Women and Romance in Lord of the Rings

  Part 1: The Failure of Tauriel's Character

The lack of women in Lord of the Rings franchises is a well-known and obvious problem. In 21 hours of Tolkien based cinema for the Lord of the Rings trilogy and the three Hobbit Movies, there are only four main character women: Tauriel, Galadriel, Arwen, and Eowyn. The lack of female representation is of course an issue, but even more than that, all four of these women have plots that are partially or completely centered around romance, love, or physical attraction to or from a man. At first that does not seem to be of that much importance. As long as there are women, they’re being properly represented, right? However, because of their ingrained connection with their romances to a man, they are dependent on these men for their own character growth and development. Most of these women are still fantastic characters, but their dependence on romances and the men they are connected with hinders their character in a way that the dozens of male characters are not subjected to.  

Tauriel is the worst example of a main female character in the Lord of the Rings franchise, for her backstory is nearly nonexistent and her entire purpose in the movies quickly becomes as a love interest for Kili, and to a lesser extent, Legolas. Tauriel begins as a sorely needed female character in a story that is otherwise solely about men and their adventures, and while adding one woman to the story does not fix the issue, it is at first still a welcome relief. However, soon after she appears, she is wrapped up in a shallow romance story with one of the dwarves, Kili. Their romance begins to kindle innocently enough, and it feels like it may have potential. However, Tauriel’s character quickly becomes focused only on her romance with Kili. Her already weak character development falls away as she abandons her place at Mirkwood to search for Kili, who is wounded, and the threatening love triangle with Legolas begins to solidify as Legolas accompanies her. This creates a forced and awkward love triangle. Love triangles where two men are after the same woman, while they can sometimes work well, are often cliché, forced, and awkward, and they rarely do anything useful to develop the woman’s character. Even the actress Evangeline Lilly who plays Tauriel wanted a character with more depth, not just one in a shallow, ill contrived love triangle. She said, “For the record, when I took this job, in 2011, I made one stipulation… I said, ‘I will not do this film if you will not guarantee me one thing. You have to guarantee me there will be no love triangle.’” But after doing some reshoots and adding more scenes, there was suddenly a love triangle that she was unable to escape (http://lotr.wikia.com/wiki/Tauriel). With Tauriel wrapped in a forced love triangle and a superficial romance, her character was unable to grow into anything meaningful or interesting.

Tauriel’s failure as a character continues right up until her story’s main point, which of course has to do with the love story. Tauriel’s entire character climaxes with her scene fighting with Kili against the Orc Bolg, and Kili sacrifices himself to save her. After Thranduil appears, seeing her holding mourning while holding Kili’s body, Tauriel says, “If this is love I do not want it. Take it from me, please. Why does it hurt so much?” It is difficult to truly feel her grief, even when the acting is well done, for the entire premise of their love is largely baseless and poorly built throughout the movies. Thranduil responds, “because it was real,” a callback to a moment with Thranduil earlier in the film. This entire exchange is a weak attempt to work with the stressed connection between Thranduil and Tauriel’s characters, but since Tauriel’s relationship with Kili was underdeveloped and shallow, any meaning behind this exchange feels false and forced. Thranduil’s character seems to grow more than Tauriel’s as he acknowledges that his statements about her earlier in the film are wrong, a humble move for such a prideful elf.  Tauriel’s character and Kili’s death fall to the sidelines in the face of a much more interesting and well-developed relationship between Thorin and Bilbo. Thorin’s callback to Bilbo’s acorn just before Thorin dies resonates and holds much more power than Tauriel’s entire character because, unlike Tauriel who was developed only as a romantic interest, Bilbo and Thorin were complicated characters given the potential to explore in many different directions. The failing of Tauriel’s character is connected to the overall failure of much of the Hobbit movies as they attempted to cram more and more subplots and characters into the relatively simple story of the Hobbit, but Tauriel is a clear example of how characters that are shaped almost completely by a romance plot, especially a poorly done romance plot, lack depth and quickly become uninteresting characters.

Part 2: Love and Hope in Arwen’s Character

 

Tauriel’s character in the Hobbit Trilogy was a much needed woman in an otherwise male dominated story, but even though her character was written from scratch to fit into the existing story of the Hobbit, her character was stunted by a shallow love triangle and an almost complete dependence on the love stories to exist as a character. At first glance, Arwen’s character in the Lord of the Rings trilogy seems similar to negative aspects of Tauriel’s character, specifically her character’s dependence on romance to evolve her character. Though she becomes an interesting and meaningful character, for the most part, her love interest in Aragorn and Aragorn’s love for her are her only connections to the rest of the story. Other than her first scene rescuing Frodo, she is never included in the story other than when it is about her connection with Aragorn. Though her character is mostly unable to grow outside of the romance, significantly limiting her ability as a character, her character and her relationship is symbolic of the larger struggle against the darkness and death in Middle Earth. Unlike Tauriel’s shallow and forced romance, Arwen’s story resonates with the entire meaning of the trilogy as the characters fight against death and darkness. Though her character is built only around the romance, her role and the romance’s role is still crucial to the story of the Lord of the Rings.  

In the Lord of the Rings trilogy movie series, Arwen’s role starts out almost completely separate from her romantic relationship with Aragorn. Arwen appears after Frodo is stabbed with the blade of the Nazgul, and she rides Frodo to safety in Rivendell. In the books, this role of Frodo’s savior is played by Elrond, Arwen’s father, but this small change in the movies is a critical step in her character. Her first appearance is not as Aragorn’s love interest, but instead as a woman with incredible bravery, power, and skill. There are minor hints of their deeper connection when Aragorn attempts to take Frodo to Rivendell himself, saying, “The road is too dangerous.” This indicates his desire to protect her, but after Arwen reasserts herself as the faster rider, he only takes a moment more to accept her decision in the role. The scene does not dwell on their romance or Aragorn’s fear for the one he loves; instead, the scene quickly shifts to Arwen as the Nazgul chase her. This flight from the Nazgul demonstrates her courage, persistence, and skill. She is fleeing from nine of the servants of Sauron, some of the more powerful servants in his command, but she presses on, even managing to take all nine of them out temporarily as she calls upon the river. She demonstrates her own power and the power of the elves as the raging river in the form of a herd of galloping horses rises up and crashes down on the Nazgul, taking all nine of them out. Though she did not physically fight them as Aragorn did, she nevertheless demonstrates her power in a way that is completely separate from connection to other male characters. These two short scenes are not much on the general scale of the movie, but they are an important way to introduce and develop Arwen’s character independently from her romantic relationship with Aragorn. If Arwen had more scenes like this, establishing her as more than her romance with Aragorn, her character would be able to move beyond the romance and develop more complexities and nuances.

