The Lord Of Rings : The Two Towers

Gollum from The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Title: The Lord Of Rings : The Two Towers

Author : J. R. R. Tolkein

Main Characters : Frodo, Sam, Boromir, Aragorn, Gimli, Legolas, Gandalf, Merry, Pippin, King Theoden and Shadowfax.

Description of one of the main characters: Shadowfax is the horse of Mithrandir, commonly known as Gandalf in many parts of the Middle Earth. Shadowfax is a horse which is the most beautiful, fastest and the roughest. It does not tame to anyone who captures it, if at all someone does. It chooses its master. It has chosen Gandalf, now the White Rider (but still cloaked in grey), as its master.

Whom I like and why: I like Sam Gamgee very much. He is the faithful servent and friend of Frodo Baggins. He loves Frodo dearly. He does not get affected by the ring and does not have any desire to possess the ring or be the ring bearer. He readily accepts to accompany Frodo into any danger that they may have to pass to enter the Land of Shadows. He kills Shelob the spider in Cirith Ungal.

Setting/theme of the story: Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas go in search of Frodo and Sam. At that time, Boromir dies trying to defend Merry and Pippin from orc-soldiers. The orc-soldiers capture Merry and Pippin and start their journey to Isengard over the Eastern Plain of Rohan. Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas find Boromir dead and the two hobbits missing. They guess that it must have been an attack from the orcs. They give Boromir a funeral in a boat committed to the falls of Rawios. Meanwhile, The Riders of Rohan led by Eomer, the Marshal, surround the Orcs on the borders of Forest of Fangorn and destroy them. But the hobbits escape into the Fangorn Forest and there encounter the secret master of Fangorn, Treebeard the Ent. Meanwhile, Argorn and his two companions meet Eomer, returning from the battle against orcs, who provides them with horses and they ride on to the forest. While searching in vain for the hobbits, in the forest, they meet Gandalf again, returned from death, now the White Rider.

They all ride to the Hall of King Theoden of  the Mark, where Gandalf helps the aged king by rescuing him from the spells of Wormtongue, the evil councillor, the secret ally of Saruman. They all go with King Theoden against the forces of Isengard to take part in the desperate victory of the Hornburg. Gandalf defeats Saruman and breaks Saruman’s staff. From a high window, Wormtongue throws a stone at Gandalf but it misses him. Pippin picks it up later. This proves to be one of the three surving palantiri, seeing stones of  Numenor. Later that night, Pippin reveals himself to Sauron as he looks into the stone. Gandalf  gives the palantiri to Aragorn and takes away Pippin to Minas Thirth.

Fordo and Sam lose themselves in the bleak hills of the Emyn Muil. After they escape from the hills, they are overtaken by Smeagol – Gollum. Frodo tames Gollum and Gollum leads them through the Dead Marshes and ruined land to the Morannon, the black gate of the land of Mordor in the North. It is impossible to enter the gate so Fordo accepts Gollum’s advice – to seek the secret gate, away south in the mountains of shadow, the western walls of Mordor. They set off on their last stage of the journey to Cirith Ungol, the spider’s pass. Then a great darkness fell. Sauron sent forth his first army, led by the Black King of the Ring Wraiths : the war of the Ring has begin. Gollum betrays Sam and Frodo to the giant spider Shelob, but Sam defeats Shelob. Frodo gets stung by Shelob and lies dead(Sam thinks so). Sam takes the ring. After sometime he finds out that his master Frodo hasn’t died but is drugged. Orcs carry Frodo away, down a tunnel leading to the rear gate of their tower.

The second part of the Lord of the Rings, the Two Towers, ends here.

Part I enjoyed the most : I enjoyed the part when Gandalf comes back from the dead in the horse called Shadowfax, which chooses the master it wants. Only Gandalf Stormcrow has ever been accepted by the great majestic horse, Shadowfax.