Selflessness

The Lord Of The Rings

So I was re-watching The Fellowship of the Ring, extended edition, last weekend; and I was struck by something which I hadn't "seen" before, in the Council of Elrond scene.  I was thinking of one part of that scene in particular:  Elrond, the elf who presides over the meeting, sums things up by saying that there is only one thing to do with the powerful but evil ring--somebody has to take it back to volcanic Mt Doom and burn it there...it can't be got rid of any other way.

Silence. 

Then some heated words are exchanged about if it should be destroyed, or who can be trusted to do it.  And pretty soon nearly all of the members of the Council have jumped up out of their chairs and are arguing.

Frodo doesn't.  He sits there nervously, watching their reflections in the ring, as if he understands something which they don't.  He then stands up quietly and volunteers to do it.

Of course, his own voice is overwhelmed by everyone else's, and not everyone hears him at first.  The Council members just want to argue, to hash it out until they reach an answer that's "comfortable".  Or, for a moment they've so lost sight of the big picture, that they let their prejudices and distrust of each other get in the way--they're too engrossed in their own interests to acknowledge Elrond's words, "You will unite, or you will fall".   

Frodo could change his mind, but he doesn't.  The argument diminishes to silence as everyone turns to him in surprise; he again offers to do it.  This time, he is heard...and nobody contradicts him, or offers to take his place. 

I've always liked the Council of Elrond scene, but I never quite realised before how unselfish Frodo is in this scene, and how some of the other characters--as much as I REALLY like them--are not.   It's only a few minutes in the whole trilogy, but it's a defining moment which sets Frodo apart.  He's never fought a battle, he doesn't have any magical powers, and he's no prince among his own people, but he did the right thing.  That's part of the essence of his character.





P.S.  On another topic, the more I think about it, the more I think Elrond--at least in the movie version--is somewhat to blame for the whole One Ring problem.  He could easily have seized the ring away from Isildur and thrown it into the fire himself, couldn't he?  ;)  I never really got that part.  Even if he and Isildur had, literally speaking, gone over the edge in the attempt, Elrond still would have saved the world a lot of lives, pain, and trouble.  I rather think that that was the day when the strength of elves failed.