The Lord of the Rings and the Epic

The Lord of the Rings
and the Epic
Lori Lindgren Voorhees, Ph.D.
Some Recent Uses of „Epic‟


“James Cameron's epic 1997 movie
„Titanic‟ is about to be re-released.”
“Boy and horse winning combination in
epic WWI movie.”
So, what is an epic?
Definitions

“A lengthy narrative poem in which
action, characters and language are
on a heroic level and style is exalted
and even majestic.”

Shaw, Concise Dictionary of Literary Terms
Another Definition


1. “An extended narrative poem in
elevated or dignified language,
celebrating the feats of a legendary or
traditional hero.
2. A literary or dramatic composition
resembling an epic [poem].”

The American Heritage College Dictionary, 3rd. Ed.
And Another Definition


1. “A long poem, typically one derived
from ancient oral tradition, narrating
the deeds and adventures of heroic or
legendary figures or the past history of
a nation.
2. A long film, book, or other work
portraying heroic deeds and
adventures or covering an extended
period of time.”

Oxforddictionaries.com
There’s more to it…

The epic is a vehicle of transmitting a
culture‟s values and beliefs to its
audience.
The Structure of the Epic

Begins with the cause(s) of the
action:


The conflict
The personalities
The Structure of the Epic

Then, it can move among various
subplots and threads of action
toward a unifying conclusion.
Examples of Opening Lines
Depicting Causes, Personalities

“Sing, goddess, the anger of Peleus‟ son
Achilles and its devastation…”
Examples of Opening Lines
Depicting Causes, Personalities

“Tell me, Muse, of the man of many ways, who
was driven far journeys, after he had sacked
Troy‟s sacred citadel.”
Examples of Opening Lines
Depicting Causes, Personalities

“I sing of arms and the man, he who, exiled by
fate, first came from the coast of Troy to Italy,
and to Lavinian shores…”
Examples of Opening Lines
Depicting Causes, Personalities




"He had seen everything, had experienced all
emotions, from exaltation to despair, had been
granted a vision into the great mystery, the
secret places, the primeval days before the
Flood.
He had journeyed to the edge of the world and
made his way back, exhausted but whole.
He had carved his trials on stone tablets, had
restored the holy Eanna Temple and the
massive wall of Uruk, which no city on earth
can equal."
(Gilgamesh, Translated by Stephen Mitchell, Free Press, 2004)
Examples of Opening Lines
Depicting Causes, Personalities


Hwæt! We Gardena
þeodcyninga,
hu ða æþelingas
Oft Scyld Scefing
monegum mægþum.
in geardagum,
þrym gefrunon,
ellen fremedon.
sceaþena þreatum,
Translation: “Listen! We --of the Spear-Danes-- in the
days of yore, of those clan-kings-- heard of their
glory.”
Some Examples of Epics

OLD





The Iliad
The Odyssey
The Aeneid
Gilgamesh
Beowulf
Some Examples of Epics

NEW


Star Wars
Harry Potter
And, of course,
The Lord of the Rings

Epics share 11 characteristics

1. Back-story

2. Journey or quest



3. Conflict or battle

4. Remote setting

5. Dignified style

6. Simple plot



7. Legendary or
traditional material
8. Focus on universal
human problems, treated
seriously
9. Hero
10. Superhuman
strength
11. Supernatural forces
#1 The Back-story

The back-story may appear anywhere in
an epic.
#1 The Back-story


In The Fellowship of
the Ring film, it is
presented at the
beginning, in the
Prologue.
#2 The Journey/Quest

The Fellowship on its journey
#2 The Journey/Quest

The Quest
#3 Battles

Battle of Helm‟s Deep
#3 Battles

Battle of Pelennor Field: King Theoden‟s
Exhortation to His Troops

“Arise! Arise, Riders of Theoden! Fell deeds awake, fire and
slaughter! Spears shall be shaken! Shields shall be splintered! A
sword day! A red day! Ere the sun rises! Ride now! Ride now!
Ride! Ride for ruin, and the world‟s ending! Death! Death!
Deeeaaatthhh!” The Return of the King, extended version, scene 46
#4 Setting: Remote From the Audience
in Time and Place

External audience

Internal audience
#4 Setting: Remote From the Audience
in Time and Place
#4 Setting: Remote From the Audience
in Time and Place
Courtesy of Daniel
Reeve, Wellington,
New Zealand,
10/06
#5 Formal, Dignified Style

Let‟s revisit the film‟s Prologue
#5 Formal, Dignified Style

“I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder
of the flame of Anor…Go back to the
Shadow! You cannot pass!”

