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martasficTitle: Pride and Despair: A Defense of Ecthelion's Son - Part IV
Rating: Teen
Warning(s): discussion of mature concepts
Summary: Denethor is one of the most-criticized characters in Tolkien fandom. Movie-inspired fanons have certainly not done him any favors, but he is disliked and even hated by fans who had read the books long before the movies came out. In this essay I attempt to address some of the most common criticisms against him, and develop a biography of what his life might have been like.
(Read other parts here.)
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As early as the "Minas Tirith" chapter of The Lord of the Rings, some of Denethor's faults are attributed to his use of the palantír. Beregond tells Pippin,
Beregond obviously never mentions the palantír, because not many Gondorians knew about that relic. But even he thinks that Denethor has been warring with Sauron mentally, and that this has worn him down. Gandalf speaks even more plainly on the subject:
Gandalf speaks this quote to Beregond and the other guardsmen after Denethor kills himself in Rath Dínen. The wizard attributes Denethor's madness to a "despair of his heart," which the knowledge Denethor gained through the palantír contributed to. The question remained, however, whether Denethor should have foreseen the affect that the palantír knowledge would have on him.
If Denethor should have known that the palantír would drive him to madness, then perhaps we should view the pyre as akin to drunk driving. Imagine someone goes out drinking in a bar with his friends and takes no precautious to keep himself from driving home. He drives to the bar, doesn't give his keys to a sober friend, nothing like that. Then he drives home, and on the way home he gets into an accident and kills someone. This drunk driver was not responsible for what he did while drunk, but he is responsible for placing himself in a situation where he would lose control, and not taking reasonable precautions (like giving his keys to a friend and taking a cab home). If the analogy holds for Denethor, then Denethor was not responsible for what he did in his madness, but he would be responsible for choosing to use the palantír and driving himself to madness.
But that's a big "if." It's true that not many of the stewards used the palantír. Tolkien writes,
HOWEVER! In the Unfinished Tales essay "The Palantíri," Tolkien also makes the point that Denethor never intended to confront Sauron. He writes,
Later in the same essay Tolkien writes:
So the palantír were meant to be used by the heirs of Elendil (i.e. Aragorn), but could also legitimately be used by Denethor, who was not only governing Gondor in the name of Elendil's heirs, but also had inherited his power rather than seizing it. He had the right to use the palantír if he decided to do so, and he surely never intended to encounter Sauron.
Considering the case of the one other man we know met with Sauron via the palantír: Orthanc. The first time Aragorn appears after that meeting Tolkien writes,
Afterwards, Aragorn defends his use of the stone to Gimli, Legolas, and Halbarad by saying:
To compare: Aragorn purposefully used the palantír to contact Sauron, had one brief meeting, and was so changed by the encounter that Merry noticed the difference immediately. Denethor had several encounters with Sauron via the palantír, not always when he was expecting to meet Sauron. And Aragorn was Elendil's heir, so he should have had even more protection from Sauron than did Denethor. It is not surprising that the palantír contributed to Denethor's madness.
In case there is any doubt of Denethor's authority to use the palantír, Tolkien gives us an unequivocal statement that he was within his rights to use it:
So Denethor did not intend to fight Sauron through the palantír, like Aragorn did. Going back to our drunk driving analogy, it seems like there's an element missing: Denethor did not foresee that what he was doing (using the palantír) would lead to a loss of control. We condemn the drunk driver because he was reckless; he knew he would become inebriated and out of control, and did nothing to limit his liability to others. Denethor was not reckless in the same way. If anything, his situation is more similar to someone who has an overreaction to a new brand of cold medication, and gets into an accident because the medicine made him groggy. There's always a risk of that with a new medication, and it's a good idea to not have to drive the first time you use a new brand of medication; but we don't blame a person in this situation in the same way we would a drunk driver.
Now, perhaps Denethor was foolish to use the palantír; that was certainly Gandalf's opinion. He seems to have been motivated at least in part by desire to get knowledge to help protect Gondor. As Tolkien says in Unfinished Tales (quoted above, in the section on Denethor and Thorongil), Denethor was also motivated by a desire both to appear more knowledgeable than Aragorn and to know where Aragorn went after he left Gondor. The former reason is noble, though he probably should have found other ways to pursue that knowledge. The latter reason is more petty, but given his rivalry with Aragorn, it's pretty understandable that he would act in the way he did—right or wrong. If he was foolish, his foolishness was understandable and he paid a very heavy price for it.
Denethor's love for his eldest son Boromir is well-known. As I already discussed above ("Denethor and Finduilas"), when the writer of the appendices tells us that Denethor loved Finduilas, he implies that he loves Boromir more. And even before we meet Denethor, Tolkien has Gandalf say to Pippin,
This description points out a very important point: a big part of the reason Denethor loves Boromir is because they are unlike. I'm sure everyone has seen conflict between two rather strong-willed people, and Denethor and Faramir definitely qualify as "strong-willed"; look at the way they interact throughout the council scenes. These two men are not afraid to take each other on. I think Denethor would have found it much easier to love Boromir, whereas Faramir would have challenged him a lot more.
The key to understanding Boromir's relationship to Denethor, I think, is in the appendix's description of Boromir:
I mention this quote because it gives Boromir many of the same characteristics Faramir gives the Rohirrim:
Obviously the physical attributes don't hold because Boromir is Gondorian, but the character traits are pretty consistent. Like the Rohirrim (whom Faramir describes as "valiant"), Boromir delights in battle and contests of arms. And he is stubborn in refusing to accept what his people expect of him as the forty-year-old heir of the steward (namely, a wife and heir, and preferably a spare or two). I can see the description "bright-eyed, and strong" fitting Boromir remarkably well.
I am not suggesting that Boromir is unsophisticated, but to a man as subtle as Denethor he might have seemed a bit of a "noble savage"—valiant and stalwart, to be sure, but not as subtle and complicated as Faramir or Denethor himself was. It would have been easier to love him more whole-heartedly than Denethor loved Faramir, not because he was a better man, but because he challenged Denethor less.
