Fate And Free Will In The Lord Of The Rings

Truth of Fate and Free Will

First of all, what is Fate and Free Will? Well, Fate is the development of events beyond a person's control, regarded as determined by a supernatural power. And Free Will is the power of acting without the constraint of necessity or fate; the ability to act at one's own discretion. Throughout the books of The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, several characters have been spotted using one or both of these. One is Aragorn and he mainly uses Fate, a great character for Free Will is definitely Gandalf, and Frodo is a great example of both types. Aragorn had many signs that were pointed towards his destiny of Fate in The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King. The title of the third book basically tells you which route Aragorn is going to take. Some of the first signs that were shown was in The Fellowship of the Ring when Frodo got the letter from Gandalf saying “look for the man they call strider” also “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, Alight from the shadows shall spring; Renewed shall be blade that was broken: The crownless again shall be

But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” Note Gandalf’s use of the word “decide” in this seminal passage. There are times and circumstances thrust upon us beyond our control. Forces exist that try to exert or impose their will for good or ill. It is our lot to join the dark tide, or resist. But while these forces can influence, they cannot wholly divest control from beings of free will. Bilbo and Frodo choose to let Gollum live, acts of Mercy that are beyond the striving wills of even the greatest powers. “For even, the very wise cannot see all ends,” Gandalf says.” (Henry David