 After she saves Frodo, we only see Arwen through her romantic connection with Aragorn. The biggest issue with Arwen’s character is not that she is involved in a romance; it is that that is her only role in the story. Aragorn’s character is multifaceted. During the trilogy, we see his character explore his inner struggle with his bloodline and his role as Isildur’s heir. He is a member of the fellowship of the ring, and on his journey, he helps win many battles, even recruiting a hoard of ghosts. He gets amazing fight scenes and action along with wonderful character development throughout the story, and a significant and heartfelt part of this is his love story with Arwen. Arwen, on the other hand, only gets her love story with Aragorn to develop her. Granted, as a main protagonist, it is understandable that Aragorn will have more character development than Arwen, a supporting character, but therein lies the problem; there are no truly main character women since they all seem to be relegated to supporting roles, almost always in some sort of romance which keeps their storyline dependent on their male romance interest. Arwen’s character is part of one of the most heartfelt, sweet romances in fantasy as she sacrifices her immortality for the one she loves, but she is unable to evolve or change outside of the romantic plotline.

Arwen’s dependence on a romantic plot minimizes the potential growth of her character, but despite this flaw, it is still important to address that the romantic storyline should not be undermined. It is meaningful, profound, and extremely touching, and it creates character growth for both Arwen and Aragorn. The scenes involving Arwen and Aragorn’s relationship are powerful and well done, and their love story is one of the most beautiful love stories I have seen. Though it bothers me that her only role in the movie is as a love interest, she couldn’t be part of a more meaningful and wonderful love story. 

Arwen is a crucial part of Aragorn’s character development. She is like a blissful dream that he feels forced to leave behind. He even tells her that their love, “was a dream Arwen, nothing more,” as he tries to convince her to accompany the rest of her people out of Middle Earth. He puts her safety above his own interests and love for her. However, though he tries to leave her behind for her own well-being, Arwen still acts as a symbol of happiness and peace for him. In Aragorn’s dream in the Two Towers, Arwen touches the Evenstar necklace and says, “If you trust nothing else trust this, trust us.” Her Evenstar necklace is a symbol of their love and Aragorn’s hope throughout the movie, just as their larger love story is a symbol of how love and hope can prevail even in difficult times. When Aragorn nearly dies after falling off the cliff with the Warg, the necklace is left behind in the hands of the Orc, seeming to indicate that all hope is lost, yet Aragorn survives, awoken by a vision of Arwen as he floats to the rivers shores, and he returns to reclaim the necklace, therein renewing the hope. Even though Arwen was never physically present, their love for one another seems to have brought Aragorn back from life, demonstrating the extreme power that the romance holds for Aragorn. It also demonstrates the power that hope can have over despair and darkness. Near the end of the trilogy, Aragorn is crowned king of Gondor, finally owning up to the inner struggle with his heritage, and it is a symbol of the goodness and purity to come back to the land after all of the darkness. Though the coronation itself is important, the real pinnacle and heart of this scene is when Arwen emerges. They are finally allowed to be together, and both of them show true happiness. This, more than the falling white flower petals and smiling faces of the various ally troops is a symbol that the world will be able to feel happiness after so much bad has happened. Arwen and Aragorn’s relationship are a symbol of hope not just for Aragorn, but for the entire world in this last scene.

Arwen and Aragorn’s love is important to the entire trilogy, but her relationship forces her character to develop as she makes impossible decisions between life and death, immortality without her love or a mortal life with that love. Arwen is pressured by Elrond, her father, and Aragorn to leave Middle Earth so that she can survive safe in the Grey Havens. Elrond tells her to go before it is too late, telling her not to linger “when there is no hope” and she would only be staying doomed to “linger on in darkness and in doubt.” Elrond focuses on the darkness, telling her that “there is nothing for you here. Only death.” He dwells the negative and paints a picture of how even if Arwen and Aragorn’s relationship is able to continue, it is still doomed in death and despair. This scene where Elrond is pleading for Arwen to go to the Grey Havens also introduces another layer of her character. Elrond asks her, “do I not also have your love?” and now Arwen has a consideration separate from her romance with Aragorn. This is not a simple matter for her to decide, instead developing her struggle of immortality and mortality, love for a father and love for a romantic partner. This relationship still develops Arwen through her link to a man, but it creates a new and important layer to her character as it is not a romantic love but instead a familial love. Her character is not all starry eyed for Aragorn with no other considerations, and her struggle is clear as she tries to make a decision.  

At first, she seems to choose Elrond and immortality in the Grey Havens. She seems to give in to the ideas about death and darkness, but this decision is interrupted with a vision of her life with Aragorn and their child. During this vision, the Evenstar necklace is visible on the child, again acting as a symbol of hope and life as it did for Aragorn. Arwen reverses her decision, and through her romance with Aragorn, she sees a larger picture that there is life and hope in the Middle Earth. Arwen’s future may have death in it, but as she says to Elrond, “there is also life.” By choosing a mortal life, Arwen chooses to have hope and life, even if it will be a shorter life. She says to Aragorn, "I would rather share one lifetime with you than face all the ages of this world alone." She chooses her love over eternal life, and she refuses to hide from despair, risking the darkness for the possibility of light and happiness with Aragorn and their child. Arwen’s story, though for her character is focused entirely around her romance, is also symbolic and incredibly meaningful for the rest of the story of Middle Earth. Their romance does not save the world in itself, but it demonstrates that light, life, and hope can remain even in dark times, and that life and hope can prevail over the darkness. When she chooses a mortal life, she actually chooses life and hope instead of fleeing from the evil.

 Arwen is a fascinating character that explores the complications of life and death, different types of love and relationships, and sacrifices made for love, but she is still almost completely reliant on her relationship with Aragorn to explore these ideas. If there were more scenes like her first appearance, her character may have been able to develop more complex layers and ideas beyond the romance. Though I still take issue with her romance being the only developed part of her character, I also want to reiterate how much I adore Arwen and Aragorn’s love for one another. It is symbolic, thoughtful, and heartfelt, and though I wish there was more to Arwen’s character, I am still very glad that we have Arwen and her romance with Aragorn.

