The Lord of the Rings/Tropes A-L: Difference between revisions

* [[Adventure]]

* [[Advice Backfire]]: Discussed.

Frodo: Go not to the elves for counsel, for they will say both no and yes. }}

* [[The Ageless]]: The elven race.

* [[Ape Shall Never Kill Ape]]: Hobbits. Used in a heroic example during the {{spoiler|Scouring of the Shire}}.

* [[Apocalyptic Log]]: The Book of Mazarbul, chronicling Balin's failed attempt to retake Moria up until their last stand. It trails off at the end:

* [[Arcadia]]: The Shire.

* [[Arcadian Interlude]]: The time spent with Tom Bombadil. The episode serves as character development for all the hobbits (especially Frodo), and to provide the hobbits with their swords, one of which becomes vitally important in the battle of the Pelennor Fields. Tom Bombadil was content with himself and thus couldn't be tempted by the Ring. [[Word of God|Tolkien himself]] stated that he considered the Tom Bombadil sequence one of the most important sequences in the entire story. From a narrative perspective, he represents the [[Shrug of God|mystery that remains]] even after a reader thinks he knows all there is to know about Middle Earth and represents what could be lost. From a writing perspective, he gives Tolkien a chance to present backstory exposition in a way that interests the reader. Still, considered a [[Big Lipped Alligator Moment]] by some readers, which might be why it is not found in the Movie.

** Amusing, Gandalf's mistranslation of the inscription over the Doors of Durin. It's supposed to be [[Speak Friend and Enter|"Say 'friend' and enter"!]] instead of "Speak, friend, and then enter". [[Wanton Cruelty to the Common Comma|Commas are very important]].

* [[Blunt Yes]]

'''Denethor:''' Yes. I wish that. }}

* [[Body Count Competition]]: Legolas gets an early lead on Gimli at the Battle of the Hornburg, but Gimli ends up winning, forty-two to forty-one.

** And then there's Gollum...

* [[Cosmic Horror Story]]: In the backstory, the Dwarves [[Dug Too Deep]] and connected with the tunnels of [[Eldritch Abomination|"nameless things"]] which are older than Sauron, where the Balrog was hiding; later Gandalf falls into their territory via the abyss below Durin's Bridge, and says that he will [[Nothing Is Scarier|not speak of]] [[Take Our Word for It|what he saw there]]. Tolkien may have had a passing familiarity with [[H.P. Lovecraft]]...

** The Balrog tries to run off and leave him there, and chasing after him becomes Gandalf's hope of finding a way out.

* [[Cosmopolitan Council]]: The Council of Elrond. Possibly also The White Council -- which we know included Gandalf, Saruman, Galadriel and Celeborn, and Elrond.