The Fellowship of the Ring

The film begins with a summary of the prehistory of the ring of power. Long ago,
twenty rings existed: three for elves, seven for dwarves, nine for men, and one made by
the Dark Lord Sauron, in Mordor, which would rule all the others. Sauron poured all
his evil and his will to dominate into this ring. An alliance of elves and humans resisted
Sauron’s ring and fought against Mordor. They won the battle and the ring fell to
Isildur, the son of the king of Gondor, but just as he was about to destroy the ring in
Mount Doom, he changed his mind and held on to it for himself. Later he was killed,
and the ring fell to the bottom of the sea. The creature Gollum discovered it and
brought it to his cave. Then he lost it to the hobbit Bilbo Baggins.

The movie cuts to an image of the hobbits’ peaceful Shire years later, where the wizard
Gandalf has come to celebrate Bilbo’s 111th birthday. The party is an extravagant
occasion with fireworks and revelry, and Bilbo entertains children with tales of his
adventures. In the middle of a rambling speech, however, he puts on the ring, which
makes him invisible, and runs to his house to pack his things and leave the Shire.
Gandalf meets Bilbo back in his house and tells him he must give up the ring.
Eventually Bilbo agrees to entrust it to his nephew Frodo. Gandalf senses that the ring
is gaining power over Bilbo. We see a flash of Mordor, and hooded horsemen, the
ringwraiths, leave its gates. The scene shifts to Gandalf, who rushes to a library to sift
through ancient scrolls. As the ringwraiths begin to close in on Bilbo’s house, Gandalf
returns to Frodo and throws the ring into Bilbo’s hearth. Mysterious letters appear on
the ring’s surface. Only then does Gandalf realize that this ring is actually Sauron’s ring.
Gandalf explains to Frodo that the ring and Sauron are one. He longs to find it, and it
longs to find him. Gandalf has learned that Sauron has kidnapped Gollum and that
Gollum has revealed that Bilbo has the ring. The ring must leave the Shire or it will
endanger all the hobbits. Gandalf cannot take it himself, since as a wizard he will wield
too much power with the ring. He determines that Frodo must take it. Gandalf explains
that if Frodo puts on the ring, it will draw Sauron’s agents to it. Suddenly, Gandalf
discovers that Frodo’s friend Sam has been hiding outside and listening to Gandalf and
Frodo. At first, Gandalf is furious at Sam’s eavesdropping, but then he recruits Sam to
be Frodo’s travel partner and protector.

Sam and Frodo leave Bilbo’s house, and in very little time they have ventured further
from the Shire than ever before. Merry and Pippin, two mischievous hobbits who are
fleeing a farmer from whom they’ve stolen, encounter Sam and Bilbo and join their
party. The ringwraiths ride by, and the hobbits narrowly escape detection. Frodo is
tempted to put on the ring, but Sam stops him. This urge is Frodo’s first insight into the
power and temptation of the ring.

The hobbits arrive at the town of Bree and enter the inn known as the Prancing Pony,
where they are supposed to meet Gandalf, but the wizard isn’t there. The ring
accidentally slips onto Frodo’s finger, alerting the ringwraiths to his whereabouts. A
ranger named Strider introduces himself to the group of hobbits and urges them to be
more careful. The wraiths arrive at the hotel, but the hobbits, thanks to Strider, are well
hidden. Strider explains to them that the wraiths were formerly the nine human kings
who had the nine human rings. They are hunting the ring because finding it is the only
way they can come back to life.

Meanwhile, Gandalf has approached another wizard, Saruman, for counsel. Saruman
already knows about the ring and Sauron’s attempts to regain power. He declares that
Mordor cannot be defeated and that the two wizards must join with Sauron. Gandalf
protests, and the wizards battle. Saruman wins and imprisons Gandalf atop Saruman’s
giant tower in Isengard, called Orthanc. At his tower, Saruman is constructing a
terrifying army with the intention of waging war on Middle-earth. A butterfly rouses
Gandalf and takes a message from him, and a giant eagle comes and saves him.

