What I Don't Understand

about the Return of the King is why Arwen's fate and health was linked to Sauron's power. How did that happen, and why, and what caused it, and was there something I missed in the movies that explained this link and why there was some kind of peculiar sensitivity in her that was not in anyone else?

Comments

[A. Rickey]

Wait for the special extended edition DVD, would be my guess. ;)

[Prof. Bainbridge]

My cynical self says that Jackson needed some justification for giving Liv Tyler more screen time. He consistently ramped up the Arwen role over the books in all three movies for the "necessary" love story.

Within the four corners of the movies, I don't think there is an explicit explanation. My theory, for what it's worth, is that Arlen gave up the grace of the Valar during the scene in Two Towers when she brings Aragorn back to life (or, at least, consiousness) after he falls off the cliff. When she confirms her choice to become mortal by coming back to Rivendell in Return of the King, her fate was somehow linked to Aragorn. If he failed, she died. If not, they got the happy ending. Or something like that.

Cheers, Steve

[Michael Toy]

i'm not the biggest LOTR geek in the world, but i am a pretty big one.

in the movie (not in the book), aragorn is a character who is unsure of himself. he is comfortable being a ranger, but growing up in elrond's house, he learned from an early age from elrond that all men are flawed and weak and he especially comes from a line which is flawed and weak, since elrond is collosally bitter about isildur's choice at the cracks of doom.

and so we have an aragorn who is the rightful king of gondor, but who will not claim that kingship.

changes from the book don't bother me, if they are well done. this one started out well, and then fizzled. in the first movie, it was interesting to me, i was intrigued by this new way of looking at aragorn and was looking forward, in the next six hours of film, to seeing this character make a journey, to realize that he could be king and wasn't doomed to repeat his father's mistakes. there was even a really beautiful step or two in that direction in aragorn's interaction with boromir in lothlorien and at boromir's death.

unfortunately, they just completely dropped that in the next movie, and so, they invent this weird "arwen is the land" plot device so that aragorn will have a reason to decide to be king.

the reason they didn't give an explanation is that they didn't have one. it was weak. i'm afraid to see the extended edition, because i fear i will see an attempt at a justification, at the expense of screen time spent on more important questions (what happened to suaraman).

ok, i've geeked out enough i guess.

[anonymous]

i dont have an explanation either. but i think that originally arwen was going to bring anduril and pj and co. got scared of those purists (and i will say that for a character whom tolkien obviously cared a great deal about, many purists seem to hate her getting any screen time to tell her story!)and, without thinking much, threw together this arwen dying thing to keep her away from any strenuous riding or sword carrying and have daddy (ridiculously in my opinion) bring anduril to aragorn. arwen's being on the brink of death couse of sauron is jus a lil too disney to me. arwen at helms deep MISTAKE. arwen bringing anduril and MAYBE going to paths of the dead and pellenor, justifiable.