Due to the popularity of Peter Jackson's film adaptation of Tolkien's trilogy there are very few people who know nothing
about the plot, but for those that have never encountered the book or film I will begin with a brief synopsis. L.O.T.R is an epic novel, which means it consists of four components: adventure, romance, tragedy and satire. The story is quite simple: Frodo the Hobbit comes into possession of a ring of great power, which is a threat to all
mankind. Frodo is charged with the responsibility of taking the ring to Mordor and destroying it by throwing it in the fires in which it was forged. Of course there are many problems to be overcome along the way! There are wars to fight, great beasts to be slain, women to be romanced and nations to be united, all of which culminates in the destruction of the One Ring.¶ Now that the synopsis is over, what does L.O.T.R offer an intelligent reader who is not merely looking for a fantasy spectacle? L.O.T.R is an allegorical tale that deals with the relationship between
desire and self-discipline. Tolkiens epic is very much like The Oddysey by Homer or The Faerie Queen by Spenser, where we find characters such as Oddyseus and Sir Guyon, who in resisting the temptation for worldly pleasures during their quest become emblematic of the Classical virtue of temperance. What all three of these epics have in common is the way in which they treat the relationship between power and desire. The largest obstacle that Frodo must overcome in his quest to destroy the ring is his own desire for it. To complete his Quest Frodo must learn to master his desire, rather than be mastered by his desire.¶ Tolkien has more in common with Spenser than he does with Homer because of the Christian element he brings to his Epic. Desire threatens to destroy all that is innocent and pure in Middle Earth, just as Adam’s desire for the apple in the Bible brings about mankind’s fall from innocence and his expulsion from Paradise. In L.O.T.R the Shire is Paradise and the simple and naïve Hobbits represent innocence. The biblical theme that emerges from this epic is that desire foreruns the fall of mankind.¶ Of course not all of the characters in L.O.T.R are able to hold power over their desires and some give into the temptation for the ring. Gollum, who is perhaps the most notorious character of the trilogy, is the image of what Frodo could easily become if he allowed himself to give in to his desires. Gollum, once a creature very much like a Hobbit, has been consumed by his base desire for the ring and has fallen from grace. Without self-discipline Gollum is nothing but a beast that blindly follows his desires and so his graceful form has changed over time into the form of a beast. Yet there is still hope for mankind, since Frodo masters himself and eventually destroys the ring, which seals his place in the Undying Isles, which is simply the Heaven of Middle Earth. Where Gollum falls, Frodo ascends, and throughout the story both characters act as a counter-part to one another.¶ The themes that Tolkien deals with are by no means new and unfortunately his treatment of said themes is poor in comparison with Homer and Spenser. Nevertheless, if you have the energy to plough through hundreds of pages of detailed descriptions of landscapes and woodlands, L.O.T.R can be a very interesting read.