For all of that love, Denethor is not as crushed by Boromir's death as he might be. I cut off Gandalf's speech to Denethor abruptly above; here is the full comment:
After Denethor has questioned Pippin about Boromir's death, he tells the servants to take Gandalf and Pippin to their lodgings, and says he will soon hold a captains' council. At this point he says:
I don't doubt that Denethor loved Boromir deeply and bitterly mourned his death. And by the time we meet him at the beginning of The Return of the King, Denethor has had a little time in which to get over his initial shock over Boromir's death. (Time filled with too many tasks and too little sleep as Gondor prepares for war, but he has had that time.) Still, he seems to be surviving his grief for Boromir fairly well. He is even able to use his grief "as a cloak," as Gandalf puts it. The death of Faramir seems to have a much more profound affect on him.
As was previously mentioned, Tolkien writes in the appendices that the only person Denethor loved more than Finduilas was Boromir. What, then, of his younger son Faramir?
First, it must be reiterated: When Denethor received words of Boromir's death, he clearly was grieving, but he was still able to use that grief "as a cloak," to use Gandalf's expression. When Faramir is injured, however, he is completely crushed, and he never recovers. Anyone who would claim that Denethor did not care for Faramir, was even hostile towards him, must explain this strange fact.
But does Denethor express that love? He's not emotive in the touchy-feely sense we often expect of modern dads. (Neither is he with Boromir, for the record.) He's not emotive. Being steward in a time of perpetual war, he may not have even spent much time with Faramir, even before Faramir went to Ithilien. However, there are subtle clues for the discerning reader. For instance, Tolkien writes of one of the captains' councils,
The importance of seating is something that is often lost on modern readers; however in a society based on the medieval feudal system, seating could be very important. The fact that Faramir sat so close to Denethor suggests affection; as a thirty-five-year-old captain from Ithilien, he probably wasn't the highest-ranked captain there, even if he was the steward's son. And the description of the low chair suggests affection to me. Imagine Faramir looking up at his father as he gave his report, so close that he may have to look a little over his shoulder; it calls to mind (for me) a son sitting at his father's knee. This is intimate, almost affectionate, though it is presented as a captain giving his report to his lord.
Gandalf's words to Faramir as he rides out to Osgiliath confirm this affection:
This is presented differently in the movies. I mention it here not to lambast movie!Faramir or movie!Denethor [8], but to draw attention to a subtlety that movie audiences may have missed. The movie scene corresponding to this passage goes as follows:
The difference between these two passages may seem subtle, but it is there. In the movie scene, Faramir interprets Gandalf's exclamations as suggesting that he should remain in Minas Tirith rather than riding to Osgiliath, and that changes the whole timbre of the conversation. In the books, Gandalf is urging him not to take needless risks because he thinks he isn't needed in Minas Tirith; he will be.
This exchange should also not be taken to mean that Faramir needs to be convinced that Denethor loves him. Rather, he may need to be reminded. The poor man has just lost his brother and is facing the fall of his kingdom, which his father has accused him of causing; even the son of the most emotive of fathers would need to be reminded that he had something to live for.
Interestingly, originally it was Faramir, not Denethor, who wanted to defend Osgiliath. Tolkien wrote:
However, to see how this issue of who pushed for the defense of Osgiliath changes the nature of Faramir's and Denethor's exchanges in "The Siege of Gondor," it is necessary to look at the captains' councils in more detail.
"The Siege of Gondor" chapter from The Lord of the Ring is the one chapter where Faramir and Denethor interact at great length before Faramir is nearly dead and Denethor is taken by madness. It also shows Denethor interacting with other Gondorians in a manner we rarely see elsewhere, at least before the pyre scene, which can hardly be taken as normal behavior for him. This chapter, therefore, contains lots of clues as to how his character could be interpreted.
To understand these council meetings, it is important to realize that (unlike in Jackson's movies) there are two scenes between Denethor and Faramir. The first includes primarily Denethor, Gandalf, and Faramir; Pippin is present but it is in his capacity as Denethor's esquire, not as a participant in the conversation. It is a bit misleading to call this exchange a council meeting since only two Gondorians are present; it reads more like a debriefing. But the scene is political; it is important to emphasize that this is not a father-son greeting between Faramir and Denethor.
At this meeting, Faramir tells Denethor and Gandalf about Frodo and about the Ring. This is an important exchange, because it tells us a good bit about Faramir's and Denethor's relationship, at the most normal as it is ever presented in canon.
Faramir's statements, however, stand in contrast to what he said to Frodo at Henneth Annûn. He says,
"'Whatever befell on the North March, you, Frodo, I doubt no longer. If hard days have made me any judge of Men's words and faces, then I may make a guess at Halflings! [...] I should now take you back to Minas Tirith to answer there to Denethor, and my life will justly be forfeit, if I now choose a course that proves ill for my city. So I will not decide in haste what is to be done.'" ("The Window on the West," The Lord of the Ring)
As is well known, Faramir decides to let Frodo and Sam go on their way to Mordor. Whether he judged correctly into this situation isn't the point; he knew that he was acting on his own authority, in fact disobeying the clear law of the land that required that strangers not be allowed to wander through Ithilien. Faramir presents himself as one wanting the steward's judgement, but Denethor is correct; Faramir would not have changed his actions if he knew Denethor's wishes. Faramir's princely attitude is dangerous; Denethor reasonably believes that Gondor cannot afford such luxuries at this time.
This exchange leads up to one of the most controversial Faramir-Denethor moments in canon. Tolkien writes,
Many people interpret this quote to imply that Denethor wants Faramir dead. But it is important to read the context carefully. When Denethor is asked whether he wishes both sons' positions had been replaced, he speaks of Boromir bringing him a "mighty gift." He also refers to Boromir not being a "wizard's pupil," pointing to the fact that Denethor sees Faramir as caring too much for what Gandalf thinks. However, this "wizard's pupil" jab also points to Denethor's earlier debate with Gandalf over whether the Ring should have been brought to Gondor (which I did not quote because it has to do with Denethor's relationship with Gandalf rather than with Faramir). Connected with the comment that Boromir would have brought the Ring to Gondor, it seems clear that Denethor is speaking of the Ring, not of Boromir's death.
Compare this to the movie version of this conversation:
This movie!verse scene makes the point explicit point that Denethor wishes Faramir had died and Boromir had lived; this is simply not the way that Tolkien wrote the scene. And even if Tolkien's Denethor had preferred that, it would have been a far cry from wanting Faramir dead. Denethor is a politician, and a good leader, and he has been conditioned by years of experience to evaluate situations methodically. He recognizes that his sons may die, for they are soldiers in a war; and just because he would choose one over the other, that does not mean that he wishes one of his sons was dead.
