In today’s modern society women are of equal rights to men, but back all the way through the centuries ago their rights were not always like this. In battle circumstances, women were sent to a safe place to look after the children, while men went off to fight. Hardly anyone spoke out against this during those times because they did not think of anything else which they would do. It was their natural role. But many women were strong and bold, and just as capable a fighter as men were. There are examples of this is various movies and books. One story which this is included slightly in is The Lord of the Rings. Although women are not that important in the books, they are viewed quite differently in the films.
As many know, in the books there are not a lot of central women characters. Some are just there because of their connections, for example Arwen is only mentioned in the books at all because of her tie to Aragorn. In the films though, it is a very different story, female characters are given more of a dominant role, in a film which would otherwise be all-males. I bet the female LOTR fans don’t object to that though!
Éowyn
One of the dominant female characters is Éowyn. She is described in the movie as a Daughter of Kings, a Shieldmaiden of Rohan and the White Lady. It is possibly the biggest female role, so it is natural that she obtains quite a few hours of screen time, more so than she does in the book, in fact. Peter Jackson had the logical reason that Éowyn was such a strong and complex character that it would be a shame not to expose the audience to her full potential. And he was correct in his decision; Éowyn is viewed in the films as a tough, confident woman who can take on any challenge. But was she viewed this way in the books? The book Éowyn is more interpreted as a strong, capable woman on the inside. She doesn’t need physical strength, for her strength lies within. But when she begins to ‘fade’ and she begins to feel ‘caged’, she is weaker and it shows on the outside. In the movies, this is told through Gríma Wormtongue’s lines after Théodred’s death and Éomer’s departure:
“Who knows what you have spoken to, in the bitter watches of the night, when all your life seems to shrink? The walls of your bower, closing in about you. A hutch to trammel some wild thing. So fair so cold, like a morning of pale spring still clinging to winter’s chill.”
These lines are partly taken from what Gandalf remarks about Éowyn while she is lying in the Houses of Healing, in The Return of the King books. But in the films this quote is given to the slimy Gríma Wormtongue and he delivers it in a very convincing way. Even the woman in question almost falls into his trap of words. But she pulls out at the right moment and answers with, “Your words are poison.” Quite right, they are poison, and this moment when Éowyn almost gives in, but then doesn’t, is quite a nice. She storms off angrily and then sees the flag of Rohan fly away. It is quite clear that she is despairing, seeing the country which she grew up in falling into disarray because of her uncle, and because of what Wormtongue has said to him. This shows that she feels passionately and strongly about her country, and that she would protect it and fight for it, which she does, indeed, in ROTK the movie.
Arwen
Arwen Undómiel. Evenstar of her people. Descendant of Lúthien. Elven princess of Imladris. Now why was it that such a person was given such a small role in the books, but such a huge one in the films? Many Tolkien purists despise the role she is given in the films, because it is such a difference from the books! The main reason is because of how Peter Jackson cast the role of Arwen. Liv Tyler was brought in to play Arwen and she does have a certain elegance, a certain atmosphere, something about her that is not ‘human’, but rather serene and elflike, as is her beauty. One could not cast such an actress and then give her a small role in such a massive epic as The Lord of the Rings! But are there differences between film Arwen and book Arwen? Well…a lot!
As said before, Arwen is only mentioned in the books one or two times, and only because of her love for Aragorn (save for the appendix which tells the story of Arwen and Aragorn). And even these instances appear only a moment or two, before the scene shifts to another focus. Here is an example of one such mention of Arwen:
“Then the King welcomed his guests, and they alighted; and Elrond surrendered the scepter, and laid the hand of his daughter in the hand of the King, and together they went up into the High City, and all the stars flowered in the sky. And Aragorn the King Elessar wedded Arwen Undómiel in the City of Kings upon the day of Midsummer, and the tale of their long waiting and labours was come to fulfilment.”
As you can see from the excerpt above, there is only a brief mention of her, again because of Aragorn. Naturally in the appendices there is more room to add bits of everyone’s story that wouldn’t ‘fit’ in the book, so that is why the Tale of Arwen Undómiel and Aragorn is in there. It just adds a bit of back-story. But the truth of the matter is Arwen was a ‘background’ character in Tolkien’s books, yet in the films she is quite an important one.
When Frodo is wounded by the Witch-king and Aragorn needs to get him to Rivendell as quick as is humanly possible, out pops Arwen from the middle of nowhere with a solution: she will take him. Many, many Tolkien purists are outraged at this, as Arwen is ‘stealing’ Glorfindel’s role. However, Peter Jackson felt this was a acceptable substitution and that it would be all right in terms of plot and reasoning. It did not please some Tolkien fans though. But some may ask, well, why did he choose to have Arwen in the films in the first place, Glorfindel wasn’t! As said it was mainly because of Liv Tyler’s appearance and the atmosphere that she brought to the role of this beautiful elf princess. One thing that is certain is that the director had to take a lot of complains from fans because of it. When Arwen rides through the Fords of Bruinen and the Black Riders follow her, she shows her strength through her bravery. She stands firm and is level headed and summons the spell, which washes them away, down the river. Most fans, including me, think that it is more her courage and wisdom that should show through, rather than her strength and bravery. She is courageous because she stays in Middle-earth, leaving her family behind, but in turn gaining a new one with Aragorn. When he passes away, she too ends her life on earth because she cannot go on, essentially she cannot live without him. This is what makes her strong, because her heart cannot be swayed from its calling, no matter if she has to give up that which is most important to her.
Galadriel
Another dominant female character is the Lady Galadriel. She is wise, powerful and beautiful. She is one of the most dominant elves in the story. Renowned for her telepathic mind games and wisdom, she aids the Fellowship by presenting them with gifts and also words to ease their minds, and, in Frodo’s case, with a glimpse of that which could be if he failed. Through this she shows that she is strong and wise and elegant, but the film also shows another side to Galadriel. She is no longer the Lady of Light, but the dark elf under the power of the seduction of the Ring.
‘In place of a Dark Lord you would have a Queen, not dark but beautiful and terrible as the dawn. Treacherous as the sea! Stronger than the foundations of the Earth! As shall love me and despair!”
This is a different Galadriel we are seeing, she is now power hungry in some ways. She believes that she could take the place of Lord Sauron if she should gain the One Ring from Frodo. Even the light, which surrounds her, is then strange and ‘twilighty’. But she essentially ‘snaps out of it’ and says, “I pass the test. I will diminish and go into the West, and remain Galadriel.” The fact that she rejects this idea of the Ring under her power shows that she is indeed as strong and wise as she is famed for being. She doesn’t show physical strength, but emotional and mental. She doesn’t need to pick up a sword to show her strength, as many others do, so unnecessarily. Galadriel was always an important character in the books and that remains in the films. Her gifts to the Fellowship help them enormously on their travels and it is as if she knows exactly what they need for their individual journeys ahead.
All of these women are portrayed very differently in the books and films, but all of them add a certain touch to the film which makes it better than it would be without them. Some may argue the importance of, say, Arwen’s love for Aragorn, some may argue that Éowyn was portrayed wrongly in the film, and others that Galadriel almost gave in to the Ring. Although the importance of women in Middle-earth is underestimated, in the films they are shown to be just as strong as men! And that is correct. After all, Lord of the Rings is a very male-centered story, so I think that every once in a while it is nice to see a dominant female character appear. And that is what they were there for!
by arwen_the_evenstar
