Boromir
Boromir | |
---|---|
Man | |
Title |
|
Affiliation | Fellowship of the Ring |
Family |
|
Home | Gondor |
Boromir is a fictional character in
Boromir is portrayed as a noble character who believed passionately in the greatness of his kingdom and fought indomitably for it. His great stamina and physical strength, together with a forceful and commanding personality, made him a widely admired commander in Gondor's army and the favourite of his father Denethor. As a member of the Fellowship, his desperation to save his country ultimately drove him to betray his companions and attempt to seize the Ring, but he was redeemed by his repentance and brave last stand.
Commentators have remarked on Boromir's vainglory and desire for the Ring. They have compared him both to other proud Tolkien characters such as
Boromir appears in animated and live-action films of Lord of the Rings, and in radio and television versions.
Appearances
Boromir is the son of
In response to prophetic dreams that came to Faramir and later to himself, Boromir claimed the quest of riding to Rivendell. His journey lasted a hundred and eleven days, and he travelled through "roads forgotten" to reach Rivendell, though, as he said, "few knew where it lay".[T 3] Boromir lost his horse while crossing the Greyflood and travelled the rest of the way on foot.[T 4]
The Fellowship of the Ring
In
Boromir accompanied the Fellowship south from Rivendell. Before departing, he sounded the Horn of Gondor, saying he "would not go forth like a thief into the night". On the journey south, he questioned the wisdom of their leader
The Fellowship then passed under the mountains through the caverns of
Boromir had always planned to go to Minas Tirith, and despite the consensus reached at Rivendell that the Ring must be destroyed in Mordor, he urged the Fellowship to accompany him to Minas Tirith before going on to Mordor.
True-hearted
Men, they will not be corrupted. We of Minas Tirith have been staunch through long years of trial. We do not desire the power of wizard-lords, only strength to defend ourselves, strength in a just cause. And behold! In our need chance brings to light the Ring of Power. It is a gift, I say; a gift to the foes of Mordor. It is mad not to use it, to use the power of the Enemy against him. The fearless, the ruthless, these alone will achieve victory. What could not a warrior do in this hour, a great leader? What could not Aragorn do? Or if he refuses, why not Boromir? The Ring would give me power of Command. How I would drive the hosts of Mordor, and all men would flock to my banner![T 10]
After seeing that Frodo was unconvinced, Boromir half begged, half commanded him to at least lend the Ring, and when Frodo still refused, Boromir leaped to seize it. Frodo vanished by putting on the Ring and fled, intending to continue the quest alone. Boromir, realizing his betrayal, immediately repented of his actions and wept. Searching unsuccessfully for Frodo, he told the Fellowship of Frodo's disappearance, though not of his own misdeeds. The hobbits in a frenzy scattered to look for Frodo. Aragorn, suspecting Boromir's part in Frodo's flight, ordered him to follow and protect
The Two Towers
Fighting to defend Merry and Pippin, Boromir was mortally wounded by orc-arrows. In Pippin's words:[T 11]
Then Boromir had come leaping through the trees. He had made them fight. He slew many of them and the rest fled. But they had not gone far on the way back when they were attacked again, by a hundred Orcs at least, some of them very large, and they shot a rain of arrows: always at Boromir. Boromir had blown his great horn till the woods rang, and at first the Orcs had been dismayed and had drawn back; but when no answer but the echoes came, they had attacked more fiercely than ever. Pippin did not remember much more. His last memory was of Boromir leaning against a tree, plucking out an arrow; then darkness fell suddenly.[T 11]
Blasts from Boromir's horn alerted Aragorn, but he came too late to prevent the hobbits' capture. As Boromir lay dying, he remorsefully confessed to attempting to take the Ring from Frodo. He urged Aragorn to save Minas Tirith, as he himself has failed. Aragorn reassured him that he had not failed, that indeed "few have gained such a victory". Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas placed Boromir's body in one of their Elven boats, with his sword, belt, cloak, broken horn, and the weapons of his slain foes about him. They set the boat adrift in the river toward the Falls of Rauros, singing the "Lament of the Winds" as his funeral song.[T 12]
Three days later, Faramir, to his and their father's great grief, saw the boat bearing his dead brother floating down the River.[T 13]
Names and titles
Boromir is the son and heir apparent of Denethor, the ruling Steward of Gondor. Appendix A calls him "Captain of the White Tower",[T 14] while Faramir called him "High Warden of the White Tower" and "our Captain-General".[T 15]
Boromir was described by Tolkien as a name "of mixed form";
Interpretation
Morality
Boromir's desire for the Ring has been described as well-intentioned but uninformed by the potential danger. His perception of Middle-earth is biased by a belief that divine powers have chosen Gondor to lead the fight against evil.
