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

Just as some readers compare the men of Rohan to the Anglo-Saxons, they compare Gondor to such ancient kingdoms as Rome or Greece. Like a Roman city, Minas Tirith is immense and beautiful. The hall of the king is imposing, and the steward is a subtle and learned man, wise in the ways of politics. Next to him, King Theoden seems like just a kindly old man. But there is also a sense of barrenness here: the dead tree in the courtyard, the cold granite of the great hall, and the steward himself, who shows no trace of human warmth. Compare this to the description of Theoden's hall, Meduseld, with its hanging tapestries and many-colored, richly carved pillars. Look for further contrast between Gondor and Rohan, and try to determine what Tolkien is saying about the two cultures.

The story now returns to the point when Gandalf and Pippin left the others, a day's journey out of Isengard. Aragorn, Merry, Legolas, and Gimli remain with the king and his company. As they make ready to depart, a company of riders appear. They are Rangers from the north, like Aragorn, and have come to help him. That night, Merry swears fealty to King Theoden. How does this differ from the scene where Pippin swears fealty to Denethor?

Aragorn now takes a fateful step, for the first time going against Gandalf's advice. At the end of Book III, Gandalf had warned him against using the palantir, saying that it was not yet time to reveal themselves to Sauron. Aragorn now judges for himself that the time has come and that he has the strength to face Sauron. He wrests the stone from Sauron and reveals himself as the heir to Gondor's throne. This strikes fear into Sauron's heart. Aragorn hopes also that it will move Sauron to a hasty attack, which will be ill-timed and unprepared. The palantir shows Aragorn an unforeseen danger approaching Gondor from the south, which only Aragorn can act to avert. With new resolve, Aragorn decides to take the Paths of the Dead, caverns that lead right through the mountains, and that are haunted by spirits of the dead.

This is an important point in Aragorn's life. He steps out from under Gandalf's wing, making two crucial decisions without consulting others: he uses the palantir, and he accepts his destiny that he must travel the Paths of the Dead. Both are supreme tests of his power. He has passed one, and it remains to be seen if he'll pass the other. If he fails, he stands to lose everything, including the throne of Gondor and his love, Arwen.

The way to the Paths of the Dead passes through Dunharrow, a place of safety where Theoden's people, led by Eowyn, have taken refuge. When Eowyn learns of Aragorn's plan, she is fearful and tries to talk him out of it. When she sees he won't be swayed, she asks to go with him, but Aragorn refuses. If you read their conversation closely, you will see that there is a lot being said between the lines. When Aragorn tells Eowyn that his heart dwells in Rivendell, he's referring to his love for Arwen. Do you think Eowyn understands that he loves another? When she says that the Rangers follow him through the Paths of the Dead only because they love him and won't be parted from him, she's declaring her love for Aragorn--she doesn't want to be parted from him either.

Notice the formal speech used here. Eowyn calls Aragorn "thee" and Aragorn calls her "lady." The formal words underscore the fact that they are speaking with great restraint. By its sharp contrast with what the two are feeling, the formal speech also heightens the sense of suppressed emotion boiling beneath the surface.

NOTE: As mentioned earlier, some readers criticize Tolkien for ignoring women in his work, or for only idealizing them in such beautiful but unreachable characters as Arwen and Galadriel. But in Eowyn, Tolkien presents a woman who is all too human, someone whom female readers of his book can identify with. She suffers from unrequited love for Aragorn. She also suffers from the restricted role women have to play. Eowyn says she fears nothing but being caged: "To stay behind bars, until use and old age accept them, and all chance of doing great deeds is gone beyond recall or desire." Through his sympathetic portrayal of Eowyn, Tolkien here expresses his awareness of the needs and desires of women, even though he may neglect them through most of the book.

Legolas and Gimli travel with Aragorn and the Rangers through the Paths of the Dead. This area is haunted by the spirits of men who had broken their oath to fight against Sauron in the last war. Aragorn calls on the dead to fulfill their oath now and win peace for themselves. In his ability to command the dead, Aragorn proves his power and his claim to the throne, for only Isildur's heir could hold the dead to their oath. Ironically, here he becomes a king of sorts: the townspeople flee before him and his company, calling him the King of the Dead.

King Theoden arrives in Dunharrow soon after Aragorn's departure. He immediately prepares to ride with his army to Minas Tirith, to help defend that city against Sauron. Merry is dejected to learn he'll be left behind. But a young Rider named Dernhelm helps the hobbit. Earlier in the day Merry had noticed the warrior looking at him. The hobbit had seen in Dernhelm's face the hopelessness of someone who yearns solely for death. Now Dernhelm whispers in his ear, "Where will wants not, a way opens"--a rephrasing of the old proverb "Where there's a will, there's a way." Merry rides to war hidden under Dernhelm's cloak. Remember Dernhelm's words and desire for death, because they will have greater significance later.

Meanwhile, in Minas Tirith, Faramir has arrived from Ithilien and tells his father, Denethor, of the meeting with Frodo. For the first time Denethor learns of the quest to destroy the Ring. He thinks the quest is doomed to failure and is angry with Faramir for not bringing him the Ring. His other son, Boromir, he says, would have done so. With angry words, Denethor sends his son to the battlefront, wishing Faramir had died instead of Boromir.

