongs to God himself and so he writes in The Lord of the Rings the conflict is not basically about Freedom though that is naturally involved it is about God and His sole right to Divine honor Sauron desired to be a god king and was held to be this by his servants if he had been Victorious he would have demanded Divine honor from all rational creatures and absolute temporal power over the whole world in other words it's a war for the soul of Middle Earth a fight to remain under elevator's grace to keep the flame imperishable burning in the hearts of every living creature and not fall under the Dominion of a corrupted Angel seeking absolute power let's return to the fellowship now that we have a better understanding of the cosmic forces at play in Middle Earth we can revisit the importance for our characters to achieve a moral victory over a physical one for no longer is it a struggle with their own conscience it is also a reflection of the spiritual warfare between illuvatar and morgoth this is important because it adds moral objectivism to the world of Middle Earth meaning that there is a predetermined concept of what is considered good and what is considered Evil based on higher forces than ourselves striving towards a moral Victory therefore not only suggests choice but also responsibility as we've seen this responsibility is Complicated by the fact that every character is in doubt with the flame imperishable and this does free eluvador's Creations are not compelled to do good as a consequence Having the courage to resist evil becomes a great virtue but failing to do so also becomes possible the Lord of the Rings presents a world wherein good and evil are absolutely distinct but not one wherein good and evil people are absolutely distinct yes there yes at courage also and honor to be found in men talking believes that there's a little good in the worst of us and a little bad in the best of us but not that there's a little good and evil and the little evil and good he believes in human moral complexity but not in logical moral complexity this moral complexity is probably best exemplified by Boromir we see in him the great nobility and courage of men but as the son of denethor he is also strongly affected by his father's material view on Victory and desire for power the weapon of the enemy has been found thing must come to condo and so Boromir too wants to protect Condor at all costs even if that implies using the enemy's weapon a gift to the foes of Mordor why not use this ring he is therefore more tempted by the ring than the other members of the fellowship and eventually succumbs to its evil this however does not make him unredeemable quite the opposite in fact for the presence of the flame imperishable also allows for salvation it is true that in a material sense Boromir has failed he failed to protect Frodo he failed to return to Gondor and he even failed to save Mary and Pippin in the end he suffers the ultimate physical defeat but again in the battle for the soul of Middle Earth it is the spiritual victory that truly matters forgive me I offend you all right man you vote bravely catch your armor so how is it that Boromir received his salvation for starters he realizes he has committed evil and apologizes for it and while his attempt to rescue Mary and Pippen fails it does show his willingness to sacrifice his own best interest for that of the fellowship it shows that he chose to fight the evil that for a moment took the best of him and it is in that choice that Boromir achieves his spiritual Victory a choice that cements itself when he with his dying words fully steps outside of his father's Shadow and accepts that he plays by the small part in a greater story I will follow you my brother captain oh my king by now it is probably clear that the freedom that allows moral choices is most valued in Middle Earth so what does this mean for the role of illuvatar in The Lord of the Rings how does he intervene in the story without compromising this Freedom how does he ensure his beloved Creations do not fall into darkness the first way he shows his guiding hand is by providing the fellowship with a guardian angel in the form of Gandalf Gandalf is one of the Mayar the Lesser Angelic spirits of eluvatar sent to Middle Earth in Mortal form because eluvatar does not want to compromise the freedom of his Creations to make their own moral choices Gandalf's powers are limited his main purpose is to guide the characters on a spiritual level not fight their battles for them in the Physical Realm I come with Tidings in this dark are and with Council that is why we only see him use his magical powers against other higher beings who are corrupted by evil for example when Saruman corrupts the king of Rohan Gandolf uses his magic to release Theoden from his spell and rekindle the flame imperishable thereby restoring his freedom Health free the free air again after that however Gandalf only serves as an advisor because ultimately it is theodon himself who must take the responsibility to make the right moral decisions and to restore his spirit