(The Fellowship of the Ring, Book 2, Ch. 10)
#6 Simple Plots Overall
Epics are not as complex as they seem

Some examples of subplots







Sauron‟s desire for the Ring
Gollum‟s bewitchment by the Ring
Elves departure from Middle-earth
Boromir‟s conflict with Aragorn
Relationship between Faramir and Denethor
Love story of Arwen and Aragorn
Saruman‟s evil creation and destruction of
the environment
#7 Legendary or Traditional
Material

Let‟s revisit the film‟s Prologue
Legendary or Traditional Material:
Prophecy

THE PRANCING PONY, BREE.
Midyear's Day, Shire Year, 1418.
Dear Frodo,
Bad news has reached me here. I must go off at once. You had better leave Bag End soon, and get out of the Shire before
the end of July at latest. I will return as soon as I can; and I will follow you, if I find that you are gone. Leave a message for
me here, if you pass through Bree. You can trust the landlord (Butterbur). You may meet a friend of mine on the Road: a
Man, lean, dark, tall, by some called Strider. He knows our business and will help you. Make for Rivendell. There I hope we
may meet again. If I do not come, Elrond will advise you.
Yours in haste
GANDALF.
PS. Do NOT use It again, not for any reason whatever! Do not travel by night!



PPS. Make sure that it is the real Strider. There are many strange men on the roads. His true name is Aragorn.
All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king
PPPS. I hope Butterbur sends this promptly. A worthy man, but his memory is like a lumber-room: thing wanted always
buried. If he forgets, I shall roast him.
(The Fellowship of the Ring, Book 1, Ch. 10)
#8 Universal Human Problems,
Treated With Some Degree of
Seriousness





Notice the themes of LOTR deal with
universal human problems:
clarifying one‟s values
being courageous
dealing with fear, pain and loss
not giving up when the going gets
rough.
#8 Universal Human Problems,
Treated With Some Degree of
Seriousness
#8 Universal Human Problems,
Treated With Some Degree of
Seriousness


Sam‟s speech in Osgiliath
“Frodo: I can't do this, Sam.
Sam: I know. It's all wrong. By rights we shouldn't even be here. But we
are. It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really
mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were. And sometimes you
didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How
could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had
happened? But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow. Even
darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it
will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you.
That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why.
But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those
stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't. They kept
going. Because they were holding on to something.
Frodo: What are we holding onto, Sam?
Sam: That there's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo... and it's worth
fighting for.”
The Two Towers, extended edition, scene 60
#9 Hero
(May be more than one)


Aragorn: I summon you to fulfill your oath.
King of the Dead: None but the king of Gondor
may command me.
[Swings sword; Aragorn blocks him with the
sword Anduril]
King of the Dead: That blade was broken!
[Aragorn takes him by the throat]
Aragorn: It has been remade.
[Aragorn releases the King of the Dead; pause]
Aragorn: Fight for us... and regain your honor.
Weathertop
#10 Demonstrates Heroic Characteristic
of Superhuman Strength

Of Body

Of Character

Of Mind
Superhuman Characteristics


Sam: [Both are overcome by exhaustion] Do you remember the
Shire, Mr. Frodo? It'll be spring soon. And the orchards will
be in blossom. And the birds will be nesting in the hazel
thicket. And they'll be sowing the summer barley in the lower
fields... and eating the first of the strawberries with cream.
Do you remember the taste of strawberries?
Frodo: No, Sam. I can't recall the taste of food... nor the
sound of water... nor the touch of grass. I'm... naked in the
dark, with nothing, no veil... between me... and the wheel of
fire! I can see him... with my waking eyes!
Sam: Then let us be rid of it... once and for all! Come on, Mr.
Frodo. I can't carry it for you... but I can carry you!
The Return of the King, extended version, scene 66
#11 Supernatural Forces



Gandalf
Saruman
Usual suspects:
underwater monster,
trolls, giant spider
#11 Supernatural Forces
Supernatural Forces

Elven rope

Palantir
Thank you!

Congratulations! You are now all „Epic
Experts.‟ 