Tolkien makes his intent clearer in an earlier draft of this scene:
Tolkien corrects his thinking in a note about this draft, writing,
"The early conversation of Faramir and his father and motives must be altered. Denethor must be harsh. He must say he did wish Boromir had been at Henneth Annûn—for he would have been loyal to his father and brought him the Ring. (Gandalf may correct this.) Faramir grieved but patient. Then Denethor must be all for holding Osgiliath 'like Boromir did', while Faramir (and Gandalf?) are against it, using the arguments previously given to Denethor. At length in submission, but proudly, to please his father and show him that not only Boromir was brave [he] accepts the command at Osgiliath. Men in the City do not like it.
"This will not only be truer to previous situation, but will explain Denethor's breaking up when Faramir is brought back dying, as it seems." (note on "The Siege of Gondor," Histories of Middle-earth Vol. VIII)
Reading both the original draft and Tolkien's explanation of why he changed the conversation the way he did, it seems clear that he did not make these changes because he felt it truer to the two men's characters, but because it is truer to the "situation" (with the bonus that it justifies Denethor being even more regretful later on). As a writer, I know that I often have original characters that I want to make them do one thing, but a situation requires another type of reaction. I can see Tolkien struggling with a similar situation here with his characters; he wants to give Faramir and Denethor that father-son moment, but recognizes that in this particular situation it would not "fit."
At the very least, it is clear that the switch Denethor wishes for is with regard to which brother would be at Henneth Annûn, not at Amôn Hen.
One other thing that is often misunderstood about the council scenes is the motive behind defending Osgiliath. As was mentioned above, this wasn't always Denethor's idea. It certainly wasn't fought by Faramir out of some sort of misplaced loyalty to his brother's memories. Tolkien writes in an early outline of this chapter,
From this passage it seems clear that Denethor wants to defend Minas Tirith and wait for his allies to arrive; while Faramir is the one that supports a more offensive war beyond Minas Tirith's walls. His reasoning becomes clearer in one of Tolkien's actual drafts of "The Siege of Gondor":
Faramir encourages the defense of the various passings of the River, but not for personal reasons. The Defense seems to make good tactical sense to him. And as captain of Ithilien, he would know that the passage of the River was deadly. This is a tactical disagreement between captain and lord, not a father sending his unloved son to his death or a son trying to earn his father's love.
If "The Siege of Gondor" required examination to avoid misunderstanding, that is a small matter compared to "The Pyre of Denethor." Here is where Denethor loses hope entirely and where he does his worst deeds. He tries to kill his son and succeeds in killing himself, in a most dishonorable way; and through these acts he keeps Gandalf from being able to fight the Witch-king, resulting in the death of Théoden.
These are hard issues to grapple with. For those readers that pity Denethor rather than despise him at this point in the story, Denethor's final speeches and actions can be heartbreakingly beautiful and tragic; to other readers less disposed to the Steward, they can be simply infuriating.
To understand what happens in the Pyre, we must first look at what Denethor does after Faramir returns from the defense of Osgiliath. Tolkien writes,
This silence on Denethor's part is heart-rending in its own way. Denethor, the man who has had an answer for every question or challenge put to him since we met him. He uses his grief over Boromir to find out more information about the Fellowship, but when confronted by the possibility that Faramir has died, he is speechless. And he takes immediate action to do what he can to save Faramir:
There are (at least!) two ways to read this passage. It's possible that Denethor is so unaffected by Faramir's injury that he goes on to carry on business as usual. But that doesn't fit with Denethor's earlier shock. I think it more likely that Denethor is doing battle on behalf of his son. It's clear from later passages that he is using the palantír, which we know gives him long sight. Denethor's strength is built on having information. Perhaps Denethor hopes to find out what has happened to Faramir so that he can be treated and saved. Perhaps he even wants to know what purpose Sauron has in this attack, and so wants to confront Sauron directly. In any event, the confrontation breaks Denethor:
Tolkien later writes of Denethor's vigil,
It has often been said that, if Denethor was mad during the pyre episode, it was madness brought on by the palantír—and so madness of his own making. And that was certainly part of it. But the madness began with grief and remorse for a decision made in a hard situation. This is the pay-off of the change Tolkien made in the council chamber, having Faramir ride to defend Osgiliath on Denethor's order rather than his own choosing. Denethor now thinks that he has sent his son to his death.
As if that is not enough heartache to break Denethor, there is the sight he sees after leaving the White Tower for Rath Dínen. Tolkien writes,
Those of you who have grappled with grief, have you ever looked out at a dreary rain or fog and felt like the world was weeping with you? It's a powerful feeling because it seems like the whole world amplifies your grief and despair. I can easily imagine Denethor feeling just that way at this moment. The feeling of being surrounded by fire, combined with the symbolism of the withered tree, must have made him feel like his whole world was crumbling around him. If he was already in a mood where he was tempted to kill himself, such a depressing scene could really convince him that he was doing the right thing.
Once the group reaches Rath Dínen, Tolkien gives this description:
There is love, of a sort, in the way Denethor has Faramir laid with him. It is clearly a very twisted love, but at this point in time Denethor is very twisted from the man he once was, by a hard life, high expectations, decades of palantír use, mano-a-mano conflict with Sauron, and finally the deaths of his sons, particularly Faramir. And it is in a sense a narcissistic love, certainly it has a possessiveness around it. However, I think it is telling that Tolkien describes the laying of the bodies as "Faramir and his father." It is not Denethor who owns Faramir, but the opposite.
If Denethor's only goal was to prevent Faramir from being taken by orcs, and to die himself so that he would not become a slave, he could have had his servants kill them both separately. I certainly feel for Faramir, and am horrified by what it is Denethor is trying to do—yet I also understand that the impulse is born out of love and grief, and appreciate the connection between Faramir and Denethor that this choice shows.
I have referred several times to the madness of Denethor, and not (I hope) without reason. When Pippin brings Gandalf to Rath Dínen, Denethor and Gandalf have the following exchange:
This quote clearly states that Gandalf thinks Denethor's actions are attributable to madness—but also to evil? This seems undercut my point that Denethor's actions were the response of a man undone by grief and long wear. But is the evil Denethor's? After Denethor's death, he says to the guards:
This passage might be interpreted as applying only to the fighting between Beregond and the guards faithful to Denethor, but another later passage extends the point to Denethor:
Gandalf then goes on to describe the palantír. This passage seems to say that not only was the Pyre events caused by Denethor's madness but also by the Enemy's (in other words: Sauron's) affect on Denethor through the palantír. Which, as I have already argued, was an affect that Denethor did not foresee when he began using the palantír.
