In his masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien crafts situations in which his
characters are affected by the manipulative power of Sauron's One Ring, either through direct
contact with it or through simply thinking about and desiring it. In these cases, the Ring seeks to
manipulate each individual by pandering to the individuals' personal traits or values and seeming
to offer either the solution to a problem or the fulfillment of a desire relating to these traits or
values. An examination of scenes involving Denethor's, Sam's, and Frodo's actions to either their
actual possession of the Ring or the possibility of possession of the Ring reveals how Tolkien has
the Ring appeal to a personal value or trait of each individual in an attempt to corrupt this aspect
of the individual's nature in order to ultimately suit the Ring's purposes.
Despite not ever coming into contact with the Ring physically, Denethor still is tempted
by it and specifically by the idea of having the Ring in Gondor. He wishes that his son, Boromir,
had brought the Ring to him, which he says would have been a "mighty gift" (Return of the King
80). Denethor favors Boromir over his younger son, Faramir, who fits less with the warrior
archetype (as Boromir does) and seems more reserved and also more likely to disagree with or
question his father. Denethor outright admits that he wishes Boromir had lived and Faramir had
died, and berates Faramir for turning to Gandalf for counsel rather than his father, saying that
"Boromir was loyal to me and no wizard's pupil" (Return of the King 80). Denethor's preference
of Boromir over Faramir shows that he values both the qualities of warrior culture that his son
possessed as well as his strong loyalty to his father. He goes on to say that while he understands
that using the Ring would be "perilous," he wishes it were hidden deep in Gondor to be used at
"the utmost end of need" and that "If I had this thing now in the deep vaults of this citadel, we
should not then shake with dread under this gloom, fearing the worst..." (Return of the King 81).
, Here Tolkien shows several aspects of Denethor's personality: he values the warrior
archetype as well as steadfast loyalty, as he sees these embodied in Boromir, and he is also
concerned with protecting Gondor and sparing himself and his people from the "dread" and
"gloom" that he says they currently face. For Denethor, these values of his play into the allure
that the Ring has for him: he desires the Ring partly because he believes that if Boromir had
brought it to him, it would have proven that his son was loyal only to him; and partly because he
believes (as did Boromir) that using the Ring could save Gondor from doom. These are not
inherently bad values or qualities that Denethor possesses but the Ring would be able to twist
them into a great thirst for power and the drive to do anything in order to achieve his goal, as it
did with Boromir, who believed strongly that using the Ring would save Gondor and was so
desperate to achieve this goal that he tried to take it from Frodo by force (Fellowship of the Ring
447–449). Denethor is different from Boromir in that he recognizes that the ring would be
dangerous to use yet he still seeks to have it and use it. By writing Denethor in this way and
making strong comparisons between him and Boromir, Tolkien suggests that Denethor would
likely fail to resist the true temptation of the Ring if he were to come into actual contact with it.
Gandalf tells Denethor he thinks only of Gondor when he speaks of using the Ring and that the
Ring would have "overthrown" him if it had actually reached Gondor (Return of the King 81–
82). In this way, Tolkien uses Gandalf to explain that Denethor's temptation, similar to
Boromir's, is largely based upon his desire to serve and save Gondor, a positive desire that would
have become twisted by the power of the Ring.
In a similar vein, Sam's interaction with the Ring is also determined by his personal
qualities and desires, specifically his caring and nurturing side. Sam is Frodo's gardener and
servant but is also a caring and loyal friend. Throughout the quest, Sam's first priority is to stay
characters are affected by the manipulative power of Sauron's One Ring, either through direct
contact with it or through simply thinking about and desiring it. In these cases, the Ring seeks to
manipulate each individual by pandering to the individuals' personal traits or values and seeming
to offer either the solution to a problem or the fulfillment of a desire relating to these traits or
values. An examination of scenes involving Denethor's, Sam's, and Frodo's actions to either their
actual possession of the Ring or the possibility of possession of the Ring reveals how Tolkien has
the Ring appeal to a personal value or trait of each individual in an attempt to corrupt this aspect
of the individual's nature in order to ultimately suit the Ring's purposes.
Despite not ever coming into contact with the Ring physically, Denethor still is tempted
by it and specifically by the idea of having the Ring in Gondor. He wishes that his son, Boromir,
had brought the Ring to him, which he says would have been a "mighty gift" (Return of the King
80). Denethor favors Boromir over his younger son, Faramir, who fits less with the warrior
archetype (as Boromir does) and seems more reserved and also more likely to disagree with or
question his father. Denethor outright admits that he wishes Boromir had lived and Faramir had
died, and berates Faramir for turning to Gandalf for counsel rather than his father, saying that
"Boromir was loyal to me and no wizard's pupil" (Return of the King 80). Denethor's preference
of Boromir over Faramir shows that he values both the qualities of warrior culture that his son
possessed as well as his strong loyalty to his father. He goes on to say that while he understands
that using the Ring would be "perilous," he wishes it were hidden deep in Gondor to be used at
"the utmost end of need" and that "If I had this thing now in the deep vaults of this citadel, we
should not then shake with dread under this gloom, fearing the worst..." (Return of the King 81).
, Here Tolkien shows several aspects of Denethor's personality: he values the warrior
archetype as well as steadfast loyalty, as he sees these embodied in Boromir, and he is also
concerned with protecting Gondor and sparing himself and his people from the "dread" and
"gloom" that he says they currently face. For Denethor, these values of his play into the allure
that the Ring has for him: he desires the Ring partly because he believes that if Boromir had
brought it to him, it would have proven that his son was loyal only to him; and partly because he
believes (as did Boromir) that using the Ring could save Gondor from doom. These are not
inherently bad values or qualities that Denethor possesses but the Ring would be able to twist
them into a great thirst for power and the drive to do anything in order to achieve his goal, as it
did with Boromir, who believed strongly that using the Ring would save Gondor and was so
desperate to achieve this goal that he tried to take it from Frodo by force (Fellowship of the Ring
447–449). Denethor is different from Boromir in that he recognizes that the ring would be
dangerous to use yet he still seeks to have it and use it. By writing Denethor in this way and
making strong comparisons between him and Boromir, Tolkien suggests that Denethor would
likely fail to resist the true temptation of the Ring if he were to come into actual contact with it.
Gandalf tells Denethor he thinks only of Gondor when he speaks of using the Ring and that the
Ring would have "overthrown" him if it had actually reached Gondor (Return of the King 81–
82). In this way, Tolkien uses Gandalf to explain that Denethor's temptation, similar to
Boromir's, is largely based upon his desire to serve and save Gondor, a positive desire that would
have become twisted by the power of the Ring.
In a similar vein, Sam's interaction with the Ring is also determined by his personal
qualities and desires, specifically his caring and nurturing side. Sam is Frodo's gardener and
servant but is also a caring and loyal friend. Throughout the quest, Sam's first priority is to stay
