Thursday, April 11, 2013

Sméagol

 The Latest Literary Series . . . A Villain
     "Sméagol promised!" Frodo cries as he writhes in the iron grip of the maddened creature.
     The hideous thing smiles and hisses, "Sméagol lied."
                    -- Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

  
     Sméagol. Gollum. He may not have been as obviously powerful as Sauron, but his power was hidden in a deeper, more horrible way: He knew where the Ring was, and he knew where it was going. It was not Sauron, but Gollum, that Frodo and Sam had to get past. If Gollum had strayed from his re-realization that he was someone only days earlier, or if he had been less patient with his leaders' path to death, the Ring might never have gotten into Mordor. Sauron might never have been defeated.
     Gollum is one of Tolkien's complete masterpieces. Though probably inspired by a section in Beowulf, I believe Tolkien did have to flesh him out quite a bit. (If you want to learn more about this, go ask my sister Hallie. She read and studied Beowulf during her junior year in high school.) Gollum's two sides (illustrated to the right), his horrific past and his overload of guilt, and his dependence on the Ring form him into a completely unforgettable character. He's most likely the main villain of The Lord of the Rings, even though Sauron is the more deadly enemy. Sauron is far away, while Gollum is near--near to the Ring, near to destroying hope for Middle-Earth. Gollum is the worst kind of alcoholic, but his addiction is to power, gold, and the blood of Sauron. How original and sickening is that?
     Also, I just have to say that I think Gollum was probably the most well-done portrayal of all of Tolkien's characters in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings. He doesn't fit the exact description of the book, but then you can't be so sticklers when it comes to making movies. I have to feel bad for Gollum. One side of him can be so cruel to his other half, but if melded together they become deadly.
     Tolkien used mind wars and a nasty past to craft Gollum. Though the mind wars were taken to the extreme, and Gollum's past involved five hundred years of guilt simmering in the back of his head, you might just as easily use a form of mind battles and "baggage" in your character.
     Gollum . . . the perfect villain.   

2 comments:

  1. I totally agree on all of this:) Smeagul/Gollum is actually one of my favorite characters (believe it or not:))

    Oh yeah, and I'm going to send you those questions soon, I've just been kinda caught up lately:)

    Layla.

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    Replies
    1. Yeah, he is such a great character. Oh, and you don't have to feel like you have to rush on the question! Thanks for wanting to do it :)

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