Strider and the hobbits head for Rivendell, home of the elves. They stop at a hill called
Weathertop, where Strider hands the hobbits weapons and suggests they make camp
for the night. The hobbits foolishly light a fire at their campsite, and the ringwraiths
spot them. The ringwraiths stab Frodo, but Strider fights them off and saves Frodo’s
life. Arwen, an elf princess, finds the party and hurries to Rivendell with Frodo, barely
evading the wraiths. Frodo is cured and wakes up to discover Gandalf by his side. Bilbo,
who has aged significantly, is also at Rivendell, having just completed the book of his
adventures, There and Back Again: A Hobbit’s Tale. Elrond, the king of the elves and
Arwen’s father, tells Gandalf that the ring cannot stay in Rivendell but must go further.
Pessimistic about the future of Middle-earth, Elrond claims that the time of the elves is
over, the dwarves are too selfish to help, and men are weak. The ring survives because
of Isildur’s weakness. Moreover, the line of human kings is broken, though the heir of
Gondor, who has chosen exile, can reunite them.

Shortly after this declaration, we learn that Strider’s true name is Aragorn and that he
is the heir of Gondor. We also learn that Aragorn and Arwen are in love and have been
for many years. However, this love requires that Arwen sacrifice her immortality, one
of the chief attributes of elves.

Elrond convenes a meeting and announces that the races must come together to defeat
Mordor. Frodo presents the ring, and Elrond insists that it must be destroyed in the
fires of Mount Doom, where it was made. There is some disagreement as to who will
undertake this arduous task, and eventually Frodo emerges. Others step forward to
accompany Frodo, forming a fellowship of the ring. The fellowship includes the hobbits
Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin; one elf, Legolas; one dwarf, Gimli; one wizard, Gandalf;
and two humans, Aragorn and Boromir. Boromir is the son of the steward of Gondor,
who has ruled the kingdom in the absence of the rightful king.

The fellowship sets forth from Rivendell. Saruman causes an avalanche of snow to block
the group’s attempt to cross the pass of Caradhras, and they decide to enter the realm
of the dwarves, the mines of Moria. Inside Moria, the party discovers that all the
dwarves have been killed, and soon the fellowship is surrounded by an army of orcs,
inhuman creatures that are also brutal, ruthless warriors. The orcs disperse, however,
at the approach of a Balrog, a demonic creature from the underworld. The fellowship
flees this creature as the mines collapse. Gandalf stays behind to battle the Balrog,
which he sends collapsing to the depths of the mines. However, as the Balrog falls, it
grabs hold of Gandalf’s legs and drags the wizard down with it. The fellowship emerges
from the mines saddened by the loss of Gandalf, but Aragorn insists they have no time
to mourn and must press on.