Rating: Teen
Warning(s): discussion of mature concepts
Summary: Denethor is one of the most-criticized characters in Tolkien fandom. Movie-inspired fanons have certainly not done him any favors, but he is disliked and even hated by fans who had read the books long before the movies came out. In this essay I attempt to address some of the most common criticisms against him, and develop a biography of what his life might have been like.
(Read other parts here.)
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IV. DENETHOR DURING THE WAR OF THE RING
Denethor and the Palantír
As early as the "Minas Tirith" chapter of The Lord of the Rings, some of Denethor's faults are attributed to his use of the palantír. Beregond tells Pippin,
"The Lord Denethor is unlike other men: he sees far. Some say that as he sits alone in his high chamber in the Tower at night, and bends his thought this way and that, he can read somewhat of the future; and that he will at times search even the mind of the Enemy, wrestling with him. And so it is that he is old, worn before his time."
Beregond obviously never mentions the palantír, because not many Gondorians knew about that relic. But even he thinks that Denethor has been warring with Sauron mentally, and that this has worn him down. Gandalf speaks even more plainly on the subject:
"In the days of his wisdom Denethor did not presume to use [the palantír], nor to challenge Sauron, knowing the limits of his own strength. But his wisdom failed: and I fear that as the peril of his realm grew he looked in the Stone and was deceived. [...] The knowledge which he obtained was, doubtless, often of service to him; yet the vision of the great might of Mordor that was shown to him fed the despair of his heart until it overthrew his mind." ("The Pyre of Denethor," The Lord of the Ring)
Gandalf speaks this quote to Beregond and the other guardsmen after Denethor kills himself in Rath Dínen. The wizard attributes Denethor's madness to a "despair of his heart," which the knowledge Denethor gained through the palantír contributed to. The question remained, however, whether Denethor should have foreseen the affect that the palantír knowledge would have on him.
If Denethor should have known that the palantír would drive him to madness, then perhaps we should view the pyre as akin to drunk driving. Imagine someone goes out drinking in a bar with his friends and takes no precautious to keep himself from driving home. He drives to the bar, doesn't give his keys to a sober friend, nothing like that. Then he drives home, and on the way home he gets into an accident and kills someone. This drunk driver was not responsible for what he did while drunk, but he is responsible for placing himself in a situation where he would lose control, and not taking reasonable precautions (like giving his keys to a friend and taking a cab home). If the analogy holds for Denethor, then Denethor was not responsible for what he did in his madness, but he would be responsible for choosing to use the palantír and driving himself to madness.
But that's a big "if." It's true that not many of the stewards used the palantír. Tolkien writes,
"It was afterwards believed that needing knowledge, but being proud, and trusting in his own strength of will, he dared to look in the palantír of the White Tower. None of the Stewards had dared to do this, nor even the kings Eärnil and Eärnur, after the fall of Minas Ithil when the palantír of Isildur came into the hands of the Enemy." (Appendix A, The Lord of the Ring)
HOWEVER! In the Unfinished Tales essay "The Palantíri," Tolkien also makes the point that Denethor never intended to confront Sauron. He writes,
"The breaking strain of Denethor's confrontation of Sauron must be distinguished from the general strain of using the Stone. The latter Denethor thought that he could endure (and not without reason); confrontation with Sauron almost certainly did not occur for many years, and was probably never originally contemplated by Denethor."
Later in the same essay Tolkien writes:
"The Stones were far more amenable to legitimate users: most of all to true 'Heirs of Elendil' (as Aragorn), but also to one with inherited authority (as Denethor), as compared to Saruman, or Sauron. It may noted that the effects were different. Saruman fell under the domination of Sauron and desired his victory, or no longer opposed it. Denethor remained steadfast in his rejection Sauron, but was made to believe that his victory was inevitable, and so fell into despair."
So the palantír were meant to be used by the heirs of Elendil (i.e. Aragorn), but could also legitimately be used by Denethor, who was not only governing Gondor in the name of Elendil's heirs, but also had inherited his power rather than seizing it. He had the right to use the palantír if he decided to do so, and he surely never intended to encounter Sauron.
Considering the case of the one other man we know met with Sauron via the palantír: Orthanc. The first time Aragorn appears after that meeting Tolkien writes,
"Merry had eyes only for Aragorn, so startling was the change that he saw in him, as if in one night many years had fallen on his head. Grim was his face, grey-hued and weary." ("The Passing of the Grey Company," The Lord of the Ring)
Afterwards, Aragorn defends his use of the stone to Gimli, Legolas, and Halbarad by saying:
"I am the lawful master of the Stone, and I had both the right and the strength to use it, or so I judged. The right cannot be doubted. The strength was enough—barely." ("The Passing of the Grey Company," The Lord of the Ring)
To compare: Aragorn purposefully used the palantír to contact Sauron, had one brief meeting, and was so changed by the encounter that Merry noticed the difference immediately. Denethor had several encounters with Sauron via the palantír, not always when he was expecting to meet Sauron. And Aragorn was Elendil's heir, so he should have had even more protection from Sauron than did Denethor. It is not surprising that the palantír contributed to Denethor's madness.
In case there is any doubt of Denethor's authority to use the palantír, Tolkien gives us an unequivocal statement that he was within his rights to use it:
"Since the Stewardship had become hereditary from 1988 onwards, so the authority to use, or again to depute the use, of the Stones, was lawfully transmitted in their line, and belonged therefore fully to Denethor." ("The Palantíri," Unfinished Tales)
So Denethor did not intend to fight Sauron through the palantír, like Aragorn did. Going back to our drunk driving analogy, it seems like there's an element missing: Denethor did not foresee that what he was doing (using the palantír) would lead to a loss of control. We condemn the drunk driver because he was reckless; he knew he would become inebriated and out of control, and did nothing to limit his liability to others. Denethor was not reckless in the same way. If anything, his situation is more similar to someone who has an overreaction to a new brand of cold medication, and gets into an accident because the medicine made him groggy. There's always a risk of that with a new medication, and it's a good idea to not have to drive the first time you use a new brand of medication; but we don't blame a person in this situation in the same way we would a drunk driver.