Part 3: Power and Independence in Galadriel’s character

Tauriel and Arwen are characters that are almost completely centered around their romantic plots (though Arwen’s romance and love story is infinitely more complex and interesting), but the only one of the four women in Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit without a primary focus on love is Galadriel. Galadriel is the Lady of Lothlorien, a guardian of the woods of Lothlorien alongside her husband Lord Celeborn, and she plays a small but crucial role to the story in the Lord of the Rings. She acts as both as a source of wisdom for the fellowship, giving them warnings as well as providing them with hope and gifts, and she does so with no dramatic or emphasized romantic attachments. Tauriel, Arwen, and Eowyn are all characters whose development is heavily reliant on other male characters as love interests, but Galadriel’s character and her development is completely separate from romantic involvement with any male characters, and as such, her character and its role have a powerful presence that the other three lack partially because of their dependence on the romances and love stories.

After narrating the prologue and appearing briefly showing the rings of the elves, Galadriel’s first appearance in the Lord of the Rings demonstrates her power beyond most of the other characters in Lord of the Rings. Even just a few seconds in the beginning of the prologue is a powerful place for Galadriel, for she is one of the holders of the rings of power (the only woman to get one of the rings), and this in itself demonstrates her power and influence. Her first appearance after the prologue is the only time that there is any hint of romantic connection, and even then, it is barely present and not the focus of the scene. She walks down the stairs with her hand on Celeborn’s, but other than this moment, their relationship as husband and wife is never mentioned or even hinted at again. Though Celeborn speaks first, he quickly becomes the least important and least powerful of the two, and Galadriel becomes the character of importance in the forest of Lothlorien. Celeborn asks where Gandalf has gone, clearly ignorant of his fall in Moria, but Galadriel only needs to look at the group to know that Gandalf has fallen into shadow. Her unknown and awesome power is the focus of many of the camera angles of this scene, some of them focusing only on her eyes then on a member of the fellowship as she examines each of them. She demonstrates her power again soon after, for while she is talking to the entire group, Frodo also hears her voice in his own head talking only to him. Later, when Frodo meets with her looking into the Mirror of Galadriel, she further solidifies her power through the power of the Mirror, showing Frodo “Things that are, things that were, and some things that have not yet come to pass.” She demonstrates the gift of foresight, just as Elrond and Arwen both possess, but Galadriel’s visions are some of the most concrete and foreboding as she warns of the possible failure and accurately predicts Boromir’s attempt to take the Ring. Even in just a few minutes of screen time, her power and knowledge is evident, and it does not rely in any way on any romantic relationship or connection with a male character.
          Her mystical powers are impressive and foreboding, but it is not until Frodo offers her the ring that her true power and wisdom is revealed. When Frodo first offers the ring, she initially moves towards it, saying, “I do not deny that my heart has greatly desire this,” and suddenly, her form changes into a ghastly green and terrible yet beautiful glow as she continues in a deep and menacing voice saying, “In place of a dark lord, you will have a queen. Not dark but beautiful and terrible as the dawn, treacherous as the sea. Stronger than the foundations of the earth. All shall love me and despair.” She almost seems ready to take the ring and become a new and different Lord of power, just as terrible yet different from Sauron, but she breaks from this terrifyingly powerful and ominous state. This state shows that she has flaws, demonstrating that while powerful, she is weak to the same temptation for power that is created by the One Ring. She is not an unfailing Goddess or character above reproach, but also able to make poor decisions just as all other are. When she drops out of this state and turns away from the lure of power, she demonstrates growth and incredible power. She is not corrupted or twisted by the power, instead choosing to “remain Galadriel” and using her own spirit and power to keep herself from failing. This growth of character is similar to when both Gandalf and Aragorn turn away from the power of the ring when Frodo offers it to them. She proves herself more powerful than many before her, and she demonstrates that her power lies not just in her mystical and magical abilities, but also to know when not to act and when not to use her power. Galadriel’s magic and mystical wisdom is beyond most of what has been seen before, and though short lived on screen, her development needs no romantic love interest to create this growth and establish her character as both impressive and intimidating.

Galadriel is only on screen for a few short minutes, yet her presence is carried quite literally throughout the rest of the movie by the fellowship. When she first appears, she is a light in a time of great darkness and sadness for the fellowship after Gandalf has died, but she also acts as a warning of the uncertain nature of their journey. She simultaneously symbolizes the hope and the peril of their quest, saying, “The quest stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little and it will fail to the ruin of all.” She warns that their journey is dangerous, and the hope of all of Middle Earth lies in their hands. The fellowship at this moment is crushed, and she acknowledges that in many ways, they are right to feel the incredible weight of this responsibility on their shoulders, and they should not take it lightly. However, she continues, “Yet hope remains while company is true. Do not let your hearts be troubled.” Though she warns the fellowship of the gravity and difficult nature of their quest, she also gives them hope, both through her words of hope and wisdom as well as the physical gifts that she gives to the fellowship. She gives special weapons and material to Legolas, Mary, Pippin, and Sam. She warns and encourages Aragorn, saying his choice is to “rise above the height of all your fathers… or to fall into darkness with all that is left of your kin.” Gimli’s gift is the strangest, yet also the sweetest. Gimli tells Legolas later that, “I asked her for one hair from her golden head. She gave me three.” Frodo’s gift, possible the most important of them all, is “the light of Elandir, our most beloved star. May it be a light for you in dark places when all other lights go out.” With these words, Galadriel fades from sight, not seen again in the movie, yet all of her gifts hold incredible importance for each of the members of the fellowship throughout the rest of the trilogy.

