sparknotes
The Return of the King
Get this SparkNote to go!
Character List
The Fellowship
Frodo Baggins -
The
brave but unassuming hobbit who bears the Ring back to Mordor. Frodo
has a quiet determination and a strength of character that establish
his distinctive heroism. Increasingly affected and burdened by the Ring’s
power, Frodo assumes a more passive role in The Return of
the King than in the first two volumes of The Lord
of the Rings. Nonetheless, Frodo’s ultimate struggle to
overcome the temptation and burden of the Ring reminds us that an
individual with less courage and moral fiber would be unable to
complete the quest.
Samwise (Sam) Gamgee -
Frodo’s loving friend and dutiful support throughout
the quest, especially in its final stages. Over the course of the
journey, Sam grows from an insecure sidekick to the determined and
shrewd guardian of his master. Sam emerges as the true hero of The
Return of the King, performing the physical and sacrificial
deeds expected of a great hero while maintaining his humble and
lighthearted nature.
Gandalf the White -
The great wizard, also known as Mithrandir, who
leads the forces of the West. Gandalf, resurrected from his seeming
death in The Fellowship of the Ring, functions
as a soldier and a mystic, but more often as an advisor to the political
rulers of the world of Men. While Gandalf possesses supernatural
abilities, his powers of speech remain his greatest tool for admonishing
his counterparts and rebuking his foes.
Legolas -
The
lone Elf member of the Fellowship. Legolas, like his friend Gimli,
plays a smaller role in The Return of the King than
he does in The Fellowship of the Ring or The
Two Towers. Nevertheless, he bravely represents the Elf
race in Gondor’s march against Mordor.
Gimli -
The
lone Dwarf member of the Fellowship. The headstrong Gimli dutifully
traverses the Paths of the Dead with Aragorn, but he is crippled
with fear throughout the journey. The trip through the Paths is narrated
from Gimli’s perspective.
Aragorn -
The
heir of Isildur and the throne of Gondor, the king to which the
title The Return of the King refers. Aragorn, also
known as Elessar or Elfstone, claims his right to the throne near
the end of the novel, and takes the elf Arwen Evenstar as his queen.
Read an in-depth analysis of Aragorn.
Peregrin (Pippin) Took -
A young Hobbit member of the Fellowship. Pippin,
stranded from the other hobbits in Book V, abandons his troublesome
ways and acts as the intermediary between Gandalf and Denethor.
Pippin is the primary focus of the narrative in the scenes in Minas
Tirith in Book V.
Meriadoc (Merry) Brandybuck -
The fourth hobbit in the Fellowship. Merry, also
stranded from his counterparts, desperately seeks the approval of
King Théoden, to whom he offers his service. Merry, who sacrifices
his safety for Théoden in slaying the Black Captain, is the primary
focus of the chapters concerning the Riders of Rohan.
Enemies and Malevolent Beings
Sauron -
The
Dark Lord of Mordor and creator of the One Ring. While we never
encounter Sauron himself in the novel, the far-reaching effects
of the Darkness of Mordor suggest Sauron’s overwhelming presence
throughout Middle-earth. Sauron’s Great Eye, which scans the land from
his home in the Dark Tower of Barad-dûr, acts as a manifestation
of his will. The destruction of the Ring ultimately empties Sauron
of his power.
The Lord of the Nazgûl -
The leader and most powerful of the nine Ringwraiths,
or Black Riders, who serve Sauron in search of the Ring. Though
the Black Captain embodies undefeatable evil, he is ironically struck down
by a small hobbit, Merry.
Gollum (Sméagol) -
A black and bestial creature who owned the Ring prior
to Bilbo. Gollum incessantly pursues Frodo throughout The
Lord of the Rings in hopes of regaining the Ring. Throughout
the novel, Gollum acts as a strange double to Frodo. The shriveled
creature represents what Frodo might become under the Ring’s influence.
As Gandalf predicts, Gollum’s evil ultimately serves a good purpose.