Now, perhaps Denethor was foolish to use the palantír; that was certainly Gandalf's opinion. He seems to have been motivated at least in part by desire to get knowledge to help protect Gondor. As Tolkien says in Unfinished Tales (quoted above, in the section on Denethor and Thorongil), Denethor was also motivated by a desire both to appear more knowledgeable than Aragorn and to know where Aragorn went after he left Gondor. The former reason is noble, though he probably should have found other ways to pursue that knowledge. The latter reason is more petty, but given his rivalry with Aragorn, it's pretty understandable that he would act in the way he did—right or wrong. If he was foolish, his foolishness was understandable and he paid a very heavy price for it.
Denethor and Boromir
Denethor's love for his eldest son Boromir is well-known. As I already discussed above ("Denethor and Finduilas"), when the writer of the appendices tells us that Denethor loved Finduilas, he implies that he loves Boromir more. And even before we meet Denethor, Tolkien has Gandalf say to Pippin,
"[Denethor] will speak most to you, and question you much, since you can tell him of his son Boromir. He loved him greatly: too much perhaps; and the more so because they were unlike." ("Minas Tirith," The Lord of the Ring)
This description points out a very important point: a big part of the reason Denethor loves Boromir is because they are unlike. I'm sure everyone has seen conflict between two rather strong-willed people, and Denethor and Faramir definitely qualify as "strong-willed"; look at the way they interact throughout the council scenes. These two men are not afraid to take each other on. I think Denethor would have found it much easier to love Boromir, whereas Faramir would have challenged him a lot more.
The key to understanding Boromir's relationship to Denethor, I think, is in the appendix's description of Boromir:
"He was a man after the sort of King Eärnur of old, taking no wife and delighting chiefly in arms; fearless and strong, but caring little for lore, save the tales of old battles." (Appendix A, The Lord of the Ring)
I mention this quote because it gives Boromir many of the same characteristics Faramir gives the Rohirrim:
"Of our lore and manners they have learned what they would, and their lords speak our speech at need; yet for the most part they hold by the ways of their own fathers and to their own memories, and they speak among themselves their own North tongue. And we love them: tall men and fair women, valiant both alike, golden-haired, bright-eyed, and strong; they remind us of the youth of Men, as they were in the Elder Days." ("The Window on the West," The Lord of the Ring)
Obviously the physical attributes don't hold because Boromir is Gondorian, but the character traits are pretty consistent. Like the Rohirrim (whom Faramir describes as "valiant"), Boromir delights in battle and contests of arms. And he is stubborn in refusing to accept what his people expect of him as the forty-year-old heir of the steward (namely, a wife and heir, and preferably a spare or two). I can see the description "bright-eyed, and strong" fitting Boromir remarkably well.
I am not suggesting that Boromir is unsophisticated, but to a man as subtle as Denethor he might have seemed a bit of a "noble savage"—valiant and stalwart, to be sure, but not as subtle and complicated as Faramir or Denethor himself was. It would have been easier to love him more whole-heartedly than Denethor loved Faramir, not because he was a better man, but because he challenged Denethor less.
For all of that love, Denethor is not as crushed by Boromir's death as he might be. I cut off Gandalf's speech to Denethor abruptly above; here is the full comment:
"[Denethor] will speak most to you, and question you much, since you can tell him of his son Boromir. He loved him greatly: too much perhaps; and the more so because they were unlike. But under cover of this love he will think it easier to learn what he wishes from you rather than from me. Do not tell him more than you need, and leave quiet the matter of Frodo's errand." ("Minas Tirith," The Lord of the Ring)
After Denethor has questioned Pippin about Boromir's death, he tells the servants to take Gandalf and Pippin to their lodgings, and says he will soon hold a captains' council. At this point he says:
"'And you, my Lord Mithrandir, shall come too, as and when you will. None shall hinder your coming to me at any time, save only in my brief hours of sleep. Let your wrath at an old man's folly run off and then return to my comfort!'
'Folly?' said Gandalf. 'Nay, my lord, when you are a dotard you will die. You can use even your grief as a cloak. Do you think that I do not understand your purpose in questioning for an hour one who knows the least, while I sit by?'" ("Minas Tirith," The Lord of the Ring)
I don't doubt that Denethor loved Boromir deeply and bitterly mourned his death. And by the time we meet him at the beginning of The Return of the King, Denethor has had a little time in which to get over his initial shock over Boromir's death. (Time filled with too many tasks and too little sleep as Gondor prepares for war, but he has had that time.) Still, he seems to be surviving his grief for Boromir fairly well. He is even able to use his grief "as a cloak," as Gandalf puts it. The death of Faramir seems to have a much more profound affect on him.
Denethor and Faramir
As was previously mentioned, Tolkien writes in the appendices that the only person Denethor loved more than Finduilas was Boromir. What, then, of his younger son Faramir?
First, it must be reiterated: When Denethor received words of Boromir's death, he clearly was grieving, but he was still able to use that grief "as a cloak," to use Gandalf's expression. When Faramir is injured, however, he is completely crushed, and he never recovers. Anyone who would claim that Denethor did not care for Faramir, was even hostile towards him, must explain this strange fact.
But does Denethor express that love? He's not emotive in the touchy-feely sense we often expect of modern dads. (Neither is he with Boromir, for the record.) He's not emotive. Being steward in a time of perpetual war, he may not have even spent much time with Faramir, even before Faramir went to Ithilien. However, there are subtle clues for the discerning reader. For instance, Tolkien writes of one of the captains' councils,
"When Faramir had taken white bread and drunk a draught of wine, he sat upon a low chair at his father's left hand. Removed a little upon the other side sat Gandalf in a chair of carven wood." ("The Siege of Gondor," The Lord of the Ring)
The importance of seating is something that is often lost on modern readers; however in a society based on the medieval feudal system, seating could be very important. The fact that Faramir sat so close to Denethor suggests affection; as a thirty-five-year-old captain from Ithilien, he probably wasn't the highest-ranked captain there, even if he was the steward's son. And the description of the low chair suggests affection to me. Imagine Faramir looking up at his father as he gave his report, so close that he may have to look a little over his shoulder; it calls to mind (for me) a son sitting at his father's knee. This is intimate, almost affectionate, though it is presented as a captain giving his report to his lord.