All of these gifts continue to demonstrate the power and the foresight of Galadriel long after the she been seen on screen. Though it is a shame that her character was only onscreen for a short time, her influence in carried throughout the movie, placing her as an indispensable and incredibly powerful character. Each of the gifts end up holding some sort of importance to help members of the fellowship, often times saving them from great peril or helping them maintain hope. Legolas uses his bow to save his friends in many battles. Mary and Pippin’s daggers, though lost when they flee from the orcs, end up helping Gimli, Legolas, and Aragorn to find their trail, and Sam uses his rope in various ways to help aid Frodo on his trip to Mount Doom. These are the simple gifts, but Gimli and Frodo’s gifts are the most interesting. Her gift to Gimli is purely as a keepsake, but it spurs his character development and begins his acceptance of elves and his friendship with Legolas. Before Galadriel, Gimli was stuck in his hatred of the dwarves, but after the gift of her golden hairs, both Gimli and Legolas begin to share more and more important moments of comradery and friendship. The other women characters in Lord of the Rings often rely on men for character development while the men usually stay the same from the relationship, but in this case, the roles are switched. Gimli begins to develop more as a character from his interaction with Galadriel, and Galadriel is the one who remains stable and unchanging from the relationship. Her character growth is completely separate from her gift from Gimli, instead coming from her experience with Frodo and the ring. Her gift to Frodo reestablishes her role as a bringer of hope, and it brings a whisper of her character back to the screen when Frodo uses the light of Elandir in his fight against Shelob. Galadriel is a light for the fellowship in dark times, and she helps many of the members of the fellowship grow and improve throughout their journeys, even if she herself is only physically around for a short time.

After her time in Lord of the Rings, her role appeared in the later trilogy of The Hobbit, and while it was forced and tacked on as with much of the other subplots in the Hobbit, it did reestablish her as an independent and incredibly powerful character. The largest failure of the Hobbit movies was too many additions and subplots as the movie tried to connect the plot of the hobbit to the Lord of the Rings trilogy and the War of the Ring. Many of these additions were awkward, confusing, or ill developed even if many of them were based off of Tolkien’s own writings, and so too was the addition of Galadriel in the movies, even if it did reiterate her power. Just as Tauriel was a needed female addition, it was good to have Galadriel as another woman in story dominated by men, but her presence was tacked on and awkward. Much of the time, she was only standing there as other male characters talked, or she demonstrated the mysticism and the power of the elves in a story that focused on Hobbits and Dwarves. However, though her character was forced into the subplots, she was a needed female component to the hobbit stories, and her character still did not rely on any romantic connections with the male characters, allowing her to establish her power on her own.  

Though her place in the movies was awkward and tacked on, when she did have moments of importance, these scenes built off of the incredible power and knowledge present in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Galadriel goes to Dol Goldur, a fortress where Gandalf is held prisoner, and she saves him with a short but terrifying burst of power. The orc assaulting her barely has a chance to move before she blows him apart with a mere wave of her hand. The power of her attack tears him to pieces, and the energy ripples around the entire fortress. Her power is evident in this scene, and she plays the role of the savior instead of the damsel in distress. At first, she seems to revert back to the cliché damsel mode just minutes after, for when she is surrounded by the shadows of the enemy, Elrond and Saruman rush in to join the fight and save her. While Saruman and Elron fight a dramatic and intense fight scene, Galadriel is sitting in the middle of the fight holding Gandalf and wakes him with encouraging words and a kiss to the forehead. This seems to hint at a romantic relationship with Gandalf, but in reality, it plays off of the elves’ reverence for Gandalf, whom they call Mithrandir.

Luckily, Elrond and Saruman’s fight are only the appetizer to the real conflict of this scene. After Gandalf awakes and leaves the area, the eye of Sauron bursts into existence in the fortress, and Galadriel quickly rises from where she lies on the ground, her form distorted and green as it appeared in the Lord of the Rings when she showed her incredible and dangerous power when she almost took the ring from Frodo. She speaks to Sauron, unafraid and unflinching, saying, “You have no power

here, servant of Morgoth. You are nameless, faceless, formless. Go back to the void from whence you came.” She banishes him, the fire of his eye and the shadow of his form hurled from the fortress like a bolt of fire into the distance. Both Saruman and Elrond are nearly toppled over by her power at this act, and while she nearly falls at the end of this scene from the exertion, her astounding power is clearly demonstrated in this scene. Though these scenes still feel forced into the existing plot of the hobbit, written in to connect it more to the Lord of the Rings and the War of the Ring, Galadriel’s role in this trilogy still demonstrates her power and establishes her as an incredibly powerful and independent character.

Galadriel only has a few short scenes, only in about 20 minutes total combined in the Hobbit Trilogy and The Lord of the Rings, and while they are important, her lack of screen time prevents her from developing as a more complex character in the story. Arwen and Tuariel likely would have similarly dropped out of the picture without a love interest in a main character, and since Galadriel lacks the love connection to other characters, her screen time was up once the fellowship moved on from her area. However, this lack of a love interest leaves her completely free to develop as a character independent and powerful on her own, even if her time on screen is short. In some ways, Galadriel is the most inspiring and powerful of the four women in the Lord of the Rings movies because she remains unattached romantically, not dragged along by any romantic subplots, but despite her independence and power, her lack of screen time and presence in the overall story made her second in my list of female characters, just before Eowyn. Even though Eowyn is involved in romantic relationships with male characters (which sometimes limits her character), Eowyn evolves over the films in a way that none of the other women are able to.

Women and Romance in Lord of the Rings: Part 4

Eowyn’s character is easily the most developed and complicated female character of the four women in the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit. Her character’s storyline is loaded with romantic interactions between no less than three men in the films, and these romantic interactions are a large part of how she is developed as a character. However, unlike Tauriel and Arwen, she does not rely only on her romantic connections and interactions with male characters in order to develop as a character, and she gets much more screen time and development than Galadriel. In fact, a crucial part of her character is that she grows beyond the first two romances and develops independently without any reliance on a romance with a man in the story. Her character grows and thrives, and even though her character’s story ends in a romantic relationship with Faramir, her character is not restricted to this romance after her previous development. Eowyn is involved in romantic relationships, but her character is not dependent on these romances, allowing her to have a much more memorable and compelling storyline.

Eowyn’s first romantic interaction in the movies is less of a romance and more of a perverted, one-sided fantasy that Grima Wormtongue has towards her. Grima Wormtongue becomes a servant of Saruman, and he manipulates Theoden, the king of Rohan, in the hope of getting Eowyn as a prize once the corruption of Rohan is complete. Eowyn is essentially being stalked by Grima, seen as a prize to be taken. When Eomer confronts Grima about his obsession with his sister, Eowyn holds no place in this conversation and has no voice to defend herself. Instead, she is the subject of Grima’s gaze, and Eomer, another man, is the one to defend her as he tells Grima, “too long have you watched my sister. Too long have you haunted her steps.” A man talks to another man about Eowyn’s fate, and at this point in her storyline, Eowyn is little more than an object to be defended or fantasized. She has no voice of her own, only the topic of discussion between men. However, after Eomer is banished, she defends herself and begins to have more control of her own fate.   