Coming to a forest, the Sylvan elves, led by Galadriel, the Lady of Woods, meet the
fellowship. That evening, the Lady and Frodo speak in private. She asks him to look into
a mirror, which is a basin of water, and tell her what he sees. He sees visions of the
Shire destroyed, of his companions surrounded by orcs, and of the huge, fiery eye of
Sauron. The Lady tells him he has seen visions of what will happen if his mission fails.
She warns him that the fellowship is breaking and that one by one the ring will destroy
them all. Frodo doubts his ability to accomplish his task on his own, but she says that as
the ring-bearer, he is already alone. If he does not accomplish the task, no one will. The
Lady encourages Frodo and gives him a parting gift, a star of light that will illuminate
his path when all other lights go out. The next day, the fellowship departs in boats
down the river. Meanwhile, Saruman has dispatched Uruk-hai, unusually large and
powerful creatures whose sole mission is to destroy the world of men, after the party,
with the instructions to kill everyone but bring the hobbits back alive.
After docking on dry land, Frodo wanders off, and Boromir follows. Frodo is
determined to go off alone, but Boromir wants the ring. He is about to attack Frodo for
it when Frodo puts on the ring and disappears. This is the longest period of time that
Frodo has ever worn the ring, and he has his longest look yet at the fiery eye of Sauron.
When Frodo takes the ring off, Aragorn is beside him. Frodo distrusts him, too, but
Aragorn passes the test that Boromir failed. He tells Frodo to run off and turns to face
the approaching army of Uruk-hai. Boromir also fights valiantly but is badly wounded.
The Uruk-hai capture Pippin and Merry. Aragorn wins an epic battle with an Uruk-hai,
then rushes to the fallen Boromir, who confesses that he tried to steal the ring from
Frodo. Boromir says he has failed the group, but Aragorn tells Boromir he has fought
bravely. Boromir swears allegiance to Aragorn, his rightful king, as he dies. Back at the
river, Frodo regrets having the ring but remembers Gandalf’s words about his destiny.
He departs in a boat, but Sam insists on coming along. Though he can’t swim, Sam
jumps in the water, and Frodo is forced to rescue his flailing friend and pull him
aboard. Once safe, Sam reminds Frodo that he made a promise never to leave him. On
the water’s opposite side, Sam and Frodo climb a mountain and spot Mordor in the
distance.
Bilbo Baggins throws a party for himself and his protégé, Frodo. At
the party, Bilbo announces that he is leaving his home to his heir,
Frodo. He returns home and is met by his close friend, the wizard
Gandalf. Gandalf insists that Bilbo remove the Ring that he has
owned since the events of the previous adventure, chronicled in The
Hobbit, and give the ring to his young heir. The Ring has special
powers, the most obvious of which is to make the wearer invisible.
Then Bilbo disappears.

For many years Frodo lives in Bilbo’s home at Bag End. Just like
Bilbo, Frodo appears not to he aged. In his fifties, he grows restless.
One day Gandalf comes to Frodo and tells him that he is in danger.
It seems that the Ring originally belonged to Sauron, the Dark Lord.
Sauron wants the Ring back so that he can conquer the world.
Sauron is using Gollum, an evil hobbit who also wants the Ring, to
+find out who has it and where it can be located. Gandalf tells Frodo
that the ring is a corrupting power, and that anyone who uses it will
ultimately be destroyed by it if they do not part with it. Further, he
tells Frodo that the Ring can only be destroyed by tossing it into a
volcano at Mount Orodruin. Frodo tries to give the ring to Gandalf,
but the wizard tells him that he (Frodo) was chosen to bear the
responsibility; it is his fate.

It is decided that Frodo will take the ring to the Crack of Doom in
Mount Orodruin. He is to be accompanied by his friends Sam,
Merry, and Pippin. As they travel, the Black Riders of Sauron pursue
them. The Black Riders are bodiless horsemen who want the Ring.
The travelers meet up with Aragorn, a friend of Gandalf, and
together they continue their journey with the aid of some new
companions.

Gandalf leads the companions through the mines of Moria. Gandalf

battles a dreadful spirit and falls into an abyss. Aragorn becomes the
leader. After many small battles, the company realizes their task will
be very difficult. They meet Lady Galadriel, of the elves, and are
given some assistance. Boromir, a representative from Gondor, tries
to persuade Frodo to give him the Ring to take to his father and thus
defeat their enemies. Frodo refuses and the two men fight. Frodo
must use the Ring to escape Boromir. Boromir is instantly sorry he
has been overcome by the allure of power. Frodo decides to travel
alone, fearful of the consequences of his friends being corrupted.
Only faithful Sam is allowed to accompany him.

Boromir is killed and given a hero’s burial; everyone knows he

never meant to fight Frodo. They attribute his sudden corruption to
the Ring. Orcs attack and Merry and Pippin are taken captive.
Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas pursue them, trying to save their
companions. The riders of Rohan appear, having been summoned
to help. They destroy the orcs near Fangorn forest but cannot find
Merry and Pippin. Merry and Pippin have come into the area
inhabited by Treebeard the Ent. He is the oldest living thing in the
forest. He sustains them and rouses his troops to avenge the
hobbits.
Meanwhile, Gandalf has come back from death as Gandalf the
White. He approaches Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas and tells them
what has happened to him. He introduces them to King Theoden of
Edoras. Together Gandalf and his men join Theoden in fighting the
orcs and looking for Merry and Pippin. Along the way they defeat
Saruman, who has been causing trouble and impeding Frodo in his
quest.