Gandalf's words to Faramir as he rides out to Osgiliath confirm this affection:
"Gandalf it was that last spoke to Faramir ere he rode east. "Do not throw your life away rashly or in bitterness," he said. "You will be needed here, for other things than war. Your father loves you, Faramir, and will remember it ere the end. Farewell!" ("The Siege of Gondor," The Lord of the Ring)
This is presented differently in the movies. I mention it here not to lambast movie!Faramir or movie!Denethor [8], but to draw attention to a subtlety that movie audiences may have missed. The movie scene corresponding to this passage goes as follows:
Gandalf: Faramir! Faramir! Your father's will has turned to madness! Do not throw away your life so rashly!
Faramir: Where does my allegiance lie, if not here?
Gandalf: Your father loves you, Faramir! He will remember it before the end.
The difference between these two passages may seem subtle, but it is there. In the movie scene, Faramir interprets Gandalf's exclamations as suggesting that he should remain in Minas Tirith rather than riding to Osgiliath, and that changes the whole timbre of the conversation. In the books, Gandalf is urging him not to take needless risks because he thinks he isn't needed in Minas Tirith; he will be.
This exchange should also not be taken to mean that Faramir needs to be convinced that Denethor loves him. Rather, he may need to be reminded. The poor man has just lost his brother and is facing the fall of his kingdom, which his father has accused him of causing; even the son of the most emotive of fathers would need to be reminded that he had something to live for.
Interestingly, originally it was Faramir, not Denethor, who wanted to defend Osgiliath. Tolkien wrote:
"'The Lord drives his son too hard, and now he must do duty for the one that is dead as well.' [Added in ink: But in truth Faramir went at his own will, and he it was that most swayed the council of the captains.] The council of the Lord had decided that with the threat in the South their force was too weak to make any stroke of war on their own part. They must man the defences and wait. Yet ever Faramir had urged that their outer defences must not be abandoned, and the River was the one that the Enemy should buy most dearly." (from a draft of "The Siege of Gondor," Histories of Middle-earth Vol. VIII)
However, to see how this issue of who pushed for the defense of Osgiliath changes the nature of Faramir's and Denethor's exchanges in "The Siege of Gondor," it is necessary to look at the captains' councils in more detail.
The Council Meetings in "The Siege of Gondor"
"The Siege of Gondor" chapter from The Lord of the Ring is the one chapter where Faramir and Denethor interact at great length before Faramir is nearly dead and Denethor is taken by madness. It also shows Denethor interacting with other Gondorians in a manner we rarely see elsewhere, at least before the pyre scene, which can hardly be taken as normal behavior for him. This chapter, therefore, contains lots of clues as to how his character could be interpreted.
To understand these council meetings, it is important to realize that (unlike in Jackson's movies) there are two scenes between Denethor and Faramir. The first includes primarily Denethor, Gandalf, and Faramir; Pippin is present but it is in his capacity as Denethor's esquire, not as a participant in the conversation. It is a bit misleading to call this exchange a council meeting since only two Gondorians are present; it reads more like a debriefing. But the scene is political; it is important to emphasize that this is not a father-son greeting between Faramir and Denethor.
At this meeting, Faramir tells Denethor and Gandalf about Frodo and about the Ring. This is an important exchange, because it tells us a good bit about Faramir's and Denethor's relationship, at the most normal as it is ever presented in canon.
"[Faramir said,] 'As the dark drew on I knew that haste was needed, so I rode thence with three others that could also be horsed. The rest of my company I sent south to strengthen the garrison at the fords of Osgiliath. I hope that I have not done ill?' He looked at his father.
"'Ill?' cried Denethor, and his eyes flashed suddenly. 'Why do you ask? The men were under your command. Or do you ask for my judgement on all your deeds? Your bearing is lowly in my presence, yet it is long now since you turned from your own way at my counsel. See, you have spoken skilfully, as ever; but I, have I not seen your eye fixed on Mithrandir, seeking whether you said well or too much? He has long had your heart in his keeping.
"'My son, your father is old but not yet dotard. I can see and hear, as was my wont; and little of what you have half said or left unsaid is now hidden from me. I know the answer to many riddles. Alas, alas for Boromir!'
"'If what I have done displeases you, my father,' said Faramir quietly, 'I wish I had known your counsel before the burden of so weighty a judgement was thrust on me.'
"'Would that have availed to change your judgement?' said Denethor. 'You would still have done just so, I deem. I know you well.'" ("The Siege of Gondor," The Lord of the Ring)
Faramir's statements, however, stand in contrast to what he said to Frodo at Henneth Annûn. He says,
"'Whatever befell on the North March, you, Frodo, I doubt no longer. If hard days have made me any judge of Men's words and faces, then I may make a guess at Halflings! [...] I should now take you back to Minas Tirith to answer there to Denethor, and my life will justly be forfeit, if I now choose a course that proves ill for my city. So I will not decide in haste what is to be done.'" ("The Window on the West," The Lord of the Ring)
As is well known, Faramir decides to let Frodo and Sam go on their way to Mordor. Whether he judged correctly into this situation isn't the point; he knew that he was acting on his own authority, in fact disobeying the clear law of the land that required that strangers not be allowed to wander through Ithilien. Faramir presents himself as one wanting the steward's judgement, but Denethor is correct; Faramir would not have changed his actions if he knew Denethor's wishes. Faramir's princely attitude is dangerous; Denethor reasonably believes that Gondor cannot afford such luxuries at this time.
This exchange leads up to one of the most controversial Faramir-Denethor moments in canon. Tolkien writes,
"'Do you wish then,' said Faramir, 'that our places had been exchanged?'
'Yes, I wish that indeed,' said Denethor. 'For Boromir was loyal to me and no wizard's pupil. He would have remembered his father's need, and would not have squandered what fortune gave. He would have brought me a mighty gift.'" ("The Siege of Gondor," The Lord of the Ring)
Many people interpret this quote to imply that Denethor wants Faramir dead. But it is important to read the context carefully. When Denethor is asked whether he wishes both sons' positions had been replaced, he speaks of Boromir bringing him a "mighty gift." He also refers to Boromir not being a "wizard's pupil," pointing to the fact that Denethor sees Faramir as caring too much for what Gandalf thinks. However, this "wizard's pupil" jab also points to Denethor's earlier debate with Gandalf over whether the Ring should have been brought to Gondor (which I did not quote because it has to do with Denethor's relationship with Gandalf rather than with Faramir). Connected with the comment that Boromir would have brought the Ring to Gondor, it seems clear that Denethor is speaking of the Ring, not of Boromir's death.