After Eomer is banished, Grima takes more direct action and goes to Eowyn, offering false and shallow comfort to Eowyn as she mourns the death of the king’s son. Grima puts his hand on her shoulder, an act immediately creepy and unpleasant for Eowyn and the audience. She quickly throws his hand off of her and yells, “leave me alone snake,” but Grima persists. Though he does not physically force himself on her, he attempts to manipulate her as he switches from fake comforting words and instead tries to isolate her, saying, “but you are alone.” He tries to remind her of her fear of loneliness and helplessness. After his disgusting and creepy speech to her, he touches her face and strokes her neck. At first, she seems like she has fallen victim to his lies and slimy rhetoric, standing there almost frozen, looking scared and helpless. However, after a few moments, her face hardens, and she says, “Your words are poison.” Now that she is allowed to speak for herself, it is clear than even when she is afraid, she will not accept this slimy behavior. She strides from the room and out the front doors of the hall, where she stands in the wind as it whips her hair in front of her face. Her own desperation and fear mimics Rohan’s helplessness and despair as she watches the flag of Rohan tear off in the wind and land on the ground near Legolas, Gimli, Gandalf, and Aragorn as they ride in the front gates. At this point, Rohan and Eowyn alike are both trapped and helpless, and it is clear that Eowyn feels unable to control her own destiny, especially in the face of all the men around her trying to control it for her. Eowyn’s character feels like little more than a victim struggling to stay afloat. She stands up for herself as much as possible, but she is still seen as vulnerable and unable to do much to change her situation.

When Aragorn arrives, Eowyn’s mentality changes, and she begins to show her strength and protest the lack of agency allowed to her by the men around her. Aragorn quickly establishes himself as a mysterious, strong, goodhearted and kind stranger come to help her and her people, and he is a kind voice and a patient ear for Eowyn who has so often been pushed to the shadows, a subject of conversation but not able to have her own voice. Eowyn is a strong yet also frail character during her time with Aragorn. She establishes herself as a fighter, skilled with the blade and afraid of “neither death nor pain.” She is strong and brave and ready to fight, but she is simultaneously still afraid and more timid. She tells Aragorn that she fears “a cage. To stay behind bars until use and old age accept them and all chance of valor has gone beyond recall or desire.” She knows that she can be useful, and she wants to fight alongside her king and the rest of the men, but all her life, she has been pushed aside, not allowed to fight nor demonstrate her valor. Aragorn acts as a hopeful voice, telling her that, “You are a daughter of kings, a shield maiden of Rohan. I do not think that will be your fate.” Arwen looks almost shocked at his words. Later, when she dreams of being frozen, only able to face the darkness, Aragorn comforts her again and puts pleasant thoughts in her head full of nightmares and fears. Before Aragorn arrived, Eowyn’s life and fate was controlled by men. When Aragorn listens and comforts her, he gives her hope that she will not be trapped and useless, instead able to control her own fate and keep herself free from the cage. Her relationship with Aragorn is one that builds her character through hope and kindness as she struggles against her own fears, but though it does a great deal to grow her character, her romance with Aragorn still has many issues.

 Aragorn is a warm and kind voice, a welcome change from Eowyn’s fears, but he is still a man that ends up controlling her and relegating her to the very cage that she wishes to escape from. Eowyn begins to become more independent and complex around Aragorn, but she is still hesitant and awkward around him, a young girl around a much older love interest. She grows more independent, partially because his hope and presence bring her out of her fears, but her connection with Aragorn also limits her. Eowyn clings to him and his kind words even though he restricts her in similar ways that all the men before him have limited her. Before they reach Helms Deep, Theoden, Eowyn’s adopted father, tells Eowyn to lead the people to Helms Deep instead of helping them fight the Wargs. This is something that Eowyn has experienced her whole life, hence her fear of being relegated to a cage and unable to be useful and prove her valor. Though she resists, she gives in to Theoden’s wishes, used to these restrictions from her father. Aragorn, on the other hand, is the man who has been telling her than she will not be committed to this cage, yet in his attempts to protect her, Aragorn tells Eowyn to leave the fight and go with the other women, just as Theoden told her earlier. She objects to her station with the other women and children, saying “You do not command the others to stay. They fight beside you because they would not be parted from you. Because they love you.” Eowyn is pushing back against Aragorn’s double standards, and she is starting to truly take action and reject the cage that others have been trying to put her in for her entire life. Though she does what Aragorn asks of her and goes to be with the women and children, her initial defiance against their orders is crucial to her character development.

When Eowyn loses hope in Aragorn returning her love, she is finally able to break free from him and other men controlling her life and begin to truly show her growth. After the battle, Eowyn’s infatuation with Aragorn is lessened (but not broken). She has seen his love for Arwen, and she also begins to realize that he traps her in her role as a woman just like Theoden and other men in her life did. However, she still sees a possibility that he will return her love, so she continues to pursue him. While she continues to stay attached to him, her character remains stuck to that relationship as well, so when Aragorn finally rejects her, her detachment from Aragorn and their strange relationship actually keeps her free her from the cage and allows her to become her own independent woman. When Aragorn turns her away, he says, “It is but a shadow and a thought that you love. I cannot give you what you seek. I have wished you joy since first I saw you.” In a way, Aragorn himself is acknowledging that he is trapping and limiting Eowyn, for she deserves more than what he can give her. Though heartbreaking for Eowyn at first, his rejection is also freeing, allowing her to find what she seeks by being disconnected from Aragorn. After Aragorn leaves, she refuses to let men tell her what to do any longer. When she joins the army of Rohan, taking Merry with her, she becomes her own woman and takes control of her own fate. 

 Eowyn and Merry ride to war together, and their platonic relationship bolsters both of their characters more than Eowyn’s romances ever did. Hobbits and women are both underestimated people, belittled by men and told to stay on the sidelines while the real warriors fight. Eowyn encourages Merry as he becomes a fighter for Rohan, but Eomer scoffs her efforts, saying, “you should not encourage him… I do not doubt his heart, only the reach of his arm. When the fear takes him, and the blood and the screams and the horror of battle take hold, do you think he would stand and fight? He would flee, and he would be right to do so. War is the province of men, Eowyn.” It is clear that Eomer sees hobbits and women alike as unfit for war. Though their hearts may desire the glory and the bravery, Eomer believes that both hobbits and women in the thick of battle would quail and run in the face of the violence and horror.