Sam and Frodo are still making their way to the Crack of Doom.
Gollum, who still craves the Ring, follows them. They capture
Gollum and try to persuade him to forsake his evil and return to his
old likable self as the character Smeagol. The three make their way
through the forest until they are met by an army from Gondor, led
by Faramir (Boromir’s brother).

When Faramir releases them, Gollum leads Sam and Frodo into a
trap--the lair of the giant spider Shelob. Frodo is wounded so badly
that Sam fears he is dead. Gollum disappears. Sam decides to take
the Ring and continue on in order to destroy it and fulfil Frodo’s
responsibility. Orcs come along and steal Frodo’s lifeless body. By
listening to the orcs, Sam discovers that Frodo is not dead but is
merely drugged. He pursues them to save his good friend.

Gandalf and Pippin arrive in Gondor, where they meet Denethor

(Boromir and Faramir’s father). Pippin is befriended by Beregond.
Aragorn has revealed himself to Sauron and decides to travel ahead
through the Paths of the Dead in order to reach Sauron quickly and
thereby assist Frodo and Sam. Eowyn, niece of Theoden, begs to be
taken along but Aragorn refuses. He goes to the Paths of the Dead
and offers the dead peace if they will fulfill their promise to fight
against Sauron.

Merry is not allowed to accompany Theoden into battle, but the

resourceful young hobbit hitches a ride with a fierce young soldier
named Dernhelm.

Theoden, meanwhile, receives an urgent message to help Denethor

at Minas Tirith. He refuses to let Merry join him, but Merry is
offered a ride by a young rider named Dernhelm. Denethor is
displeased with his younger son Faramir for having helped the Ring
bearer rather than claiming the Ring for Gondor. He sends his son
into battle, and when Faramir is seriously wounded, his repentant
father goes mad with grief. He tries to set himself and his son’s body
on fire.

The story continues with the ride of the Rohirrim, allies of Gondor.
They are attacked by Nazguls. Theoden falls beneath his wounded
horse, but the young rider Dernhelm reveals himself as the fir
Eowyn and kills the Lord of the Nazguls. Aragorn, meanwhile, rides
into Gondor with the help of the forces of the dead and Sauron’s evil
minions are defeated.

Gandalf removes Faramir from the funeral pyre, but Denethor sets
himself alight and dies. Merry and Pippin are reunited and Aragorn
heals Merry, Eowyn and Faramir. The army then moves out to
Mordor, where an emissary of Sauron produces Frodo’s cloak and
sword saying that if the troops do not withdraw, Frodo will be
tortured. Gandalf snatches the objects from him and another war
begins. Pippin saves Beregond from a troll, but faints just as the
eagles come to their rescue.

Sam rescues Frodo and they make their way toward Mount Doom.
Gollum, however, overtakes them and just as Frodo comes to the
Cracks of Doom, Gollum obtains the Ring biting off his finger.
Gollum is so excited about having the Ring back that he falls into the
abyss, carrying the Ring with him. Mount Doom erupts with the
force of the destroyed Ring. Sauron is defeated for good.

The eagles rescue Sam and Frodo from the erupting volcano.
Faramir woos Eowyn Arwen marries Aragorn. The company then
goes to Rohan for Theoden’s funeral, and then Gandalf and the
hobbits begin their homeward journey. The meet Saruman, who is
unrepentant, then make their way to Rivendell, where they meet
Bilbo. After this the hobbits reach the Shire, which has been
completely transformed by Saruman and his servants. It is a barren
military wasteland. The Shire hobbits manage to regain control and
defeat Saruman. They restore the Shire with some help from Lady
Galadriel.

The novel ends with Frodo’s retirement. Elrond, Gandalf and

Galadriel accompany him and Bilbo to the Grey Havens. Sam, Merry
and Pippin return to live a full life in Hobbiton.