Compare this to the movie version of this conversation:
Denethor: Much must be risked in war. Is there a captain here who still has the courage to do his lord's will?
Faramir: You wish now that our places have been exchanged. That I had died and Boromir had lived.
Denethor: Yes, I wish that.
Faramir: Since you are robbed of Boromir, I will do what I can in his stead.
This movie!verse scene makes the point explicit point that Denethor wishes Faramir had died and Boromir had lived; this is simply not the way that Tolkien wrote the scene. And even if Tolkien's Denethor had preferred that, it would have been a far cry from wanting Faramir dead. Denethor is a politician, and a good leader, and he has been conditioned by years of experience to evaluate situations methodically. He recognizes that his sons may die, for they are soldiers in a war; and just because he would choose one over the other, that does not mean that he wishes one of his sons was dead.
Tolkien makes his intent clearer in an earlier draft of this scene:
"'Yes, I wish that indeed,' said Denethor. 'Or no.' And then he shook his head, and rising swiftly he laid his hand upon his son's bowed head. 'Do not judge me harshly, my son,' he said quietly, 'or believe me more harsh than I am. I knew your brother well also. Love is not blind. I could wish that Boromir had been at Henneth Annûn when this thing came there, only if I were sure of one thing.'
'Sure of what, my father?'
'That he was as strong in heart and selfless as you, my son. That taking this thing he would have brought it here and surrendered it, and not fallen swiftly under its thraldom. For, Faramir—and you too, Mithrandir, amid all your wide webs and policies—there is a third way, that is neither the folly of wizards nor the lust of warriors....'" (from a draft of "The Siege of Gondor," Histories of Middle-earth Vol. VIII)
Tolkien corrects his thinking in a note about this draft, writing,
"The early conversation of Faramir and his father and motives must be altered. Denethor must be harsh. He must say he did wish Boromir had been at Henneth Annûn—for he would have been loyal to his father and brought him the Ring. (Gandalf may correct this.) Faramir grieved but patient. Then Denethor must be all for holding Osgiliath 'like Boromir did', while Faramir (and Gandalf?) are against it, using the arguments previously given to Denethor. At length in submission, but proudly, to please his father and show him that not only Boromir was brave [he] accepts the command at Osgiliath. Men in the City do not like it.
"This will not only be truer to previous situation, but will explain Denethor's breaking up when Faramir is brought back dying, as it seems." (note on "The Siege of Gondor," Histories of Middle-earth Vol. VIII)
Reading both the original draft and Tolkien's explanation of why he changed the conversation the way he did, it seems clear that he did not make these changes because he felt it truer to the two men's characters, but because it is truer to the "situation" (with the bonus that it justifies Denethor being even more regretful later on). As a writer, I know that I often have original characters that I want to make them do one thing, but a situation requires another type of reaction. I can see Tolkien struggling with a similar situation here with his characters; he wants to give Faramir and Denethor that father-son moment, but recognizes that in this particular situation it would not "fit."
At the very least, it is clear that the switch Denethor wishes for is with regard to which brother would be at Henneth Annûn, not at Amôn Hen.
One other thing that is often misunderstood about the council scenes is the motive behind defending Osgiliath. As was mentioned above, this wasn't always Denethor's idea. It certainly wasn't fought by Faramir out of some sort of misplaced loyalty to his brother's memories. Tolkien writes in an early outline of this chapter,
Denethor only willing to hold his walls. Knowing war drawing near he has long sent out summons to allies. They are coming in. But the messengers to Theoden, his chief ally, have not returned yet. Gandalf tells of Theoden's war. Gandalf and Pippin on battlements. See shadow as Nazgul sweep over river. Faramir comes on night of Feb. [7 >)8. At same time [> Next day) comes news of war at Osgiliath. Orcs led by Nazgul have crossed the river. Fleet from Umbar is approaching mouths of Anduin. Faramir supports Gandalf's policy of attack by sortie on the plain." ("Sketches of Book V," Histories of Middle-earth Vol. VIII, emphasis added)
From this passage it seems clear that Denethor wants to defend Minas Tirith and wait for his allies to arrive; while Faramir is the one that supports a more offensive war beyond Minas Tirith's walls. His reasoning becomes clearer in one of Tolkien's actual drafts of "The Siege of Gondor":
"Yet ever Faramir had urged that their outer defences must not be abandoned, and the River was the one that the Enemy should buy most dearly. It could not be crossed by a great host north of Men Falros [Cair Andros] because of the marshes, and away south of Lebennin it became too broad without many boats. So now he was gone again, taking such few men as Denethor would spare to strengthen the force that held the western ruins of Osgiliath. [Added in ink: 'But hold not too long so far afield,' said Denethor as he went out. 'Though you slay ten times your number at the crossing, the Enemy has more to spare.'] ("The Siege of Gondor," The Lord of the Ring)
Faramir encourages the defense of the various passings of the River, but not for personal reasons. The Defense seems to make good tactical sense to him. And as captain of Ithilien, he would know that the passage of the River was deadly. This is a tactical disagreement between captain and lord, not a father sending his unloved son to his death or a son trying to earn his father's love.
Faramir's Injury and the Pyre of Denethor
If "The Siege of Gondor" required examination to avoid misunderstanding, that is a small matter compared to "The Pyre of Denethor." Here is where Denethor loses hope entirely and where he does his worst deeds. He tries to kill his son and succeeds in killing himself, in a most dishonorable way; and through these acts he keeps Gandalf from being able to fight the Witch-king, resulting in the death of Théoden.
These are hard issues to grapple with. For those readers that pity Denethor rather than despise him at this point in the story, Denethor's final speeches and actions can be heartbreakingly beautiful and tragic; to other readers less disposed to the Steward, they can be simply infuriating.