Eomer is expressing a common sentiment among many people, both in fictional worlds and real life. Eomer and many men see that women have no place in fighting or war or dirty business because they are about life and hope and purity, not death and destruction and pain. The other women in Lord of the Rings fit into this category, such as Arwen whose life with Aragorn demonstrates hope and the return of happiness and goodness to the world. Eowyn, on the other hand is more complicated. Eowyn constantly asks the men around her why she cannot fight for those that she loves, and she asks this on Merry’s behalf as well, saying, “Why should Merry be left behind? He has as much cause to go to war as you. Why can he not fight for those he loves?” Eowyn argues that Merry has a reason to fight, just as men do, and that gives him a right to go to fight. Though she talks about Merry, she is also talking about herself, implying that she too wants to fight for those she loves and has just as much reason to go to war as men. Eomer snubs her and says nothing more on the matter. However, Eowyn and Merry will prove that they are able fighters in war, not people who run in the face of the horrors. They are fighting for love and hope as well as courage and protection, demonstrating that the best of heroes work with courage and love together, not one or the other.

Eowyn and Merry are motivated to fight to protect those that they love, not for glory or honor as many men fight for. Early on, Eowyn clearly wants to show her valor and seek renown when fighting, protesting her station looking after the women and children by saying, “What renown is there in that?” However, when she rides to Gondor with Merry, her motives switch to become much more powerful and wholesome as Merry and Eowyn fight to protect those they love. After they join the riders to Gondor, Merry says “I know there is not much point now in hoping. If I were a knight of Rohan, capable of great deeds, but I’m not. I’m a hobbit, and I know I can’t save middle earth. I just want to help my friends. Frodo. Sam. Pippin.” Merry believes that he is small and a nobody, just as he has always been told, and he only wants to help his small group of friends. He believes that he isn’t capable of courage or hope because he is small and only motivated by helping his friends, but in the end, their desire to protect those that they love makes both Merry and Eowyn stronger than those who fight for bravery and honor alone. Just before the battle at Gondor begins, Eowyn whispers, “Courage Merry, courage for our friends.” They are not trying to be courageous to be tough or like all of the men riding with them, instead fighting with a courage motivated by their love for their friends. Other characters’ motivation to fight is far less powerful. Legolas and Gimli seem largely motivated to fight out of a strange competition between the two of them and their kill count. While this is a hilarious competition that continues throughout the trilogy, it does not hold the same power and passion as Eowyn’s desire to protect those that she loves. Eowyn and Merry’s love ends up being more powerful than the valor of the great knights that both of them had earlier admired so much. 

 Eowyn’s motives are substantial and meaningful, and they end up being a main reason that she is able to defeat one of the most powerful enemies of middle-earth: the Witch-King. Any analysis about Eowyn’s worth as a character would be incomplete without her well-known line, “I am no man.” Her most important moment has nothing to do with romances, yet it relies on her identity as a woman. However, it is not just the power of her womanhood that allows her to defeat the Witch-King. She never would have even gotten into that fight if it had not been for her desire to protect Theoden. Everyone else fled from the Witch-King even as he attacked Theoden, their king, but Eowyn stands between the Witch-King and her father figure, saying, “I will kill you if you touch him.” The fear in her eyes is evident as she fights this enemy that is much more formidable and powerful than she is, but she continues to stand against him in order to protect her father figure Theoden. 

Theoden’s relationship with Eowyn is that of a father trying to protect a daughter, and though Theoden’s desire to protect restricts Eowyn, their relationship is still crucial to Eowyn’s character and her growth. Throughout their relationship, both of them are trying to protect one another. Some of Eowyn’s first moments are seen trying to help and protect Theoden as he suffers from Saruman’s control, and she tries to go to his aid when Gandalf is purging Saruman from his system. Eowyn, however, is mostly helpless to do anything to help him for most of the story, largely because of the restrictions that Theoden himself puts on her. He is not her natural father, instead taking her in after her parents died. He does his best to raise her as his own, protecting her however he can, but sometimes in his attempts to protect her, he limits her. In many ways, Theoden’s protections of Eowyn are the cage that she fears so much. He keeps her from the fighting in order to protect her, but she wants to fight to be able to protect him and the rest of Rohan. Eowyn feels trapped, but even while she feels restricted by Theoden’s rules, it is clear that they care for one another very much. Some of Theoden’s first words when he is released from Saruman’s power are her name, and his last word is her name. He also clearly trusts her with great responsibility and power. Though he keeps her out of war to protect her life and keep her from pain, he tells her right before he rides into battle that, “I have left instructions—the people are to follow your rule in my stead. Take up my seat in the golden hall. Long may you defend Edoras if the battle goes ill.” He knows that she is a capable leader, and even when he keeps her out of physical danger, he does not relegate her to the sidelines and ignore her, instead giving her duties that help protect the rest of his people. He has great faith in her, but he also wants her to be happy. When Eowyn asks what other duties he asks of her, he tells her, “I would have you smile again, not grieve for those whose time has come. You shall live to see these days renewed. And no more despair.” Theoden makes his mistakes in parenting as he pushes Eowyn away from the fighting, but everything he does, he does trying to balance his desire to protect her and to see her happy. He desperately wants her safe and happy, and Eowyn is motivated by the same desire. 

Eowyn’s desire to save her father figure is what gives her the motivation and power to defeat the Witch-King. Eowyn rushes to his aid, disregarding her own danger and fear, and Merry goes to help and protect Eowyn. Merry stabs the Witch-King when Eowyn seems to be failing. Merry is fighting to save Eowyn, someone he has grown to care about, and by protecting her, he helps bring him down enough so that Eowyn can kill him. She utters her immortal words, “I am no man,” just after she takes off her helmet and reveals her identity as a woman. Her role as a woman and an outlier help her defeat the Witch-King, but an often neglected factor is that Merry and Eowyn defeat the Witch-King together because they are fighting with a desire to protect those that they care about. Together, a woman and a hobbit unite with the intent to protect those they love, and in doing so, they become more powerful than many of the sources of evil in Middle-Earth. 

