This despair is exacerbated when Faramir appears to have fallen in a battle to which Denethor sent him. It is barely hinted at in the movies, but in the books, Denethor is also corrupted by his use of a palantir, though which Sauron shows him the forces arrayed against Gondor. In other words, Denethor is wily, smart, and maybe even threatening. Conversely, one figure from salvation history can be represented by multiple characters. Likewise In The Lord of the Rings, Denethor falls to despair while Saruman falls to presumption. Denethor then displays his Palantír that he hid in his pyre, as the source of his vast knowledge of world events.

He laid himself down on the pyre and so died, clasping the palantír in his hands. The civilian population of Minas Tirith was sent away to safety. And even though he eventually tips more towards the Evil end of the scale, he adds some variety to a series that is otherwise a bit black-and-white, morally speaking. In the movie, Denethor's death is significantly altered. The retreat was dogged by the Nazgûl, and Faramir was wounded almost to the death by a southern arrow thought to be a poisoned dart. The effort aged him quickly, and the knowledge of Sauron's overwhelming force depressed him greatly, mostly due to deliberately biased visions from the palantír on the part of Sauron. Who then is Peter? Denethor was voiced by William Conrad in Rankin/Bass's 1980 animated adaptation of The Return of the King, and by Peter Vaughan in BBC Radio's 1981 serialization. Estel is Elvish for “hope.”. Are you certain this article is inappropriate?

It's an ugly way to go, but only Denethor actually winds up consumed in flames.

He succeeded his father Ecthelion II at his death in T.A.

JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser. The character's portrayal also involved eating chickens, as John Noble grumbled about. It is thus no accident, that the one man who can safely use the palantir is Aragorn, who was given the name Estel by his foster-father Elrond.

He has his honor to maintain, and he won't just steal the throne outright (though he might really like to; he's not too happy about Aragorn's return). He faces the Lord of the Nazgûl on the battlefield, and it clearly doesn't go too well for Faramir. Denethor is a truly gray character, in the sense that he is solidly balanced between Good and Evil. Peter told Jesus, with his characteristic brash boldness, that “Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.” (Matthew 26:33) This of course leads Jesus to warn Peter that Satan has demanded “to sift him like wheat” and prophesies Peter’s threefold denial “before the cock crows.” Thus, the parts played in the Passion by Peter and Judas are both caused by the sins against the virtue of Hope.

2984. And when the last king of Gondor (of the line of Anárion, Isildur's brother) went off to war and then didn't come back, his Steward quietly took power over Gondor. © 2020 Shmoop University Inc | All Rights Reserved | Privacy | Legal. Moreover he anticipated Sauron's assault during his time and desperately needed knowledge. He then confronted Gandalf.

[6], Denethor suddenly seemed years older, and his will snapped. This prophecy comes true as Theoden dies at the hands of the Witch King while Gandalf is in the tombs with Denethor. While they supped, Gandalf told of the fall of Isengard. Denethor II was the first son and third child of Ecthelion II. [1], A northerner known as Thorongil, came to the service of his father. She gave birth to two sons: Boromir and Faramir. Denethor was named after the Nandorin chieftain of the First Age.

Gandalf warns Saruman of the dangers of using a “seeing stone” known as palantir. google_ad_slot = "4852765988"; Denethor hinted at his own abilities to see what happened in the world. Apparently shocked by the size of Sauron's army (which in the novel he has already seen in his Palantír), he calls for the city's defenders to flee; whereas in the novel, he states it is senseless to run from the enemy as there is no hope of escape. The sin of despair made Judas think that nothing he could do would merit the forgiveness of Jesus. [10] Faramir kept the title of Steward, but not of Ruling Steward, for he recognised Aragorn II right to take the throne. The purpose of his office is to rule the city in the King’s stead until he returns. One of Denethor's worst traits is his jealousy of Gandalf.

Although he himself is an Istari, Saruman is nevertheless their head. The stranger talked in favour of Gandalf whom Denethor didn't trust at all; it is possible that Denethor figured out that Thorongil was really Aragorn II, who possibly had conspired with Gandalf to supplant him. His pride demands that Gondor hold onto Osgiliath, no matter what the cost in human lives. Faramir was driven back to the Causeway Forts, but these fell, and Faramir was forced to retreat, having lost a third of his men.

