The Lord of the Rings: Insights

The Lord of the Rings Insights:
The Virtues of The Lord of the Rings
The marriages in The Lord of the Rings are not arranged and are all based on deep mutual friendship and love between the two characters. The societies of Middle Earth are patriarchal, but women are valued councilors. The women demonstrate empathic abilities that the men rely on in their final decisions. Rather than an end for the woman, marriage is shown as a new beginning for both male and female.

Tolkien does well in treating women as different but equal to men. Tolkien's women almost all prove more adept in understanding emotions and emotional motivations than the men. This talent along with strong convictions, such as Eowyn's desire to fight in battle as her brother Éomer does, is used in pivotal roles that further the events of the story. Also to his credit, the female characters that Tolkien does present in the story are all well-rounded and not just "pretty faces."

                                             Lady Galadriel is intelligent, empathic and beautiful. Unlike the males who cannot see the emotional damage of the Ring, Galadriel recognizes the corruptive powers of the Ring on the Fellowship. It is she who first warns of the the breaking of the Fellowship. Frodo offers her the One Ring, because he believes she will not fail in the quest. She refuses his offer, admitting fear and the temptation of power and greed. The character of Lady Galadriel is developed in one chapter more thoroughly than some of the male characters such as Gimli and Legolas that are in the Fellowship and are integral to the entire story.

     Lady Eowyn is a beautiful woman, but also courageous, intelligent and brash. The older, male characters admire those qualities in her brother Éomer, but seen them as immaturity in her. The only difference between them is gender. While the other characters cannot get beyond their assumption that she is a delicate woman to be protected, Merry's childlike perspective sees a strong and independent character.

     When Eowyn reveals herself to the Lord of the Nazgul on the battlefield, Merry feeds off of her courage and helps defeat the Lord of the Nazgul. He would have failed if Eowyn had not shown her own great courage. Tolkien does an excellent job of portraying female characters as independent and respected, rather than headstrong, stubborn and impractical.

The Lord of the Rings Items Available at eBay - Scroll for additional items

Available at Amazon.com:

Peter Jackson Films:

Middle Earth Collection:
Theatrical Blu-ray
Extended Blu-ray
Collector's Blu-ray

The Hobbit Trilogy:
Theatrical: Blu-ray + DVD
Extended: Blu-ray | DVD

An Unexpected Journey:
Theatrical Edition:
Blu-ray | BD 3D | Prime Video
Soundtrack: CD | MP3
Extended Edition:
Blu-ray | BD 3D | DVD | Prime Video | Soundtrack: CD | MP3

Desolation of Smaug:
Theatrical Edition:
Blu-ray | BD 3D | Prime Video
Soundtrack: CD | MP3
Extended Edition:
Blu-ray | BD 3D | DVD | Prime Video | Soundtrack: CD | MP3

Battle of the Five Armies:
Theatrical Edition:
Blu-ray | BD 3D | DVD | Prime Video | Soundtrack: CD | MP3
Extended Edition:
Blu-ray | BD 3D | DVD | Prime Video | Soundtrack: CD | MP3

LotR Trilogy:
Theatrical: Blu-ray | DVD
Extended: Blu-ray | DVD
Posters

Animated Film Adaptations:

The Hobbit:
DVD | DVD (SE) | Prime Video
The Lord of the Rings:
Blu-ray | DVD | Prime Video
The Return of the King:
DVD

Books by J.R.R. Tolkien:

The Lord of the Rings Set
The Hobbit
The Fellowship of the Ring
The Two Towers
The Return of the King
The Silmarillion
The Unfinished Tales
Beren and Luthien
The Children of Hurin
The Fall of Gondolin

Audio Presentations:
The Lord of the Rings:

BBC Dramatization (CD)
NPR Dramatization (CD)
Unabridged Reading (CD)

The Hobbit:
BBC Dramatization (CD)
NPR Dramatization (CD)
Unabridged Reading (CD)

The Fellowship of the Ring:
BBC Dramatization (CD)
NPR Dramatization (CD)
Unabridged Reading (CD)

The Two Towers:
BBC Dramatization (CD)
NPR Dramatization (CD)
Unabridged Reading (CD)

The Return of the King:
BBC Dramatization (CD)
NPR Dramatization (CD)
Unabridged Reading (CD)

The Silmarillion:
Unabridged Reading (CD)

The Children of Hurin:
Unabridged Reading (CD)