 Eowyn is at the peak of her character development during the Battle of Pelenor and when she defeats the Witch-King. The battle still raging around her, she goes to her father, who lies dying trapped beneath his horse, and she still wants to help him, saying, “I’d like to save you.” Ever since her first appearance, she desires to help Theoden. Theoden and Eowyn’s relationship as basically father and daughter makes this encounter much more powerful for her character than if it was a romantic relationship. She had been with Theoden for many years, whereas her other two “romances” were only for a short while and much less substantial. On the battle field, even after defeating the Witch-King, her focus is still on helping her father figure whom she loves very much. When Theoden sees her, he does not fuss about her safety or make any comment as to why she disobeyed his orders. He shows again the love for Eowyn and the trust that he puts in her, and he replies to Eowyn’s desire to save him by saying, “You already did.” He acknowledges that she saved him here on the battle field and implies that she has been saving him his entire life. Though Theoden ends up dying from his wounds seconds later, Eowyn was finally able to take direct action to fight and protect those that she loves. She saves Theoden from a horrible death at the hands of the Witch-King, and his last words to her are not those of a father worrying about her safety and trying to restrict her fighting. Instead, his last moments are saying goodbye to a loved one and communicating how much he cares for her. Eowyn has grown as a character, finally able to fight to protect those she loves, and now she must also grow from the death of someone that she loves.

As Theoden dies, Eowyn experiences the pain of war and death around her. Theoden’s death is horrible and heart-wrenching, but in the end, this is a crucial moment of character growth that she has created herself. She is free from the cage that she feared so much, and she liberated herself by taking control and fighting against helplessness. After years of being told what to do by others and waiting for someone else to help free her, she tires of those trying to protect her by keeping her locked in the cage. She takes action herself, ignoring the men around her who told her no. Though it exposes her to more pain and death and suffering, she had already experienced that in her life, unable to do anything about it as she was forced to stand by and watch. Now she has the ability to act and try to protect people, and her freedom is all thanks for her decision to stop letting people try to protect her by keeping her locked in the cage.

After Eowyn’s defeat of the Witch-King, her character does not experience nearly as much growth as she regresses partially back into the theme of women in romantic relationships. She is saved unwittingly by Aragorn in battle after she was already wounded, and then Aragorn heals her from her injuries. Though she does take on a bit of a damsel in distress feeling because of this, she does not become romantically involved with Aragorn again. In fact, this scene which could have been much more sexualized and romanticized instead focuses on Eowyn and her struggle with sadness after the battle and Theoden’s death. She does not revert back to depending on Aragorn for validation and comfort, instead shown standing alone after she is healed. She retains her freedom that she gained herself when she became fighter in the Battle of Pelenor. Eowyn is alone for only a short while however until she becomes romantically involved with Faramir. 

Though she as a woman should not have to be in a romantic relationship in order to be valid and complete, her relationship with Faramir is different than her other two “romances.” This one is mutual and wholesome. Wormtongue was a perverted creep who lusted after her, and she had little control over that situation. Aragorn was a place of comfort and safety, but it was one-sided and still trapped her in dependence. When she interacts with Faramir, it is more like two people who need each other equally, both relying on one another for comfort and happiness in a dark time. Faramir experienced his own great loses when his brother and father died, and he is in a place of despair similar to Eowyn’s. Eowyn tells him, “The city has fallen silent. There is no warmth left in the sun. It grows so cold.” Both of their expressions show this despair that is reflected in the silence and cold, but Faramir responds, “It’s just the damp of the first spring rain. I do not believe this darkness will endure.” Eowyn and Faramir smile at one another, and though they are small smiles, it is clear that being together and talking is a comfort to both of them. Faramir and Eowyn are both mourning the recent loss of the family members. After the suffering that they have endured, they are able to act as almost therapy for one another, a source of comfort in a cold world. This scene is less than a minute, but it demonstrates that they are able to give each other hope and a bit of happiness. Faramir isn’t just finding a broken woman to fix and grow his character; they are both grieving and broken and finding solace in the company of one another.

After the Battle of Pelenor, Faramir and Eowyn’s stories fade as the War of the Ring concludes, so the only other time this romance is seen is for a brief couple of seconds at Aragorn’s coronation as they stand next to one another applauding and sharing a look of great happiness between one another. Eowyn’s growth as a character mostly finished after Theoden’s death, and her only other parts in the story are these brief scenes with Faramir. A part of me takes issue with the idea that she had to end up with a man in order to be happy, but if she was going to be put back into another romantic relationship, as all the woman seem to be in Lord of the Rings, her relationship with Faramir was a good way to do so. Both were lost souls and had problems with their fathers, and they were each struggling with their role to try to protect the ones that they loved around them. Theirs is not a one-sided relationship, but instead one where they both benefit and grow and are able to be happy and at peace with one another. After so much suffering on both their parts, they each get a well-deserved happy ending. 

With only four main women in the Lord of the Rings trilogy movies, each of them play critical roles as a representation of women in the world. Out of the four, only Galadriel’s character is not deeply connected or reliant on romantic relationships for character growth. I long for more women characters in Lord of the Rings who are not so fully wrapped up in romance stories. Some romances are wonderful for the story, but as evident by the many men who function without any romances in their story arcs, it is not necessary for all characters to have romances for their characters to be meaningful. Though Lord of the Rings lacks a diversity in female characters and usually limits them to romantic plotlines, Eowyn’s character and her relationship with men is still a crucial representation of women in Lord of the Rings and fantasy settings in general. Eowyn escapes a very disturbing and one-sided relationship with Wormtongue, who rather than love, was obsessed and lecherous. She abandons an unrequited and complicated love interest in Aragorn and instead strikes out on her own, finally moving away from every man who is telling her what to do. She fights for friendship and hope, not just romantic love. Though she ends with Faramir in another romantic relationship, her time as a character completely unconnected with any romantic love was important not just for her character development but as a symbol of what all women could be allowed if not shackled down with their role as someone only relevant in romantic relationships. When Eowyn was free from her romantic relationships, she was able to become independent and grow to have one of the most iconic moments in the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy. The more women are disconnected from romances, allowing their characters to vary, the richer fantasy worlds can be.

