The Lord of the Rings characters, especially the Fellowship, go through many harrowing events throughout the trilogy. Whether it’s the fall-out of Boromir's death or the suffering Frodo Baggins undergoes as the Ring-Bearer, there are many heartbreaking moments throughout the series. Despite this, there are some positive scenes.
Each character in the franchise has their own ups and downs along the way. Some characters, like Aragorn, end up with a happy ending, while others, like Frodo, have bittersweet conclusions appropriate for tragic heroes. Here are the most prominent highs and lows of each character's journey.
10 Pippin: Finding The Mushroom Shortcut(Discovering Merry’s Wounded Body)
Pippin represents the innocence of the Shire before war comes to its doors. Thus it’s not surprising that his most exciting moment is when he discovers mushrooms at the bottom of the hill of Farmer Maggot’s farm. Unfortunately, this fortune doesn’t last long and begins a long journey leading to his worst moment when he discovers a wounded Merry on the Pelennor Fields.
Pippin's loss of innocence is meant to parallel the true tragedy of war and how young people are subjected to suffering and death when they go off to battle. Going from a life of ease and fun pranks with his best friend to seeing his best friend nearly dead on a battlefield really exemplifies the harsh reality of Pippin's narrative arc.
9 Merry: Being Knighted By Theoden(Boromir’s Death)
Merry too has many positive moments at the start of The Fellowship of the Ring, but his proudest is when he is knighted by Theoden. However, there is also a loss of innocence that comes with finding a greater place in the world. In one of his worst moment, Pippin sees his friend, Boromir, die.
This moment serves as a wake-up call for Merry, and he grasps the gravity of the war. Seeing this death, and being unable to stop it ties into his desire to help fight later on. Merry says, "All my friends have gone to battle. I will be ashamed to be left behind!" Merry's story is one of growing up, as he learns that there are costs to war, but also joys to wearing the mantle of a soldier and having brothers in arms.
8 Boromir: Teaching Merry And Pippin To Fight(Feeling Guilt In His Final Moments)
Boromir carries a lot of worry over the fate of Gondor on his shoulders. However, he does enjoy spending time with Merry and Pippin and teaching them how to fight. This is contrasted with his final moment where he feels he's failed the Fellowship by trying to take the Ring.
The difference between these points illustrates Boromir's complexity. While he can't resist the temptation of the Ring, he isn't evil. Like Aragorn, he wants to protect the Hobbits and save his people in Gondor. In his moments of joy, it is clear that he is an honorable man with a good heart. It's tragic that he dies thinking he is bad.
7 Arwen: Seeing Aragorn Again(Beginning To Leave Middle-Earth)
Arwen’s story centers around her relationship with Aragorn, so it follows that her happiest and saddest moments involve him. Their reunion is her most joyous moment. On the other hand, her saddest scene comes earlier, when she is about to leave Middle-Earth and Aragorn forever.
While seeing a vision of a possible future son, Arwen realizes that the only way she will be at peace is if she stays in Middle-Earth. Without this worst moment where she almost gave up, she would never have been around to even go to Aragorn's coronation. The vision of the future gives her the strength she needs to stay hopeful.
6 Gimli: Excitement About Moria(Learning About Balin’s Death)
Gimli does have other happy moments with Legolas and Aragorn, but his excitement upon learning the Fellowship will visit Moria is when he’s most upbeat. This hope is quickly dashed, however, when he enters Moria and discovers Balin is dead.
The doom of Moria is just one other way the trilogy shows that war and evil are touching all the peoples of Middle-Earth. Gimli's excitement at the idea of seeing his kin and having the comforts of home doesn't last, and instead, he has to grieve someone he cared about. While the series might center mostly on the world of men, elves and dwarves are also impacted.
5 Legolas: His Friendship With Gimli(Believing Aragorn Was Dead)
The collection of moments from Legolas' relationship with Gimli, such as when he finds him the box at Helm’s Deep, are when he's happiest. His worst moment is when he believes Aragorn has died after going over the cliff with the warg.
Legolas is a supporting character, but he's defined by his loyalty to his close friends. He already knows that his people in Mirkwood won't remain in Middle-Earth for long, but he decides to help the Fellowship anyway. His narrative arc is more about mending the relationship symbolically between elves and dwarves, and his reward is a lifelong friendship with Gimli that extends even after the Fellowship is ended.
4 Samwise Gamgee: Marrying Rosie Cotton(When Frodo Sends Him Away)
Samwise is one of the unsung heroes of the story, and his positivity and hopefulness are part of this. He does his best to be there for Frodo, but his happiest moment arrives when he’s finally able to marry the woman of his dreams. Conversely, being sent away by Frodo is one of his lowest points.
Sam's character arc largely revolves around him finding balance for his two main desires in life. On the one hand, he is loyal to Frodo and deeply cares for him, on the other, he craves stability and longs for a family of his own. Frodo's pain and rejections hit him hard before this, but, by the end of the story, he has found some peace with Rosie and their children. This means he is upset when Frodo sails to the Grey Havens, but not completely broken by this parting.
3 Gandalf: Arriving In The Shire(Worrying That Frodo Has Died)
Gandalf is one of the Istari who was sent to Middle-Earth to protect it from evil forces, but he still finds time to enjoy life, especially when he visits Bilbo in the Shire. He has a great love of the Hobbits and knows Frodo very well, so he is extremely upset when the Mouth of Sauron suggests Frodo might be dead.
The connection between Gandalf's happiest and saddest moments reveal how much faith he has in Hobbits. He's the one who brings Bilbo into the wider world and eventually Frodo. Gandalf knows that Hobbits are deeply good and strong, but he also carries a lot of guilt over having to send Frodo on such a painful, treacherous journey. He feels responsible for Frodo's suffering and has worried all along that he might die.
2 Frodo Baggins: Bilbo’s Birthday Party(Falling Apart On Mount Doom)
Frodo begins the series living peacefully, so his times in Hobbiton are the happiest. Specifically, viewers see Frodo dance and enjoy the festivities during Bilbo's party. In comparison, the scene where Frodo is so tired, dehydrated, and demoralized that he can’t even walk any further is when he’s at his lowest.
The contrast between Frodo at the beginning of the series makes these scenes in Mordor that much more impactful on the audience. They've seen how the Ring has slowly taken much of his happiness, strength, and vitality over time. Frodo also goes from being surrounded by family and friends to being nearly alone, save for the ever trustworthy Sam, on the slopes of Mount Doom.
1 Aragorn: Being Reunited With Arwen(Fearing Arwen Was Dying)
For most of the trilogy, Aragorn looking out for other Fellowship members and also carrying the burden of trying to become King. Along with that, his love of Arwen and fears of her death weigh on him. When they are together once again, he is happy and at peace for the first time.
Arwen is Aragorn's main motivation for fighting as hard as he does. He has to go on a journey to become the King he was meant to be, and to aid in the destruction of the Ring, before they can truly be reunited and safe. His actions as a leader of the Fellowship help lead to peace in Middle-Earth and provide a future for himself and Arwen.
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June 22, 2021 at 12:34AM
