"Cliff Notes - the hobbit & the lord of rings" - читать интересную книгу автора (Tolkien J.R.R)

The company meets Galadriel and Celeborn, the rulers of Lothlorien. Galadriel describes how she and her husband have struggled against evil through the ages. She speaks of the struggle as the long defeat. She tests the members of the fellowship in turn, silently offering them the choice of going on into danger or turning aside and having the one thing they most desire. As they talk of it later, Boromir holds that Galadriel was tempting them and warns that she is a danger. Of all the company, he alone fails to recognize the goodness in Lorien.

NOTE: TOLKIEN AND WOMEN Tolkien has often been criticized for generally ignoring women in his books. There may be merit in this argument. Think back to The Hobbit: The only female character was Lobelia Sackville-Baggins, a ridiculous and unpleasant hobbit. In The Lord of the Rings thus far, you have met only Lobelia, Goldberry, Arwen (Elrond's daughter), and now Galadriel. Galadriel is a figure of great power. She seems wiser than her husband, Celeborn, and wins over Gimli the dwarf with her kindness. She is the one who first called together the White Council that originally drove Sauron from Mirkwood. She's also the possessor of one of the three elven rings. Equal even to Sauron's power, she can read his thoughts, yet he can't find her.

Galadriel, however, represents an idealized woman, as do Arwen and Goldberry. Later in the trilogy, you will meet a contrast in the character of Eowyn.

In Lothlorien you can clearly see the way Tolkien equates nature with beneficent power. Lothlorien is a place of great natural beauty. The elves, who make their houses in the trees, are in close contact with nature, leading a simple life-style without technology. Sam says that he can't tell if the elves made the land or the land made them, proving that he can be surprisingly perceptive at times. The magic in Lothlorien is well hidden, yet it is pervasive and powerful.

Galadriel offers Sam and Frodo a look in her "mirror," a basin of water. In it, Sam sees visions of him and Frodo, then of the Shire. He sees trees being cut down and ugly buildings with smoking chimneys being built. He wants to return to the Shire at once, but Galadriel warns that the mirror can be deceptive.

Frodo sees in the mirror the great red eye of Sauron, which he feels is seeking him. Galadriel tells him not to fear while he's in Lothlorien, for Sauron's eye cannot find him there, although she herself can read Sauron's thoughts. This echoes what another elf had said in a previous chapter: though the light pierces the very heart of darkness, the light's own secret has not yet been discovered. Galadriel reveals to Frodo that secret: she possesses one of the elven rings. It appears as a star upon her hand. If you have any doubts about Galadriel's motives, this should answer them, for stars, as you know by now, are Tolkien's symbol for good.

Galadriel's fate, and the fate of Lothlorien, are in Frodo's hands. If Frodo should fail, Lothlorien will be laid bare to Sauron. If Frodo succeeds and the One Ring is destroyed, Galadriel's power will diminish and Lorien will fade. Either way, it seems that Lothlorien is doomed. Frodo offers the Ring to Galadriel, but she refuses it, saying that if she used it against Sauron, she would become as terrible as him. Galadriel seems to swell in size, showing Frodo what she would be like if she possessed the Ring. Then she again becomes a simply clad elf-woman. "I pass the test," she tells him. "I will diminish and go into the West and remain Galadriel."

The travelers now must decide whether they will travel along the east side of the river toward Mordor or take the western bank and go from there to Minas Tirith, Boromir's city. Boromir reveals that he still believes that the Ring should be used against Sauron, and that it's folly to take it into Mordor. The decision is postponed when Celeborn offers to give them boats, so that they can travel down the river many miles before having to choose their course. The elves also provide lembas--thin, nourishing cakes--and cloaks that have the power of invisibility. Lembas and the waterlike drink of the elves that has appeared throughout the book are interpreted as communion wafers and holy water by some. But behind the specifically Christian symbolism of bread and water is a recognition of the power in such basic necessities of life, a recognition shared by many other people and religions. Tolkien himself said that he wanted to present things in a new light, to give people a sense of wonder at the ordinary. This may be the inspiration behind lembas and the miraculous drink of the elves, rather than a deliberate allusion to Christianity.

NOTE: ELVES IN LORE AND LITERATURE The word elf seems to have originated in Norse mythology and to have been carried over into English as another name for fairy. Many people think of elves as fairies such as Tinkerbell in Peter Pan or those in Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream. Tolkien often expressed his dislike for these diminutive fairies, who ride insects and live in flowers. His elves present a different picture. While they are given to joyous feasting, they are also a race of stern warriors. This change represents a step backward in time, from modern-day fairy tales and the literary fancies of Shakespeare's day to the medieval romances that Tolkien's works are often compared to. In these romances fairies are beautiful and powerful creatures who are equal in size to humans, who can be hostile toward mortals, and who engage in hunts and warfare, as Tolkien's elves do.

These fairies, in turn, represent the dwindled gods of pagan mythologies. The Irish fairies, the Daoine Sidhe, are the last of the old gods, the Tuatha Da Danaan, who left Ireland for their homeland across the sea, Tir Nan Og or The Land of the Young. In The Lord of the Rings, the most powerful elves, such as Galadriel, take on this godlike stature. Like the Tuatha Da Danaan, the Tolkien elves are slowly leaving Middle-earth, passing over the sea to their homeland in the Blessed Realm.