In Christian terms, Boromir atones for his assault on Frodo by single-handedly but vainly defending Merry and Pippin from orcs,[6] which illustrates the Catholic theme of the importance of good intention, especially at the point of death. This is clear from Gandalf's statement:[6][3] "But he [Boromir] escaped in the end.... It was not in vain that the young hobbits came with us, if only for Boromir's sake."[T 19]
Boromir has been likened to other Tolkien characters such as Fëanor or Túrin Turambar who display vainglorious excess, a trait in leaders that Tolkien despised.[7] The character of Boromir has been compared to the legendary medieval hero Roland. Both blow a horn in the distress of battle and both are eventually killed in the wilderness while defending their companions, although Roland is portrayed as blameless and heroic throughout. Further, Roland's death gives the appearance of signalling the end of the ruling dynasty.[2]
Boat-funeral
The
Scyld Scefing 's funeral |
Translation[9] | "Departure of Boromir" (prose)[T 12] |
---|---|---|
þær wæs madma fela of feorwegum frætwa gelæded; ne hyrde ic cymlicor ceol gegyrwan hildewæpnum ond heaðowædum, billum ond byrnum; him on bearme læg madma mænigo, þa him mid scoldon on flodes æht feor gewitan. |
There was much treasure from faraway ornaments brought not heard I of more nobly a ship prepared war-weapons and war-armour sword and mail; on his lap lay treasures many then with him should on floods' possession far departed. |
Now they laid Boromir in the middle of the boat that was to bear him away. The grey hood and elven-cloak they folded and placed beneath his head. They combed his long dark hair and arrayed it upon his shoulders. The golden belt of Lórien gleamed about his waist. His helm they set beside him, and across his lap they laid the cloven horn and the hilts and shards of his sword; beneath his feet they put the swords of his enemies. |
Portrayal in adaptations
In both Ralph Bakshi's 1978 animated film and in the subsequent BBC Radio serial, Boromir is played by Michael Graham Cox.[11][12]
Boromir is played by Carl-Kristian Rundman in the 1993 Finnish miniseries Hobitit.[13]
In Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, Boromir is played by Sean Bean. His line "One does not simply walk into Mordor" became famous enough for Bean to comment that the "one does not simply" meme (with variant endings) would "probably be my unintended legacy".[14] In a departure from the structure of Tolkien's book, Boromir's death is shown at the end of The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), instead of being related at the beginning of The Two Towers.[15][T 12]
In
In The Return of the King (2003), Boromir appears in the theatrical version during a brief flashback as Pippin remembers his heroic self-sacrifice. In the Extended Edition of the film, Boromir appears briefly when Denethor looks at Faramir and imagines for a moment that he sees Boromir walking towards him, smiling.[17]
References
Primary
- ^ Tolkien 1955, Appendix B, "The Tale of Years", "The Third Age", entries from 2976 to 2988
- ^ Tolkien 1955, book 5, ch. 1 "Minas Tirith"
- ^ a b Tolkien 1954a, book 2, ch. 2, "The Council of Elrond"
- ^ a b Tolkien 1954a book 2, ch. 8, "Farewell to Lórien"
- ^ Tolkien 1954a book 2, ch. 3, "The Ring Goes South"
- ^ Tolkien 1954a book 2, ch. 4, "A Journey in the Dark"
- ^ Tolkien 1954a book 2, ch. 5, "The Bridge of Khazad-Dum"
- ^ Tolkien 1954a book 2, ch. 6, "Lothlórien"
- ^ Tolkien 1954a book 2, ch. 9, "The Great River"
- ^ a b c Tolkien 1954a book 2, ch. 10, "The Breaking of the Fellowship"
- ^ a b Tolkien 1954, book 3, ch. 1 "The Uruk-hai"
- ^ a b c d Tolkien 1954, book 3, ch. 1 "The Departure of Boromir"
- ^ Tolkien 1955, book 4, ch. 5 "The Window on the West"
- ^ Tolkien 1955, Appendix A: part I, iv. "Gondor and the Heirs of Anarion"
- ^ Tolkien 1954, book 4, ch. 4 "Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit".
- ^ a b Tolkien 1955, Appendix F: part I, "Of Men" note 1
- The Etymologies", entries BOR- and MIR-.
- ^ Tolkien 1977, ch. 17 "Of the Coming of Men into the West"
- ^ Tolkien 1954, book 3, ch. 5 "The White Rider"
- ^ Tolkien 1987, ch. 2 "The Fall of Numenor"
Secondary
- ISBN 3-404-20476-X.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-415-96942-0.
- ^ ISBN 978-0802824974.
- ^ ISBN 978-3-11-024720-6.
- ^ Shippey 2005, p. 156.
- ^ a b Olar, Jared L. (July 2002). "The Gospel According to J.R.R. Tolkien". Grace and Knowledge (12).
- ISBN 978-0-9816607-1-4.
- S2CID 163015967. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2020-02-26.
- ^ a b Hall, Mark F. (2006). "The Theory and Practice of Alliterative Verse in the Work of J.R.R. Tolkien". Mythlore. 25 (1). Article 4.
- ^ ISBN 978-1403946713.
- ISBN 978-1-56976-222-6.
- ^ "Riel Radio Theatre — The Lord of the Rings, Episode 2". Radioriel. 15 January 2009. Archived from the original on 18 August 2020. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
- ^ "Carl-Kristian Rundman". Nordic Drama. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
- ^ Hooton, Christopher (5 November 2015). "Sean Bean acknowledges that 'one does not simply' meme is his legacy". The Independent. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
- ^ "Lord of the Rings: Sean Bean on why Boromir is his favorite onscreen death". EW. 20 April 2017. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
- ^ Stauffer, Derek (10 August 2017). "Lord Of The Rings: 15 Deleted Scenes You Won't Believe Were Cut". ScreenRant. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
- ^ a b Rilstone, Andrew (7 February 2005). "I just realised that I haven't written a review of Lord of the Rings in over a fortnight..." The Life and Opinions of Andrew Rilstone. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
Sources
- ISBN 978-0261102750.
- OCLC 9552942.
- OCLC 1042159111.
- OCLC 519647821.
- ISBN 978-0-395-25730-2.
- ISBN 0-395-45519-7.