The Quest For A Hero

Lord of the Rings poses a very similar question to Paradise Lost - - - Who is the HERO? After examining the film, I feel there are four possible candidates that could be given this title. They are: Frodo, Sam, Gandolf, and Aragon; each of these characters influence the outcome of the epic in some way. Similarly, they all have flaws but are able to triumph over evil. Frodo is the one who ultimately destroys the ring; however I strongly feel that without the help of Sam, this deed would have never been done. We also see Frodo being overcome with temptation at the very end; he takes on some of the negative characteristics we see in Gollum. He also turns against his best friend who is one of the main reasons why he has been able to come this far. Sam has helped Frodo in mind, spirit, and even goes as far as picking Frodo up and carrying him so they can complete their quest. Beyond Sam's motivation of Frodo to keep going, he also looks after him as though he is his father. He is very responsible and even saves Frodo’s life on more than one occasion. In addition, Gandolf is definitely a godly force who helps all of the characters throughout the story and has wisdom that surpasses all. Although, it is important to note that even though he is the "white wizard" he cannot dictate what is going to happen, nor can he prevent it. Furthermore Aragon is able to defeat the Orcs once he convinces the decease army to fight in order to free their spirits. He then becomes king and ruler. Every character mentioned has contributed to the triumph over evil and undertaken a tremendous journey. However, it is still unclear to me who deserves the title of epic hero.

Although in my mind, there is a lack of a designated hero, I feel that Tolkien does an admirable incorporating a vast amount of settings in his epic poem. This element combined with the various journeys help constitute it as an epic. It is also important to recognize that Tolkien has incorporated many of the previous great epic poets into his work. You can see hints of Homer, Vergil, and Milton throughout and it serves as a reminder that all of these poets continue to build off of one another.