foreign dark Gandalf also serves an important role in guiding Frodo and it is through his teachings that we get a better sense of the values that illuvate our wishes for his Creations beginning with the importance of Mercy we've seen Bilbo spare column out of pity but in The Lord of the Rings kind of explains why this was the right thing to do didn't kill him when he had the chance see it is pity that stayed Wilbur's hand many that lived deserved death some that died as her life and you give it to them Frodo he wants to make it clear that we should not be quick to pass death as judgment for not even a very wise can see all ends our perception is too limited to commit an act of such finality and as we see later Frodo has taken his advice to heart as he just like Bilbo shows pity towards Gollum an act of Mercy that as we all know will eventually decide the fate of Middle Earth maybe he does deserve to die now that I see him I do pit him but there's more to Gandalf's words than this rather logical argument for showing Mercy for although we've been focusing on what is within the power of the characters their Free Will choices and virtues Gandalf also points out what is not within their power as previously discussed Tolkien separated the Pagan virtues from the glorification of war and death in battle for those require a specific outcome in the physical world be it a military Victory or a glorious death and such outcomes are not for us to decide that power only belongs to a louvadar only an overtalk can see all ends only he can determine the ultimate fate of Middle Earth all we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us elevator's hand however is not directly perceivable to the characters or to us for that matter at best it is shown through what could be considered the lucky events it is in this way that he can intervene without compromising the freedom of his Creations as Matthew Dickerson writes eluvitar's intervention does not remove the significance of the choices made by the children of a Louis vuitar but in many ways it can redeem those choices or to put it in another way the characters are responsible only for their own choices and not for the outcome of those choices they are responsible for the means while the ants are in the louvitar's hands the Lord of the Rings is filled with chance encounters and coincidences leading to outcomes of such great importance that one could argue that they were Guided by a Louis vuitar's hands but his intervention becomes most obvious at the very ending when Frodo after all that has happened famously fails to destroy the ring he is attacked by Gollum and after a brief struggle they fall over the edge and the ultimate Evil ends up being vanquished by accident Tolkien coined the term you catastrophe to Define this sudden hand of Fate which to him was much more than a deus ex machina or a simple happy ending it was pure grace the ultimate salvation for the courage mercy and selfless sacrifices of aluvitar's children because this one is not in time he can make something in our past as well as in our present effect the future the salvation of Middle Earth and of Frodo is achieved by frodos and bilbos and Sams and aragorns and faramirs previous pity and mercy to Gollum it also reasserts the theme of moral victories being more important than physical victories by showing us again what is within our power and what is not it is within us to be brave merciful and virtuous and that is what Tolkien wanted to emphasize Frodo deserved all honor he writes because he spent every drop of his power of Will and body and that was just sufficient to bring him to the destined point and no further but it is not within us to see all ends to decide our faith remembering that this was a battle for illuvitar's sole right to such divine power it becomes understandable that the final glory of the physical Victory against Sauron belongs to him and him alone the nearly miraculous outcome leaves the reader no room for Pride or self-righteousness as many Happy Endings do Tolkien deliberately ended the story with a u catastrophe not to detract from the achievements of his Heroes but rather to emphasize what drives us through hardship and suffering and that ultimately is the belief that no matter how bad things get there's no Darkness greater than the light there is always hope slide light Beauty up there that no Shadow could touch the Lord of the Rings takes place in a pre-christian world which is why we don't see any characters praying for miracles or divine intervention we don't see them praising or worshiping a louvatar and this was important for Tolkien as he didn't want the story to be allegorical he wanted it to be mythological he wanted it to reflect a deeper universal truth the difference is best explained in his own words I think that many confuse applicability with allegory but the one resides in the freedom of the reader and the other in the purpose domination of the author we find this applicability in the simple fact that although one can find and be inspired by a Louis vuitar's existence it's not