week three

 This week I watched the first half of the extended edition of Return of the King. It was incredible, Return of the King is easily my favorite movie on this planet, I love every part of it. I love the themes that it presents, of war and peace, of love and hate, of death and indifference. In this movie, we meet a character named Denethor more fully. Denethor is the Steward of Gondor (Gondor is a major country btw), and he is very prideful about his station. Aragorn is the rightful king of Gondor, but Denethor tells Gandalf and Pippin very aggressively that he will give up his power over his dead body. Gandalf is resigned to this mans hatefulness, whereas Pippin is shocked at how much ugliness Denethor holds inside. Denethor is Boromir’s father, and Boromir gave his life to defend Pippin, so Pippin feels indebted to Denethor. As such, Pippin offers his lifelong service in the Tower Guard, and Denethor accepts. At the end of the first scene with Denethor, Pippin is bound to him, we find out how terrible he is, and you learn that he has no hope in the Gondorian people. 

It’s shocking when we learn about Denethor and his lack of hope because so far in the movies, we have always seen hope return to a previously seemingly hopeless situation. But Denethor is completely devoid of hope. He knows there is a war coming to Minas Tirith, but he refuses to do anything about it, including calling for Rohan’s aid. He resigns himself and the thousands of people in Minas Tirith to a terrible death at the hand of orcs. He refuses to believe that help we come, and so he sits in his tower and is angry and does nothing to prepare the Gondorian troops. Gandalf is beyond shocked at Denethor’s laziness, and so is Pippin. They have always had hope that Frodo and Sam would get the ring to Mount Doom, they have always had hope that Aragorn would take his rightful place as King of Gondor, they have always had hope that they could fight off the troops of the Evil One (Sauron). But here was a man that no longer believed hope was worth fighting for. 

This is a major plot point in every Lord of the Rings film: hope. The films show again and again how fragile hope can be, but how it can make people strong again. There are countless examples of a time where a character was scared or sad, but then they are reminded of the most important weapon they have, hope that their quest will succeed. Hope is what keeps Sam and Frodo going through the Emyn Muil and the Dead Marshes, all the way to Faramir in Ithilien. 

Faramir is a Captain of Gondor, and he is especially tasked with protecting Osgiliath, a city on the border of Gondor and Mordor. This city had been wiped out a few years ago, and it had been a struggle to keep it from the hands of Sauron. It had a prime position on the Pelennor river, which provided a natural moat around the Kingdom of Gondor. Howeever, Osgiliath had a bridge that the orcs knew they needed to take in order to properly move their troops towards Minas Tirith, the capital of Gondor. As his first official move in the War of the Ring, Sauron had decided to destroy Minas Tirith, which had been a symbol of hope for so long. With Minas Tirith razed to the ground, Sauron would have a clean shot straight into Rohan, and from there Mirkwood, Dale, Lorien, and eventually the Shire. Minas Tirith was the first defense, and Minas Tirith could not fall. 

Faramir’s role as protector of Osgiliath was crucial, as he governed the use of the bridge, and was the first line of defense against orcs that were trying to get to Minas Tirith or Gondor in general. Osgiliath was only about 80 miles from Minas Tirith, it was only separated by large fields in the Pelennor valley. Minas Tirith herself was built into a mountain, a capital city carved out of granite. It was nicknamed the White City, and is very beautiful from an architectural point of view. Osgiliath had no citizens alive in it, due to the constant battles between the Orcs and Faramir’s forces, but Minas Tirith had thousands of people. It was a very valuable city. 

In the Two Towers, Faramir has pulled his troops back from the Mordor side of Osgiliath. The ringwraiths came and fought the war for Osgiliath, and the Gondorian men were no match for the ringwraiths and their dragons. Therefore, Faramir had to give up the east side of the river. However, he posted guards at the bridge to ensure orcs would not try and enter into the west bank. 

In the Two Towers, Faramir captured Frodo, Sam, and Gollum. He found the existence of the ring, and decided to bring it to his father, Denethor. We learn that Denethor has only ever really loved his eldest son, Boromir, and has always seen Faramir as a useless asset. He sent Boromir to Rivendell to steal the Ring and bring it back for “Gondor”, but actually, Denethor wanted the ring for himself. He tells Faramir that he knows Faramir would fail at this task because he has no quality as a person, and therefore, Boromir must go. As you know, Boromir dies. Boromir and Faramir were best of friends, despite their father, and so Faramir is devastated. When he gets the Ring in his possession via Frodo, he realizes that he could win the love of his father if he gives Denethor the Ring and brings Frodo to Minas Tirith. However, Faramir realizes the danger of the ring when the ringwraiths attack Osgiliath, and he forfeits his own life to let Frodo and Sam go free. He knows that the Ring is evil. 

In Return of the King, the men stationed at Osgiliath are surprised by a massive orc attack from the river. The rocs had made boats to get over the river, and they massacre many of Faramir’s men. Faramir knows that he must call for the retreat of his men, and so he tells them to find the closest horse and ride across the fields to relative safety in Minas Tirith. As they are galloping away, the Ringwraiths start picking off the men. It’s a terrible moment. Faramir gets to Minas Tirith safely with about 50 of his original 1000 men. He reports to Denethor, his father, but all Denethor has to say is that he knew Faramir would fail in the defense of Osgiliath. He is also livid that Faramir would let the Ring slip through his fingers. He asks Faramir if there is any captain of Gondor that would ride to retake Osgiliath. Faramir responds that Osgiliath is overrun, and to try to retake it is certain death. Denethor says that Boromir would’ve done it and tells Faramir that he is a coward. He says that he wishes Faramir had died instead of Boromir. Pippin is shocked, and Faramir tells his father, through almost tears, that he will retake Osgiliath.

This whole time I have been building up to this moment that made me cry so much. You needed the backstory of Osgiliath, Faramir’s love for his father, and the hatred in Denethor’s heart. 

Faramir suits up for battle. He and his 50 men ride through the streets to the front of the city. There are women crying, and people are throwing flowers on the ground in front of the men’s horses. They know that every single one of them is about to get killed. I can imagine the pain of the families that have to watch their father, husband, or brother ride to his death. Gandalf pleads with Faramir to stop, but Faramir says, with a dead look in his eyes, “This is what Lord Denethor wishes.” You guys, it was heartbreaking. They ride out, and it’s terrifying. A tiny force of 51 against all the armies of Mordor. As they are riding, everything slows down, and you see Denethor in his hall, eating dinner very unconcernedly. He tells Pippin to sing him a song, and Pippin sings the edge of night.

"Home is behind the world ahead

And there are many paths to tread

Through shadow to the edge of night

Until the stars are all alight.

Mist and shadow

Cloud and shade

All shall fade

All shall fade"

This haunting song is playing as Faramir rides to his death, as his father is leisurely eating his food, and as Pippin sheds tears for the unnecessary death that Denethor bestowed on his son. At the end of the song, at the final word, the orcs let loose their arrows, and they take down every single soldier before the soldiers even get across the Pelennor fields. It’s a terrible moment. It shows the lack of hope Denethor has, and it shows the complete hatred he has for everyone but himself. But it also shows the faithfulness of a son that simply wants his father to love him.

I cried a lot. 

There is something so biting about this scene. About the heartbreak in Faramir's eyes, about the indifference in Denethor's. 

And the song Pippin sings speaks of hope that Denethor no longer has, as Faramir's men are all killed.