To understand what happens in the Pyre, we must first look at what Denethor does after Faramir returns from the defense of Osgiliath. Tolkien writes,
"The Prince Imrahil brought Faramir to the White Tower, and he said: Your son has returned, lord, after great deeds, and he told all that he had seen. But Denethor rose and looked on the face of his son and was silent." ("The Siege of Gondor," The Lord of the Ring)
This silence on Denethor's part is heart-rending in its own way. Denethor, the man who has had an answer for every question or challenge put to him since we met him. He uses his grief over Boromir to find out more information about the Fellowship, but when confronted by the possibility that Faramir has died, he is speechless. And he takes immediate action to do what he can to save Faramir:
"He bade them make a bed in the chamber and lay Faramir upon it and depart. But he himself went up alone into the secret room under the summit of the Tower; and many who looked up thither at that time saw a pale light that gleamed and flickered from the narrow windows for a while, and then flashed and went out." ("The Siege of Gondor," The Lord of the Ring)
There are (at least!) two ways to read this passage. It's possible that Denethor is so unaffected by Faramir's injury that he goes on to carry on business as usual. But that doesn't fit with Denethor's earlier shock. I think it more likely that Denethor is doing battle on behalf of his son. It's clear from later passages that he is using the palantír, which we know gives him long sight. Denethor's strength is built on having information. Perhaps Denethor hopes to find out what has happened to Faramir so that he can be treated and saved. Perhaps he even wants to know what purpose Sauron has in this attack, and so wants to confront Sauron directly. In any event, the confrontation breaks Denethor:
"When Denethor descended again he went to Faramir and sat beside him without speaking, but the face of the Lord was grey, more deathlike than his son's." ("Siege of Gondor," The Lord of the Ring)
Tolkien later writes of Denethor's vigil,
"No hours so dark had Pippin known, not even in the clutches of the Uruk-hai. It was his duty to wait upon the Lord, and wait he did, forgotten it seemed, standing by the door of the unlit chamber, mastering his own fears as best he could. And as he watched, it seemed to him that Denethor grew old before his eyes, as if something had snapped in his proud will, and his stern mind was overthrown. Grief maybe had wrought it, and remorse. He saw tears on that once tearless face, more unbearable than wrath." ("The Siege of Gondor," The Lord of the Ring)
It has often been said that, if Denethor was mad during the pyre episode, it was madness brought on by the palantír—and so madness of his own making. And that was certainly part of it. But the madness began with grief and remorse for a decision made in a hard situation. This is the pay-off of the change Tolkien made in the council chamber, having Faramir ride to defend Osgiliath on Denethor's order rather than his own choosing. Denethor now thinks that he has sent his son to his death.
As if that is not enough heartache to break Denethor, there is the sight he sees after leaving the White Tower for Rath Dínen. Tolkien writes,
"Out from the White Tower they walked, as if to a funeral, out into the darkness, where the overhanging cloud was lit beneath with flickers of dull red. Softly they paced the great courtyard, and at a word from Denethor halted beside the Withered Tree.
"All was silent, save for the rumour of war in the City down below, and they heard the water dripping sadly from the dead branches into the dark pool." ("The Siege of Gondor," The Lord of the Ring)
Those of you who have grappled with grief, have you ever looked out at a dreary rain or fog and felt like the world was weeping with you? It's a powerful feeling because it seems like the whole world amplifies your grief and despair. I can easily imagine Denethor feeling just that way at this moment. The feeling of being surrounded by fire, combined with the symbolism of the withered tree, must have made him feel like his whole world was crumbling around him. If he was already in a mood where he was tempted to kill himself, such a depressing scene could really convince him that he was doing the right thing.
Once the group reaches Rath Dínen, Tolkien gives this description:
"Dimly to be seen were many rows of tables, carved of marble; and upon each table lay a sleeping form, hands folded, head pillowed upon stone. But one table near at hand stood broad and bare. Upon it at a sign from Denethor they laid Faramir and his father side by side, and covered them with one covering, and stood then with bowed heads as mourners beside a bed of death." ("The Siege of Gondor," The Lord of the Ring)
There is love, of a sort, in the way Denethor has Faramir laid with him. It is clearly a very twisted love, but at this point in time Denethor is very twisted from the man he once was, by a hard life, high expectations, decades of palantír use, mano-a-mano conflict with Sauron, and finally the deaths of his sons, particularly Faramir. And it is in a sense a narcissistic love, certainly it has a possessiveness around it. However, I think it is telling that Tolkien describes the laying of the bodies as "Faramir and his father." It is not Denethor who owns Faramir, but the opposite.
If Denethor's only goal was to prevent Faramir from being taken by orcs, and to die himself so that he would not become a slave, he could have had his servants kill them both separately. I certainly feel for Faramir, and am horrified by what it is Denethor is trying to do—yet I also understand that the impulse is born out of love and grief, and appreciate the connection between Faramir and Denethor that this choice shows.
I have referred several times to the madness of Denethor, and not (I hope) without reason. When Pippin brings Gandalf to Rath Dínen, Denethor and Gandalf have the following exchange:
"'Since when has the Lord of Gondor been answerable to thee?' said Denethor. 'Or may I not command my own servants?'
'You may,' said Gandalf. 'But others may contest your will, when it is turned to madness and evil.'" ("The Pyre of Denethor," The Lord of the Ring)
This quote clearly states that Gandalf thinks Denethor's actions are attributable to madness—but also to evil? This seems undercut my point that Denethor's actions were the response of a man undone by grief and long wear. But is the evil Denethor's? After Denethor's death, he says to the guards:
"And so pass also the days of Gondor that you have known; for good or evil they are ended. Ill deeds have been done here; but let now all enmity that lies beyond you be put away, for it was contrived by the Enemy and works his will. You have been caught in a net of warring duties that you did not weave." ("The Pyre of Denethor," The Lord of the Ring)
This passage might be interpreted as applying only to the fighting between Beregond and the guards faithful to Denethor, but another later passage extends the point to Denethor:
"Shall we weep or be glad? Beyond hope the Captain of our foes has been destroyed, and you have heard the echo of his last despair. But he has not gone without woe and bitter loss. And that I might have averted but for the madness of Denethor. So long has the reach of our Enemy become! Alas! but now I perceive how his will was able to enter into the very heart of the City." ("The Pyre of Denethor," The Lord of the Ring)
Gandalf then goes on to describe the palantír. This passage seems to say that not only was the Pyre events caused by Denethor's madness but also by the Enemy's (in other words: Sauron's) affect on Denethor through the palantír. Which, as I have already argued, was an affect that Denethor did not foresee when he began using the palantír.