Gollum completes the Ring-quest, biting the Ring off Frodo’s finger
and falling into the Cracks of Doom.
The Lieutenant of the Dark Tower -
A deputy to Sauron who confronts Gandalf and Aragorn
at the gates of Mordor. Although the Lieutenant is a living creature,
his face is a skull, and fire burns in his eye sockets and nostrils. The
Lieutenant taunts and mocks the assembled army of Gondor, but Gandalf
rebukes him and sends him fleeing back into Mordor.
Saruman the White -
The deposed wizard and the enactor of the Shire’s
brief police state. Out of pride, Saruman refuses forgiveness at
the hands of Gandalf or Galadriel. Saruman’s power is so diminished
that the hobbits easily overthrow his regime, after which the wizard’s dejected
slave, Wormtongue, kills him.
Men
Denethor -
The
Steward of Gondor and the father of Boromir and Faramir. Denethor
undergoes a painful descent into madness that Tolkien uses to explore
the complexity of human evil. Proud and wise, Denethor fails not
because he is inherently evil, but because he allows the evil lies of
the palantír to convince him that he is incapable
of saving Minas Tirith from Mordor’s power.
Faramir -
The
son of Denethor, brother of the deceased Boromir, and future husband
of Éowyn. Faramir appears confident and assured when Frodo and Sam
encounter him at Ithilien, outside Mordor. Denethor’s attempts to burn
Faramir alive are the extreme manifestations of the Steward’s suppression
of his dutiful son. In contrast to his father, Faramir displays
the depth of his nobility by immediately recognizing Aragorn’s long-awaited claim
to the throne of Gondor.
Théoden -
The
King of the Mark and the leader of the Riders of Rohan, or Rohirrim.
Théoden functions as a foil, or counterpoint, to Denethor. Whereas
Denethor neglects the fate of Minas Tirith by committing suicide, Théoden
bravely sacrifices his own life on the battlefield for the sake
of the West.
Éowyn -
The
Lady of Rohan and future wife of Faramir. Éowyn, driven by a desire
for combat and for Aragorn’s affection, disguises herself in men’s
clothing and endangers herself to challenge the Lord of the Nazgûl. With
the passing of the Shadow of Mordor, Éowyn is freed from her desire
for war, and she turns her affections to Faramir.
Éomer -
The
nephew and declared heir of Théoden and the brother of Éowyn. Éomer,
who initially urges his father not to go east to battle Mordor,
joins the battle himself and bravely leads the Rohirrim after his
father’s death.
Beregond -
A
member of the Tower Guard at Minas Tirith and Pippin’s friend. Beregond
breaks the law of the Guard of the Citadel by leaving his post,
but he successfully delays Denethor from killing his son Faramir.
Bergil -
Beregond’s
son. Bergil becomes close with Pippin after the hobbit joins the
Guard of Minas Tirith.
Elves
Elrond Halfelven -
The wise Master of Rivendell. Elrond travels with
the other Elves and Frodo to the West beyond the Great Sea at the
end of the novel.
Arwen Evenstar -
The
beautiful daughter of Elrond. After the defeat of Sauron, Arwen
marries Aragorn to become Queen of Gondor.
Hobbits
Bilbo Baggins -
Frodo’s
cousin and mentor, the previous keeper of the Ring. Bilbo spends
much of the latter part of The Lord of the Rings in
Rivendell, writing his memoirs— ostensibly the source material Tolkien
uses in writing the novel.
The Shirrifs -
Hobbit
policemen who attempt to arrest Frodo, Sam, Pippin, and Merry as
they reenter the Shire. The Shirrifs warn the Company that the “Chief”
who has taken over the Shire has a large army.
Lotho -
Frodo’s
greedy and corrupt relative, whom Frodo suspects is the “Chief”
to whom the Shirrifs refer.
Other Allies and Benevolent Beings
Gwaihir, the Windlord -
The leader of the Great Eagles, who bears Gandalf
to Mount Doom, where the wizard rescues the exhausted Frodo and
Sam after they complete the quest.
Become a fan on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