No wonder he is a bit insecure. When Peregrin offered his service in return for Boromir's sacrifice, Denethor was pleased and amused. Rohan had been cut off and could not come to their aid; the first circle was also in flames: this last piece of information was the final trigger for Denethor's suicide.[6]. (1996). He refuses to light the beacons of Gondor to call for the aid of Rohan (Gandalf has to send Pippin to light the city's beacon), while in the novel, he has already lit the beacons before Gandalf even entered Gondor. Refrain from every kind of evil.” The messenger had in fact been killed by Orcs during the ride back to Minas Tirith. After all of these ugly words, Denethor sends Faramir into a dangerous battle in Osgiliath (which is a Gondorian fort right near the border with Mordor). He took the white rod of his office and broke it on his knee, casting it into the flames, symbolising the end of his stewardship and the end of the rule of the Stewards. He then laid himself down on the table with the palantír on his breast and so perished.[9]. Mont St. Michel: The real-life Minas Tirith, Here are the only comic adaptations of Tolkien’s Middle-Earth, 3 Reasons why Anakin Skywalker ended up becoming Darth Vader, How Aragorn’s kingship reminds us of Jesus, the King of kings, Lessons about democracy in ‘Justice League – Rule of War’, How Tolkien, Star Wars and Our Lady inspired a comic book company, Learn more about the island that inspired Issue #2 of Finnian and the Seven Mountains. One reason Denethor seems to be so cautious and suspicious is that his power is not a sure thing. In a final speech to Gandalf, he said that he would have liked for things to be as they had always been in his life: to be a ruling Steward of a free city, ruling in peace and with his sons masters of their own will. (Hence, Gandalf’s rather epic, biblical sounding line, “Authority is not given to you to deny the return of the King, steward!“) Another for steward is “vicar.” Also, many have taken the biblical office of steward in Davidic kingdom (described in the Book of the Prophet Isaiah) to be a prefiguring of the Petrine Office (which is why the reading is often paired with the Gospel reading in which Christ gives the keys to Peter). So Sauron keeps sending Denethor nasty little messages about the fall of Gondor through the palantír. This page has been accessed 219,583 times. In the novel, Gandalf does not suggest Pippin join Denethor's service, but praises him for such an honourable course of action and treats his oath with dignity. As invasion seemed imminent, Denethor sent the Red Arrow to the Rohirrim as a call for aid. He doted upon his eldest son, Boromir, while Faramir, his second son, with his actions and friendship with Mithrandir, often displeased his father. He does not actively betray anyone, lest of all Frodo (though Boromir does…somewhat). In the end, Peter requests and receives forgiveness for his denial. He would have brought me a kingly gift. (This can, of course, serve as powerful allegory and warning of the dangers of various occult practices, even “white” magic and fortune-telling), Through the palantir, Sauron demonstrates his power and convinces Saruman that “against the power that is arising in the East, there is no victory.” However, rather than despairing as Denethor did, Saruman decides to join forces with Sauron, presuming in his pride that he is strong enough to contend with Sauron and treat with him, in not as an equal, at least as a valuable asset.

He loses all hope and even goes so far as to order his men to abandon their posts and flee, leaving Gandalf to command the defense of the city of Minas Tirith.

He married Finduilas, daughter of Prince Adrahil of Dol Amroth. He also reveals that he kept Pippin in his service, in spite of considering him a spy, for the purpose of extracting information out of him in turn (ostensibly about Aragorn). The palantiri were originally created as a means of communication between realms but one was captured by forces of Sauron and therefore corrupted.

In the movie, Denethor's death is significantly altered. After Gideon revealed John Noble as the actor playing Denethor in the movie, Ray Palmer traveled back to New Zealand 1999 disguised as a Lord of the Rings crew member and had Noble portray Denethor as if he was speaking to Nora Darhk. One reason Denethor seems to be so cautious and suspicious is that his power is not a sure thing.

He, like his fellow Istari, carries a staff as symbol of the power of his office. Denethor was voiced by William Conrad in Rankin/Bass's 1980 animated adaptation of The Return of the King, and by Peter Vaughan in BBC Radio's 1981 serialization. Peter is often contrasted with Judas in that Peter is what Judas could have been. When he decides to set himself and his son on fire, it's because he is totally convinced that there is no way that Gondor can possibly survive this war.

Denethor's insane resentment of his son, Faramir, also comes out of this jealousy of Gandalf. Article Id:

Denethor was not viewed very highly in the eyes of his people in comparison to Thorongil, but Denethor proved a masterful ruler.

By entering your email address you agree to receive emails from Shmoop and verify that you are over the age of 13. Denethor's on-screen death allows for a more action-orientated sequence where Gandalf gets to knock the bad guy about and Pippin can play the hero, but the changes perhaps looked better in the script than the finished scene.