"Cliff Notes - the hobbit & the lord of rings" - читать интересную книгу автора (Tolkien J.R.R)
^^^^^^^^^^THE HOBBIT & THE LORD OF THE RINGS: SARUMAN (SHARKEY)
Saruman the White is a wizard like Gandalf and is head of the White Council that originally drove Sauron (the Necromancer) from Mirkwood Forest. But Saruman has studied the ways of the enemy and has fallen into the temptation to be like him, to rule the world as he sees fit. When he speaks to Gandalf of the need to drop weaker allies, and when he defends murder if it's committed for greater good, he may remind you of some modern political speakers who believe that anything can be justified by an appeal to some nebulous greater good. That, coupled with his destructive technology, makes him a very modern villain, a little more recognizable than Sauron. Saruman, like all of Tolkien's totally evil characters, cannot understand good and hates those who are good. For example, he doesn't understand Frodo's mercy toward him near the end of the trilogy, and he hates Frodo for it.
Some readers see Saruman as Gandalf's alter ego, in much the same way that Gollum is Frodo's alter ego. Saruman had the potential to be what Gandalf is, a wise and powerful being. Likewise, Gandalf has the potential to become like Saruman, for he has the same abilities and is faced with the same temptations as his fallen counterpart.
^^^^^^^^^^THE HOBBIT & THE LORD OF THE RINGS: MERRY AND PIPPIN (MERIADOC BRANDYBUCK AND PEREGRINE TOOK)
These two hobbits, friends of Frodo, serve as a balance to Frodo and Sam. Even more so than Sam and Frodo, they are foolish, innocent, and unprepared for the trials ahead. Where Sam and Frodo face mainly mental trials, Merry and Pippin endure the physical trials of war. It is through their eyes that you see most of the action in Rohan and Gondor. And they both come face to face with evil, when Pippin is questioned by Sauron through the palantir, the stone of seeing, and when Merry meets the leader of the Black Riders in battle. They emerge from their trials stronger and wiser, and able to defend their own home. As an outward sign of this internal change, they have also grown taller.
^^^^^^^^^^THE HOBBIT & THE LORD OF THE RINGS: BOROMIR AND FARAMIR
Boromir and Faramir are both sons of Denethor, the steward of Gondor. You first meet Boromir in Book II, where he joins the company who set out from Rivendell with Frodo. Faramir doesn't appear until Book IV, when Frodo and Sam meet him in Ithilien, just outside the borders of Mordor. Faramir is the leader of a band of men from Gondor who are engaged in guerrilla warfare, harassing Sauron's armies.
Boromir and Faramir serve to contrast the warrior with the spiritual man. Boromir is characterized by his brother as closer to the "middle" race of men, the warriors. He is a proud man, who loves fighting, glory, and power. He falls under the temptation of the Ring, for he believes that force can be used in the fight for good. Faramir, on the other hand, is of the "high" race, which is more noble than the middle race in Tolkien's scheme of things. A lover of knowledge, he hates war and fights only to protect the land he loves. He easily resists the temptation of the Ring, for he recognizes the danger of power over others.
^^^^^^^^^^THE HOBBIT & THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THEODEN AND DENETHOR
Theoden, king of Rohan, is a warrior of the middle race of men, while Denethor, steward of Gondor, is of the high race, a lover of knowledge. Yet in this case the comparison between "middle" and "high" is reversed, with the warrior appearing in the more favorable light. Theoden believes in the heroic ethic of the Anglo-Saxon epics: "Will shall be the sterner, heart the bolder, spirit the greater as our strength lessens." No matter how the battle goes, he never gives into despair, and eventually dies, fighting to the end. Denethor, on the other hand, prides himself as a man of knowledge. When his knowledge leads him to believe the fight is hopeless, he can't accept defeat and, giving in to despair, commits suicide. Ironically, his suicide indirectly causes Theoden's death.
