Quest In Lord Of The Rings

Name of the film and the names of the hero and the villain

Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

Hero (protagonist): Frodo Baggins

Villain: Dark Lord Sauron

Exploration of the aspects of the Quest presented in the film:

As with most quests, the movie, Lord of the Rings follows the basic stages in the hero's journey hence exhibiting an archetypal quest. Born in a humble town in the shire, Frodo is delineated as a character with many noble traits. Several of Frodo's qualities were very easy to relate to from the audience's perspective: He was completely innocent, and through that fact, the audience will picture themselves in his position.

This dialogue between Frodo and Gandalf is one of the many occasions where the audience would feel sympathy towards Frodo; he is directly perceived as an innocent and ignorant character.

Frodo does not take the role of the stereotypical hero; rather, he is as a minor in the huge world. He is weak compared to the other characters and comes from the smallest race: The Hobbits. The audience could compare him to a soldier, a fighter for his people.

Ultimately, the quest he undertook was to destroy the One Ring, but the initial reason for embarking on the quest was simply to save the Shire. The call, inviting Frodo to save Middle Earth, was delivered to by an old wise magician by the name of Gandalf. He quickly begins to reveal himself as the hero's wise mentor, guiding him through the many perils and dark areas of the quest. Gandalf presents Frodo with words of advice: "All you have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to you" consequently, he leads the hero on his path to spiritual fulfilment.

In a conventional sense, the hero has no lover; rather, he has love for his little village, and as a result Frodo goes on the quest. Everyone has a fear that one day their world will collapse; this concept is presented in the movie. The whole world was becoming sinister and dark, but the endeavours of Frodo and the Fellowship kept the audience in suspense, leaving them hoping and anticipating for a better world in the future. The scenes illustrated throughout the course of the movie make it clear that the film is a quest. For example, we see Frodo's home town for the first part of the movie, but as the quest progresses, the characters leave the small village and witness other places, such as the wilderness and castles; these features depict the movie as a quest.

Discussion and analysis of how these aspects of the Quest are presented in the film:

An intriguing story line is presented in order to integrate the many intricate aspects of the quest into the film. In a strange twist, the Ring, thought to have been lost for many centuries, was found and handed down to a physically weak, although not mentally, Hobbit named Frodo.

The separation from the known was as a result of Gandalf who called Frodo to the quest. In order to pass the Threshold, Frodo had to overcome his own mind and desires; he must deny himself of the simple life. An extract from the film's transcript:

From the quotation, we see Frodo's resistance; it is similar to most texts evolving around the theme of the quest. The hero initially declines the notion of going on the quest, but later accepts his fate.

The Ring is the One Ring of the Dark Lord Sauron: "One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them." This quotation is an example of a literary technique used in the film. The language used creates an air of drama and suspense. If Frodo was unsuccessful in his journey across Middle-earth to the Cracks of Doom in order to destroy it, then Sauron will find the ring and use it in order to spill his evil over all the earth. For Frodo's quest to be a success he had to be joined by stronger companions. They join the quest at the Threshold; and although the fellowship is committed to his eventual success, they can not make all the decisions for Frodo, and they can not help him at the very end of his quest. The aspects of the quest are presented in the film through the many obstacles that the hero and his companions had to face; this is the part of the quest known as The Initiation.

Frodo reaches the Abyss, in the Fellowship of the Ring, when he hears of Gandalf's death. He screams aloud: "The ring is a burden! I wish it had never come to me!" But he later learns that this life has many burdens and everyone has their own to carry. At that moment, he had to decide on what to do, turn west to the wars of Gondor; or east to the Fear and Shadow; or decide to break the fellowship and go both ways.

Lord of the Rings re-introduces a forgotten genre known as the war epic. The movie follows a concept that war is an aspect of coming of age; as a way in which a man can learn, mature and engrave his name in history. The many techniques used in the film included the use of sound to represent the mood. When the hero was in danger, slow ominous music played; when there was a celebration, joyous music was in the background. Another technique used was the setting: the setting alters in correspondence with the mood of the story. Camera angles were used extensively to create a dramatic environment. For example, a close up shot of a huge org looming over the hero's shoulder will intimidate the audience, making them fear for the hero's safety.