Later, when Faramir is seriously wounded by the captain of the ringwraiths, Denethor remorsefully realizes that he also loves Faramir. The old man falls into despair; with Faramir's death the line of stewards will end. Believing that Sauron will triumph, Denethor sees no reason to go on fighting. He resolves to commit suicide by burning Faramir and himself on a funeral pyre.

^^^^^^^^^^THE LORD OF THE RINGS: BOOK V, CHAPTERS 6-10

The arrival of the Riders of Rohan turns the tide of battle. After Minas Tirith is saved, Aragorn leads the armies to the very gates of Mordor, where they are surrounded by Sauron's forces.

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At that moment, when all seems lost, the men of Rohan arrive and join the battle. The captain of the ringwraiths, mounted on his winged steed, flies over the battlefield, striking despair into the hearts of men. But unlike Denethor, Theoden refuses to succumb to despair. He calls to his men, "Fear no darkness!" Perhaps having already overcome the despair induced by Grima the Wormtongue, Theoden is now immune to it.

Theoden's horse is struck by a dart from the captain of the ringwraiths and falls on its master. As the wraith swoops down for the kill, he is challenged by Dernhelm, now revealed as Eowyn. With Merry's help, she kills the ringwraith. In this way another prophecy is fulfilled, that the ringwraith would not die at the hand of any man.

Merry's sword proves to carry unthought-of significance. It was made long ago to be used against the Witch-lord of Angmar, the leader of the ringwraiths. The man who made the sword went to defeat and death. But his efforts were not entirely fruitless, because Merry found the sword in the barrow and carried it all the way to Minas Tirith. Only this sword could have harmed the ringwraith. Through details such as this, Tolkien shows the workings of a greater purpose, one that men cannot follow, because it works too slowly, taking unknown years to bear fruit. Tolkien's message seems to be that even though something you have done may appear futile at the time, in years to come it may prove to be of great importance.

While Eowyn faces the ringwraith, Gandalf is inside the city, saving Faramir from his father's madness. But Denethor, in his pride and despair, cannot be stopped from killing himself. Denethor gives several reasons for wanting to die. He believes that Sauron will win the war. But he also knows that Aragorn is coming to claim his throne, and Denethor will have to relinquish his power. Since he cannot have things as he wants them, the steward would rather die than serve another. Compare Denethor's death with Theoden's. One gives in to despair, the other dies resisting it.

Like Saruman, Denethor had a palantir, which he used to watch the growing strength of Sauron. Denethor believed that he controlled the palantir, but Sauron actually controlled it and presented a distorted picture to the steward, one intended to induce despair.

NOTE: DESPAIR AS THE WEAPON OF EVIL When Denethor falls into despair, he brings about the deaths of others as well as himself. If not for Denethor, Gandalf would have been in the battlefield and possibly could have prevented Theoden's death and the wounding of Eowyn and Merry. Gandalf says that this is the working of Sauron. The ringwraiths also use despair as a weapon. Few men can resist the power of their cries, which make men cower in despair and stop fighting. Despair, then, causes people to abandon their roles in the grand design, and to fail to do their allotted tasks. In this way evil prevails.

For now, the battle is over, but Faramir, Eowyn, and Merry all lie in the Houses of Healing. Seemingly nothing can cure them, until Aragorn arrives and calls them back from their dreaming. There is a saying in Gondor that the hands of a king are the hands of the healer, and now it is whispered that a king has come. But Aragorn slips away without claiming his throne. Remember when Aragorn refused to leave his sword outside King Theoden's hall? You can see now how he has changed. Then he placed his pride above peace, until Gandalf rebuked him. Now, he humbles himself rather than stir up controversy by his claim to kingship. For the moment it's more important to have a united front against Mordor.

Meanwhile, Gandalf counsels the armies to march to Mordor itself, not with hope of victory, but only to draw Sauron's attention, so that Frodo, the Ringbearer, may pass through the enemy lands unnoticed. If Frodo fails, they shall all die or be enslaved. Even if Frodo succeeds, they may still die. The importance of Frodo's task also places the heroic deeds of the warriors in true perspective. For all their courage and losses, their battles have been only a distraction. The real battle lies with the two hobbits, Frodo and Sam, who struggle alone through Mordor. With them alone lies victory or defeat. It's the moral battle, not the physical one, that determines the fate of the world.

Aragorn again shows his wisdom as a leader. As the armies approach Mordor, there are many who cannot face the horror of that land. Instead of calling them cowards, Aragorn gives them an opportunity to fight with honor, sending them instead to retake the fortress of Cair Andros. Although difficult, this is a task they can face, even if they should die, and so he saves them from giving in to despair.

At the Black Gate of Mordor the heralds call on Sauron to surrender. In answer, an envoy called the Mouth of Sauron emerges from the gates. In this character you can see Tolkien's theme that evil destroys free will and identity. The Mouth of Sauron has forgotten his name and now exists only to serve his master's will. He holds out Sam's sword, an elven cloak, and Frodo's coat of mail. He offers a bargain: Frodo will be released if they swear peace with Sauron. Gandalf rejects those terms. Why? And why should Sauron even bother to bargain when the odds are overwhelmingly in his favor? Why is it important to him that they submit?

Seemingly, all hope is gone. As the Black Gate swings open, Sauron's mighty army descends on the small force. The arrival of the eagles as Book V ends may be a sign of hope, but will they alone be able to turn the tide of battle?