Love in The Lord of The Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

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“His love for Frodo rose above all other thoughts, and forgetting his peril he cried aloud: 'I'm coming Mr. Frodo!” Throughout the Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R Tolkien, one of the most prominent themes present is the life and world changing effects of love. Tolkien reveals the importance of both love, and the different types of love; love among brothers, family, lovers, leaders, animals, and of country are all shown. With numerous examples of the different kinds of love responsible for saving Middle Earth, Tolkien is able to convey the significance and impact of love.
Sam’s love of Frodo is of the greatest importance. Without Sam, Frodo wouldn’t have made it to Mt. Doom, or consequently saved the world. “Frodo wouldn’t have got far without Sam”, Sam gives Frodo the courage to carry on, and bear his burden. Though Sam is Frodo’s servant, their relationship is that of best friends. When Smeagol killed his best friend to obtain the ring, a stark contrast is drawn between those two and Sam and Frodo. In this comparison it is important to note that Sam never tried to steal the ring as his love was too strong to allow the seduction of power, even when Sam has the chance to leave Frodo and take the ring for himself, “it was the love of his master that helped the most to hold him firm”. This love made it possible for Sam to reject the ring, and therefore save his master, leading to the destruction of Sauron.
Also, Merry and Pippin’s love for Frodo is what brings them along on the journey, “you must go-- and therefore we must, too. Merry and I are coming with you.” Then later, when the members of the fellowship were being decided upon and Elrond wished to send the two younger hobbits back to the shire, “’ we don’t want t...

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...es of love present in The Lord of the Rings, and the Hobbit as well, are constantly being shown as the impetus behind all things that eventually lead to the demise of Sauron. These examples start off simple, a love for a friend, one’s homeland, a leader, but they result in saving Middle Earth and it’s people from the theft of their free will and the dominion of Sauron. Tolkien successfully demonstrates throughout the entire series that the most powerful force in existence is love.

Works Cited

Tolkien, J.R.R. The Hobbit. Revised Ed. Del Ray Books, 1982. Print.
Tolkien, J.R.R. The Fellowship of the Ring. First Ballantine Books Ed. Ballantine Books, 1965. Print.
Tolkien, J.R.R. The Two Towers. First Ballantine Books Ed. Ballantine Books, 1965. Print.
Tolkien, J.R.R. The Return of the King. First Ballantine Books Ed. Ballantine Books, 1965. Print.

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