The Lord of the Rings/Recap: Difference between revisions

'''Book II:''' Frodo is healed by Elrond, Lord of Rivendell. A Council is held, consisting of the local elite and of various foreign messengers who came here independently, and [[Backstory|much (historic and recent) is explained]]<ref>Sauron was last seen at the end of the Second Age, a good 3,000 years ago, when the Alliance of Elves and Men defeated him. In particular, he lost the One Ring, which fell into possession of Isildur, High King of Gondor and Arnor, and from there to the possession of a hobbit named Smeagol. Smeagol carried it for half a millenium, becoming corrupted into the creature Gollum, before losing it to Bilbo during the events of [[The Hobbit]]</ref>. It is made clear that the Ring cannot be used but has to be destroyed, in the only place it can be: the volcano Mount Doom in Sauron's land [[Mordor]], where it was created. They go for the sneaky approach and send out a group of nine to fullfill the quest, the Fellowship of the Ring: the four hobbits; the wizard Gandalf the Grey; Legolas, an elven archer from Mirkwood; Gimli son of Glóin, a dwarf of Erebor; "Strider", who is really Aragorn, uncrowned king of Arnor and claimant to Gondor; and Boromir, heir to the Steward of [[The Kingdom|Gondor]].

 

 

'''Book III:''' Whilst Frodo and Sam depart, the other members of the Fellowship are attacked by orcs minions of the traitorous [[Evil Sorcerer|Saruman]]. Boromir [[Heroic Sacrifice|dies]] defending Merry and Pippin, but both are kidnapped. The remaining three of the Fellowship decide to rescue them and follow the orcs west across the plains of Rohan. The orcs are slain on the border of [[The Lost Woods|Fangorn Forest]] by Riders of Rohan, while the two hobbits manage to escape into the woods. The three hunters, pursuing them thence, are met by Gandalf, who has been sent back from death as Gandalf the White to continue to guide the Free Peoples in their struggles. They go to the capital of Rohan and rally the king, Theoden, into openly fighting Saruman. While the civilian population led by the king's niece Eowyn seeks refuge in the mountain refuge Dunharrow, the Rohirrim army and our heroes go west to face Saruman's attack in the fortress of Helm's Deep; Gandalf excuses himself along the way with a promise to return. The human army survives the siege and, with the help of Gandalf returning with [[The Cavalry|another army of Rohirrim]] and [[When Trees Attack|a strange ominous forest which seems to have sealed off the valley overnight]], manage to vanquish Saruman's army of orcs and humans; afterwards, they travel to Saruman's fortress Isengard.

The following chapters show how everything is tied up, along the way of tracking back the way home to the Shire. [[Rightful King Returns|Aragorn is crowned King]] of Gondor and marries Arwen, daughter of Elrond; Eowyn, who had [[Loving a Shadow|shown attraction]] ([[All Love Is Unrequited|unrequited]]) to him, becomes involved with Faramir as both recuperate from their wounds. By the time the hobbits have returned to the shire, their companions have returned to their own lives and they find that [[Trouble Follows You Home|Saruman has taken over their homeland in revenge]], but the foursome are able to rally the Shire due to their own [[Character Development]]. [[Karmic Death|Saruman is killed]] by [[The Dog Bites Back|his servant Gríma]], who is himself shot by hobbit archers. Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin settle down to enjoy their [[Happily Ever After]], with Sam marrying Rosie Cotton and Frodo working on completing the contents of a book bound in red leather, in which Bilbo set down an account of his adventures, which Frodo now augments with his own stories. Unfortunately, those who have been touched by the power of Sauron can have no such, and in the end, Frodo and Bilbo, together with the bearers of the Elven Rings (Elrond, Galadriel, Gandalf) leave Middle-earth on an Elven ship headed for the Undying Lands of Aman, marking [[End of an Age|the end of the Third Age]]. Sam remains behind with his family and the red leather book, carrying on the knowledge and legacy of their struggles.