^^^^^^^^^^THE HOBBIT & THE LORD OF THE RINGS: EOWYN
The niece of Theoden, Eowyn is the most fully developed female character in Tolkien's works. She feels caged, first at having to take care of her ailing uncle, then at being left behind when the army rides into battle. She desires glory, not just dull duty. She falls in love with Aragorn, and when he doesn't return her love, she seeks death in battle. Calling herself Dernhelm, she disguises herself as a young warrior and becomes a hero by killing the leader of the ringwraiths. Eowyn is finally cured of her death wish when she falls in love with Faramir. Instead of earning glory in battle, she now wants to be a healer.
Their captain is called the Black Captain, the Dark Captain, the Morgul king, and the Witch-lord of Angmar. The ringwraiths were nine men who served Sauron and fell under the power of the rings he had made for the race of men. Now they have faded into a shadow world and are invisible. Their cry drives men to despair. Some readers say that the ringwraiths couldn't cause such despair unless they themselves felt it.
^^^^^^^^^^THE HOBBIT & THE LORD OF THE RINGS: TOM BOMBADIL
Tom Bombadil was named after a doll that belonged to Tolkien's daughter. Frodo and his friends meet him when he comes to their rescue in the Old Forest. His appearance is humorous: he is a short old man with yellow boots and a blue coat, and when the hobbits first see him he is hopping and dancing down the path, carrying lilies and singing nonsense songs.
But Tom proves to be a very powerful being. Even the Ring has no effect on him; in fact, he's able to make the Ring vanish. His wife, Goldberry, says that Tom is the Eldest, and master over all. With his great power, he could serve as a strong ally against Sauron. But when Gandalf speaks about him later, he says that Tom is not involved in this battle. The Ring means nothing to Tom, and if they asked him to guard it he would probably forget about it and lose it.
Tom is one of Tolkien's characters who are closely associated with the natural world. In fact, many readers think of Tom Bombadil as a personification of nature. His lack of involvement in the war against Sauron is seen as a sign of nature's neutrality in the war between good and evil.
^^^^^^^^^^THE HOBBIT & THE LORD OF THE RINGS: TREEBEARD (FANGORN)
Treebeard the Ent is another character who is closely associated with nature. There's a story that Tolkien invented the Ents for one of his sons, who was distressed to see so many trees cut down in the name of progress, and wanted to see the trees get revenge. Treebeard leads the Ents, a race of treelike creatures, against Saruman, whose orcs have been wantonly cutting down trees.
Like Tom Bombadil, Treebeard is neutral in the war against Sauron. He tells Merry and Pippin that the only reason the Ents attack Saruman is that he has been destroying the forest.
^^^^^^^^^^THE HOBBIT & THE LORD OF THE RINGS: SETTING
The events in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings take place in the imaginary world of Middle-earth, which is inhabited by fantastic people and animals, such as elves, wizards, and dragons, who are rather human in many ways. Some people say that since the works are set in a world that could never exist, they have no relevance to our own. However, many authors have used invented settings to make telling points about the real world. Some well-known examples are Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift and Animal Farm by George Orwell. Furthermore, according to Tolkien, Middle-earth is nothing more than our own world in the remote past. The name Middle-earth itself is actually an archaic word for the earth. Although wizards, elves, and dragons may no longer exist, the principles ruling Middle-earth are still in effect today.
Tolkien tries to draw you into his fictional world by creating the impression that Middle-earth is a real place. He describes in detail the landscape, filling it with the familiar plants and animals of Earth. The books, on one level, are a tour through Middle-earth. You learn the names and background of different landmarks. You also meet the inhabitants of Middle-earth and learn something about their customs and histories. You'll probably enjoy these details, even though most are not essential to the plot. But all this information can also be confusing. In the index at the end of The Lord of the Rings you will find the names of people, places, and things. At the beginning of each volume you will find maps to help you follow the action through Middle-earth. Also, a brief history of Middle-earth is given in the end of this guide.
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