Many characteristics of the elves in The Lord of the Rings are shared by fairies of lore and legend. Like Tolkien's elves, fairies are immortal. They're associated with weaving and with the bestowing of gifts, such as Galadriel gives to the company. But the Tolkien elves differ in one important way.

Belief in fairies had dwindled along with paganism as the influence of Christianity grew in Europe. Fairies were often depicted as amoral and came to represent a way of life opposite to the good life of the Christian faith. Tolkien ennobles his elves by allying them with the good and making them the most ethical of his races.

The company travels down the river until they reach the point at which they must choose between Minas Tirith and Mordor. Frodo, as Ring-bearer, must decide his course, and the others will follow him or not as they choose. Frodo goes off alone to think, and after a time Boromir joins him. Boromir, who has been acting strangely, tries to convince Frodo to give him the Ring, so that he can use its power against the enemy. When Frodo refuses, he tries to take it. Frodo puts on the Ring and disappears. As he runs away, he feels the eye of Sauron searching for him.

In this scene Tolkien shows the relationship between destiny and free will. Two voices struggle within Frodo. One is that of Sauron, calling Frodo to him. The other tells Frodo to take off the Ring. Suddenly realizing that he's free to choose, he takes off the Ring. Already he's seen the evil power of the Ring at work in its temptation of Boromir. Therefore, he decides to pursue the quest alone. He tries to slip away by boat but Sam catches up with him. Together, the two hobbits head for Mordor.

^^^^^^^^^^THE LORD OF THE RINGS: BOOK III, CHAPTERS 1-5

Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli set out to rescue Merry and Pippin, who have been captured by orcs (referred to as goblins in The Hobbit).

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Orcs attack while the rest of the fellowship is still scattered, searching for Frodo. Boromir is mortally wounded as he defends Merry and Pippin, who are bound and carried away by the orcs. Before he dies, Boromir tells Aragorn that he tried to take the Ring from Frodo. But instead of criticizing him, Aragorn praises his bravery in defending the hobbits. Boromir is given a hero's funeral by Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli. Like Thorin Oakenshield in The Hobbit, Boromir has made up for his evil deeds through an act of great valor.

Aragorn faces a dilemma: should he follow Frodo into Mordor, or try to save Merry and Pippin? Have you ever had to make a choice between doing what you thought you should do, and doing what you felt you had to do? This is Aragorn's dilemma. He chooses to follow his feelings and try to rescue his friends. (Although Sam and Frodo are his friends too, they have chosen to go on alone, and Aragorn decides to respect that choice.) Do you think Aragorn made the right choice? Why?

As Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli follow the trail of the orcs, they are heartened at the discovery of hobbit prints and a fallen clasp from Pippin's cloak. They meet a troop of horsemen led by Eomer, a marshal of Rohan, and learn from him that the orcs they were tracking have all been killed by the men of Rohan, but that the hobbits weren't seen. Eomer agrees to lend the three companions some horses so that they might continue their seemingly hopeless quest.

The next two chapters return to the scene when Merry and Pippin were captured by the orcs. The orcs are actually from three different places and constantly fight among themselves. It is characteristic of Tolkien's evil creatures that they cannot cooperate. The orcs from the mines of Moria in the Misty Mountains are seeking vengeance. Sauron's orcs want to take the hobbits back to Mordor. The strongest band, Saruman's orcs, have orders to take the hobbits to their master in Isengard. Fortunately, the orcs are intercepted by the men of Rohan, and during the ensuing battle Merry and Pippin manage to slip away. They hide in the forest of Fangorn, where they meet Treebeard, an Ent.

Ents are another of Tolkien's creations that have captured the imagination of readers. Like Tom Bombadil, they are part of the natural world and show the power of nature. They are shepherds of trees and look like trees themselves. Their chief is Treebeard. Some people call him Fangorn, which is also the name of the forest. He is very ancient, the oldest living thing still to walk the earth. When Merry and Pippin tell him their story, Treebeard realizes that Saruman is trying to make himself into a rival power to Sauron. Treebeard decides that Saruman must be stopped, but not because of the danger he poses to the people of Gondor and Rohan. (Nor does Treebeard take sides in the battle against Sauron. This is consistent with the idea that nature is neutral in the struggle between good and evil.) He bases his decision on the fact that Saruman's orcs have been cutting down trees on the edge of Fangorn, leaving the land desolate. (This wanton destruction of nature is an important sign of evil in Tolkien's world.)

The Ents, like the forces of good, believe in the importance of free will. They're very independent and can't be forced to do something they don't want to do. Treebeard can only lead by convincing them he is right. After a lengthy council meeting, they decide to march on Isengard, to stop Saruman.

The story at this point returns to Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli. In the forest they meet Gandalf, who tells them that Merry and Pippin are in safe hands. They learn from the wizard how he fought with the Balrog after his fall and at last overcame him. Gandalf passed through fire and death and emerged renewed. He is no longer Gandalf the Grey, but Gandalf the White, taking Saruman's place.

Gandalf points out that there is a purpose at work in the world. If Merry and Pippin hadn't come on the quest, they would not have been there for Boromir to protect. Their presence saved Boromir by giving him an opportunity for redemption through sacrificing himself for the sake of others. Gandalf also points out how the work of evil can be turned to good purpose: The orcs' capture of Merry and Pippin resulted in the arrival of the hobbits in Fangorn Forest just in time to arouse the Ents against Saruman.