At its core, The Lord of the Rings trilogy is a story about friendship as a group of diverse members come together and form a bond over the common purpose of destroying the One Ring. However, the unbreakable bond of these heroes is contrasted with a plethora of heartbreaking betrayals.
The allure of the Ring is the primary driving force behind many of these betrayals as it poisons people's minds and brings out the worst in them. While some of the betrayals were obvious and fans saw them coming, some were genuinely shocking and had a massive ripple effect on the rest of the story.
10 Smeagol Kills Deagol
Perhaps no character demonstrates the corruptive power of the Ring more than Gollum. In a flashback, the audience learns that the Ring has had a hold on him from the moment he first saw it. When Deagol discovered the One Ring while fishing, Sméagol was willing to kill him to get it.
The heartbreaking moment is one of the saddest things about Sméagol as Lord of Rings viewers can literally see the moment where he lost his humanity. Deagol was Sméagol's cousin and best friend, making the betrayal all the more upsetting.
9 The Men Of The White Mountain Break Their Oath
When the free peoples of Middle-earth mounted their forces for the massive battle against Sauron, the Men of the White Mountain pledged to join the fight. However, when the battle came, they broke their oath and did not show up. As a result, they were cursed and became the "Army of the Dead."
The battle against Sauron was a defining moment in the history of Middle-earth and the Men of the White Mountain's betrayal is egregious. However, they were able to make up for it by answering Aragorn's call for aid, finally fulfilling their vow and making up for their betrayal.
8 Denethor Leaves His Son For Dead
Despite being greatly outnumbered, Denethor ordered Faramir and his men to fight for Osgiliath, essentially handing his son over to the enemy. Though gravely wounded, Faramir somehow survived the mission, only to have Denethor try to burn him to death since he refused to believe he was still alive.
Boromir's untimely death is one of the saddest things about the Fellowship and Denethor never fully recovered from it. As a result, he made a number of questionable decisions, many of which involved hurting his other son, Faramir. Faramir deserved better from his father and leader than basically being discarded.
7 Grima Wormtongue Poisons The King's Mind
As a not-so-subtle double agent working for Saruman, GrÃma Wormtongue infiltrated the palace of Rohan and became King Théoden's most trusted adviser. He abused this power and poisoned the king's mind, controlling his decision-making. GrÃma uses this power to banish Éomer from Rohan.
It is implied that Saruman has promised to give GrÃma, Éowyn, among other things, in return for his services. GrÃma was willing to sell out his country and harm all of Rohan in exchange for his own selfish gain.
6 Boromir Goes For The Ring
Boromir is one of the most tragic characters in The Lord of the Rings as he succumbed to the temptation of the Ring and tried to take it from Frodo. This action caused the Fellowship to split and set into motion the sequence that led to Lurtz killing Boromir. In his final moments, it was clear that Boromir regretted his actions but it was too late.
He had the best interest of Gondor in mind but was ultimately killed because of his actions and caused Frodo and Sam to splinter off from the Fellowship. Boromir had sworn his allegiance to the Fellowship and he turned his back on that pledge in a crucial moment.
5 Saruman Betrays Gandalf
As later shown in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Saruman and Gandalf were both members of a council of magic users that came together to oppose Sauron and prevent his full return. Because of this, Gandalf turns to Saruman for advice and help, only to discover that Saruman has joined Sauron's forces.
Gandalf clearly trusted and respected Saruman, making his betrayal a painful one. He is an influential character whose betray was a major setback for the free peoples and gave them a powerful new enemy to deal with in addition to Sauron.
4 Isildur Dooms The Free Peoples Of Middle-Earth
In a stunning turn of events, the free peoples of Middle-earth were able to defeat Sauron when Isildur was able to cut the Ring off of his hand. Elrond urged Isildur to cast the Ring into the fires of Mount Doom and end the Dark Lord's reign of terror forever. However, Isildur chose to keep the Ring for himself instead.
After everything that the free peoples had sacrificed to defeat Sauron, Isildur's decision was a crushing move. His selfish betrayal doomed Middle-earth to years of strife and violence, costing an untold loss of lives, as he left the door open for Sauron's potential return.
3 Gollum Sets A Trap
Despite Sam's protests, Frodo made the decision to trust Gollum to lead them into Mordor without getting caught. Gollum frames Sam for eating all the food and isolates Frodo before leading him into Shelob's lair, hoping that she will kill him so he can take the Ring.
While Gollum's betrayal is not unexpected, it is a major setback that nearly gets Frodo killed and would have allowed for the Ring to fall into dangerous hands. Frodo trusted Gollum and he paid the price for it.
2 Frodo Chooses The Ring
After the epic journey from the Shire all the way to Mordor, Frodo was too exhausted to climb the final steps into Mount Doom. Then, in one of the best LOTR moments in Sam and Frodo's friendship, Sam carried him up the mountain. However, once inside, Frodo chose not to destroy the Ring.
After all, they had been through and everything they had sacrificed to get to Mordor, watching Frodo choose the One Ring is a heartbreaking betrayal that could have doomed all of Middle-earth. Frodo was weak and corrupted by the Ring, but it is still painful to watch him make this choice.
1 Sauron Forges The One Ring
In an attempt to take control of Middle-earth, Sauron used the rings of power to seduce and corrupt rulers so that they would do his bidding. By giving the nine rings to the rulers of men, he created the Nazgûl. He then forged in secret the One Ring, designed to rule over them all.
Sauron's deceptive use of power led to immeasurable damage in Middle-earth, costing thousands of lives and affecting countless more. This evil plan was the ultimate betrayal that forever altered the course of Middle-earth's history.
from ScreenRant - Feed https://ift.tt/3nYLdIK
0 Comments