Key facts

full title The Lord of the Rings

titles of the volumes The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, The Return of the King

author · J.R.R. Tolkien

type of work · Novel

genre · Epic; heroic quest; folktale; fantasy; myth

language · English, with occasional words and phrases from various languages of Middle-earth that Tolkien invented

time and place written · 1937–1949; Oxford, England

date of first publication · 1955

narration and point of view · The whole of The Lord of the Rings is told by an anonymous, third-person narrator. The narration is omniscient, which means the narrator not only relates the characters’ thoughts and feelings, but also comments on them.

tone · The tone of The Lord of the Rings is in the epic tradition throughout, reinforcing a sense of myth.

setting (time) · The third age of Middle-earth

setting (place) · Middle-earth, various locales in the imaginary world of Middle-earth, including Minas Tirith, the Paths of the Dead, Osgiliath, Cirith Ungol, Mount Doom, the Shire, and the shore of the Great Sea

protagonist · Frodo Baggins

antagonist Sauron, The Dark Lord

fabula the battle for Middle-earth between its diverse inhabitants, including humans, elves, dwarves, hobbits, and wizards, and the dark forces of Sauron.

major conflict · The major conflict is between the good and the evil represented in the struggle between "angelic" powers of Frodo and companions and dark forces of Sauron. Shortly the conflict can be defined as natural vs. unnatural or supernatural.

minor conflicts the Fellowship and the forces of Gondor battle the forces of Mordor, led by Sauron and the Lord of the Nazgûl. Frodo, meanwhile, struggles with the increasing torment of the Ring’s burden, prompting Sam to take up a large part of the responsibility for the quest.

rising action · The war for Middle-earth is largely fought on traditional battlefields between two opposing armies, but the real battle is fought within the hearts of its inhabitants. Symbolizing this internal struggle is Frodo’s quest to destroy the ring of power, which can be accomplished only if he is able to withstand the great temptation the ring represents.

climax · The climax of the book occurs at Mount Doom, as Frodo debates whether to let the ring fall into the fires that created it, thereby destroying it, or to keep the ring for himself.

falling action · The falling action is long and drawn out and includes Sam and Frodo’s rescue from the lava-drenched plains of Mordor, Frodo’s convalescence, the coronation of Aragorn, the hobbits’ return to the Shire, and the departure of Frodo, Bilbo, and Gandalf with the elves.

themes · The ambiguity of evil; the importance of redemption; the priority of friendship, the temptations of power, the origins of evil, the failure of good intentions and righteous causes. industrialized warfare, the king vs. the steward; the limits of fellowship; the Shire as a fantasy of home

motifs · Mordor; the temptation of the ring; journeys

symbols · The Ring; Minas Tirith; the Great Eye of Sauron, Water; Mount Doom

foreshadowing

• Bilbo’s restlessness and his reluctance to give up the ring foreshadow the awesome challenge the ring will pose for Frodo.

• Frodo’s vision in Galadriel’s mirror and Pippin’s vision in the seeing stone predict the fate of Middle-earth should the fellowship fail in its mission.

• Isildur’s failure to drop the ring into Mount Doom anticipates Frodo’s own reluctance.

• Boromir’s attempt to snatch the ring from Frodo anticipates Gollum’s repeated attempts to steal the ring, as well as those of Boromir’s brother, Faramir.

• When Frodo jumps into the water to rescue Sam at the end of The Fellowship of the Ring, the action anticipates the flashback at the beginning of The Return of the King, which shows Sméagol’s friend’s dive for the ring of power.

QUIZ

1. Who possesses the ring of power at the start of the trilogy?

(A) Gandalf

(B) Bilbo

(C) Frodo

(D) Sauron

2. Who do the hobbits encounter at the Prancing Pony?

(A) Gandalf

(B) Legolas

(C) Strider

(D) Boromir

3. How many members make up the fellowship of the ring?

(A) Seven

(B) Eight

(C) Nine

(D) Ten

4. What is the name of the elf in the fellowship?

(A) Gimli

(B) Legolas

(C) Merry

(D) Boromir

5. What is the name of the dwarf in the fellowship?

(A) Gimli

(B) Legolas

(C) Merry

(D) Boromir

6. When the pass of Caradhras is blocked, where does Frodo say the fellowship should go?

(A) Rivendell

(B) Lothlorien

(C) Moria

(D) Minas Tirith

7. Who is the first member of the fellowship to be separated from the group?

(A) Gandalf

(B) Legolas

(C) Boromir

(D) Aragorn

8. What happens at the end of the first book?

(A) Merry and Pippin are carried off by orcs and Uruk-hai

(B) Boromir is killed

(C) Frodo and Sam leave the others behind

(D) All of the above

9 . Who has been following Sam and Frodo?

(A) Gollum

(B) Sméagol

(C) A and B

(D) None of the above

10 . Who is the king of Rohan?

(A) Théoden

(B) Wormtongue

(C) Éowyn

(D) Éomer

11 . What is the name of Saruman’s tower?

(A) Minas Tirith

(B) Rivendell

(C) Helm’s Deep

(D) Isengard

12 . What animal does Gollum give to Frodo?

(A) A ferret

(B) A rabbit

(C) A mouse

(D) A fish

13 . Where does Théoden decide to send his people?

(A) Minas Tirith

(B) Rivendell

(C) Helm’s Deep

(D) Isengard

14 . What forest creatures do Pippin and Merry come across?

(A) Orcs

(B) Uruk-hai

(C) Rabbits

(D) Ents

15 . Whom does Aragorn love?

(A) Éowyn

(B) Arwen

(C) Galadriel

(D) None of the above

16 . Who shows up to help defend Helm’s Deep at the last moment?

(A) The Ents

(B) An elf army

(C) The riders of Rohan, led by Éomer

(D) All of the above

17 . Who is the steward of Gondor?

(A) Denethor

(B) Boromir

(C) Aragorn

(D) Faramir

18 . What is the name of the capital of Gondor?

(A) Osgiliath

(B) Helm’s Deep

(C) Minas Tirith

(D) Cirith Ungol

19 . To whom does Pippin pledge allegiance?

(A) Denethor

(B) Faramir

(C) Aragorn

(D) Gandalf

20 . What are Sam and Frodo running out of as they journey to Mount Doom?

(A) Water

(B) Strength

(C) Food

(D) All of the above

21 . What does Elrond offer to Aragorn?

(A) The evenstar

(B) A ring

(C) A sword

(D) Immortal life

22 . How is the ring destroyed at Mount Doom?

(A) Sam drops it into the lava

(B) Frodo drops it into the lava

(C) It falls into the lava as Gollum and Frodo struggle for it

(D) An eagle carries Frodo to the lip of the mountain and he drops the ring

23 . Who finally kills the witch-king?

(A) Éowyn

(B) Merry

(C) Théoden

(D) Pippin

24 . Who is the first hobbit to get married?

(A) Merry

(B) Pippin

(C) Frodo

(D) Sam

25 . Who departs with the elves at the trilogy’s conclusion?

(A) Bilbo

(B) Frodo

(C) Gandalf

(D) All of the above