necessary to believe in or even know about his presence to reach the same deeper meanings in The Lord of the Rings what matters is that illuvitar's flame imperishable his Divine Light this hope exists within the hearts of all his Creations therefore what ultimately drives them is not a faith God by the faith in each other and this I believe is where we get at the very essence of tolkien's work we've discussed how the Ring's evil is isolating it creates a darkness of everlasting conflict betrayal and loneliness where vulnerability is punished and All Hearts Turn to Stone but therein lies its greatest weakness it cannot open its heart it cannot be vulnerable and thus it cannot hope for Hope does not depend on the power of one but on the bond between all that's why Galadriel specifically tells the fellowship that hope remains while the company is true they can face evil as long as there remains love and friendship between them and such qualities are not about taking they're about giving we find it in the small act of giving gifts a mithral vest Elvish weapons and tools and even fireworks that bring joy to old friends and we find it in the larger sacrifices in giving Aid in time of war in keeping a promise despite the consequences and in giving loyalty and support on an impossible mission into interestingly enough even the quest to destroy the ring is an act of giving because whereas most stories are about conquering or acquiring something the Lord of the Rings is about returning something about giving back the evil that does not belong in this world it is in these acts of sacrifice that characters find hope when times are dark however it may seem like a mistake to hope for such selflessness as it depends as Tolkien describes it on the behavior of an individual in circumstances which demand of him suffering and endurance far beyond the normal demand the strength of body and mind which he does not possess indeed as the Shadow of Mordor extends over Middle Earth and the days are increasingly filled with despair it may seem like such hope is only reserved for the foolish there never was much hope just a Fool's hope if the Lord of the Rings shows us anything it's that this Fool's hope is not so foolish at all it is truly powerful there's still hope for Frodo we can give him that the power of Hope is beautifully visualized when Pippin lights the beacons of Gondor to send the distress signal to Rohan it shows how even the smallest person can Kindle hope within the hearts of many and how one small Act of Courage leads to a force great enough to conquer evil it captures how time and time again characters strengthen each other's Spirits through courage and kindness loyalty and friendship from the encouraging speech of a king to The Bravery of a soldier from a great sacrifice to a few drops of water hope spreads itself over Middle Earth inspiring everyone to stay strong to keep fighting for Friday [Music] and so while there is no hope for divine Miracles there is hope for goodness for courage and for Brotherhood there is hope that our friends will not abandon us in the face of great evil that they remain true when all hope seems to be lost and it is this hope this Fool's hope that ignites a fire across mountains and brings the story to its fateful ending as Aragorn becomes king Middle Earth ushers into a new age of Peace but the victory is not Everlasting no victory over evil is eventually Aragorn will die and this Legacy will slowly Fade Away Darkness will find its way into the world again and the entire struggle begins Anew and that brings us back to the importance of Mythology as Frodo closes the book on the Lord of the Rings his Adventure becomes a story his story becomes a myth and that myth becomes a source for inspiration for countless Generations yet to come but above all the Lord of the Rings shows why we need such stories stories that form a mirror to our hearts that tell Tales of Friendship love and Trust And The Firm that hope is and will always be more resilient than any force of evil to end with a quote from the orphean passages in order to comprehend the experience we are living in we must by imagination and by intellect be lifted out of it we must be given to see it whole but since we can never wholly gaze upon our own life while we live it we gaze upon the life that in symbol comprehends our own art presents such lives such symbols myth especially persisting as a mother of Truth through countless generations and for many disparate cultures coming therefore with the approval not of a single people but of all myth presents myth is such a symbol shorn and unadorned refined and true and when the one who gazes upon that myth suddenly in Dreadful recognition cries out there I am that is me then The Marvelous translation has occurred we are lifted out of ourselves to see ourselves holy foreign

Channel: Like Stories of Old

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Keywords: rings of power, lord of the rings, tolkien, critique, review, analysis

Id: N73GXN_pb7g

Length: 39min 32sec (2372 seconds)

Published: Fri Nov 18 2022