Free from the Cage: the Evolution of Eowyn's character

Women and Romance in Lord of the Rings: Part 4

Eowyn’s character is easily the most developed and complicated female character of the four women in the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit. Her character’s storyline is loaded with romantic interactions between no less than three men in the films, and these romantic interactions are a large part of how she is developed as a character. However, unlike Tauriel and Arwen, she does not rely only on her romantic connections and interactions with male characters in order to develop as a character, and she gets much more screen time and development than Galadriel. In fact, a crucial part of her character is that she grows beyond the first two romances and develops independently without any reliance on a romance with a man in the story. Her character grows and thrives, and even though her character’s story ends in a romantic relationship with Faramir, her character is not restricted to this romance after her previous development. Eowyn is involved in romantic relationships, but her character is not dependent on these romances, allowing her to have a much more memorable and compelling storyline.

Eowyn’s first romantic interaction in the movies is less of a romance and more of a perverted, one-sided fantasy that Grima Wormtongue has towards her. Grima Wormtongue becomes a servant of Saruman, and he manipulates Theoden, the king of Rohan, in the hope of getting Eowyn as a prize once the corruption of Rohan is complete. Eowyn is essentially being stalked by Grima, seen as a prize to be taken. When Eomer confronts Grima about his obsession with his sister, Eowyn holds no place in this conversation and has no voice to defend herself. Instead, she is the subject of Grima’s gaze, and Eomer, another man, is the one to defend her as he tells Grima, “too long have you watched my sister. Too long have you haunted her steps.” A man talks to another man about Eowyn’s fate, and at this point in her storyline, Eowyn is little more than an object to be defended or fantasized. She has no voice of her own, only the topic of discussion between men. However, after Eomer is banished, she defends herself and begins to have more control of her own fate.   

After Eomer is banished, Grima takes more direct action and goes to Eowyn, offering false and shallow comfort to Eowyn as she mourns the death of the king’s son. Grima puts his hand on her shoulder, an act immediately creepy and unpleasant for Eowyn and the audience. She quickly throws his hand off of her and yells, “leave me alone snake,” but Grima persists. Though he does not physically force himself on her, he attempts to manipulate her as he switches from fake comforting words and instead tries to isolate her, saying, “but you are alone.” He tries to remind her of her fear of loneliness and helplessness. After his disgusting and creepy speech to her, he touches her face and strokes her neck. At first, she seems like she has fallen victim to his lies and slimy rhetoric, standing there almost frozen, looking scared and helpless. However, after a few moments, her face hardens, and she says, “Your words are poison.” Now that she is allowed to speak for herself, it is clear than even when she is afraid, she will not accept this slimy behavior. She strides from the room and out the front doors of the hall, where she stands in the wind as it whips her hair in front of her face. Her own desperation and fear mimics Rohan’s helplessness and despair as she watches the flag of Rohan tear off in the wind and land on the ground near Legolas, Gimli, Gandalf, and Aragorn as they ride in the front gates. At this point, Rohan and Eowyn alike are both trapped and helpless, and it is clear that Eowyn feels unable to control her own destiny, especially in the face of all the men around her trying to control it for her. Eowyn’s character feels like little more than a victim struggling to stay afloat. She stands up for herself as much as possible, but she is still seen as vulnerable and unable to do much to change her situation.

When Aragorn arrives, Eowyn’s mentality changes, and she begins to show her strength and protest the lack of agency allowed to her by the men around her. Aragorn quickly establishes himself as a mysterious, strong, goodhearted and kind stranger come to help her and her people, and he is a kind voice and a patient ear for Eowyn who has so often been pushed to the shadows, a subject of conversation but not able to have her own voice. Eowyn is a strong yet also frail character during her time with Aragorn. She establishes herself as a fighter, skilled with the blade and afraid of “neither death nor pain.” She is strong and brave and ready to fight, but she is simultaneously still afraid and more timid. She tells Aragorn that she fears “a cage. To stay behind bars until use and old age accept them and all chance of valor has gone beyond recall or desire.” She knows that she can be useful, and she wants to fight alongside her king and the rest of the men, but all her life, she has been pushed aside, not allowed to fight nor demonstrate her valor. Aragorn acts as a hopeful voice, telling her that, “You are a daughter of kings, a shield maiden of Rohan. I do not think that will be your fate.” Arwen looks almost shocked at his words. Later, when she dreams of being frozen, only able to face the darkness, Aragorn comforts her again and puts pleasant thoughts in her head full of nightmares and fears. Before Aragorn arrived, Eowyn’s life and fate was controlled by men. When Aragorn listens and comforts her, he gives her hope that she will not be trapped and useless, instead able to control her own fate and keep herself free from the cage. Her relationship with Aragorn is one that builds her character through hope and kindness as she struggles against her own fears, but though it does a great deal to grow her character, her romance with Aragorn still has many issues.

 Aragorn is a warm and kind voice, a welcome change from Eowyn’s fears, but he is still a man that ends up controlling her and relegating her to the very cage that she wishes to escape from. Eowyn begins to become more independent and complex around Aragorn, but she is still hesitant and awkward around him, a young girl around a much older love interest. She grows more independent, partially because his hope and presence bring her out of her fears, but her connection with Aragorn also limits her. Eowyn clings to him and his kind words even though he restricts her in similar ways that all the men before him have limited her. Before they reach Helms Deep, Theoden, Eowyn’s adopted father, tells Eowyn to lead the people to Helms Deep instead of helping them fight the Wargs. This is something that Eowyn has experienced her whole life, hence her fear of being relegated to a cage and unable to be useful and prove her valor. Though she resists, she gives in to Theoden’s wishes, used to these restrictions from her father. Aragorn, on the other hand, is the man who has been telling her than she will not be committed to this cage, yet in his attempts to protect her, Aragorn tells Eowyn to leave the fight and go with the other women, just as Theoden told her earlier. She objects to her station with the other women and children, saying “You do not command the others to stay. They fight beside you because they would not be parted from you. Because they love you.” Eowyn is pushing back against Aragorn’s double standards, and she is starting to truly take action and reject the cage that others have been trying to put her in for her entire life. Though she does what Aragorn asks of her and goes to be with the women and children, her initial defiance against their orders is crucial to her character development.

When Eowyn loses hope in Aragorn returning her love, she is finally able to break free from him and other men controlling her life and begin to truly show her growth. After the battle, Eowyn’s infatuation with Aragorn is lessened (but not broken). She has seen his love for Arwen, and she also begins to realize that he traps her in her role as a woman just like Theoden and other men in her life did. However, she still sees a possibility that he will return her love, so she continues to pursue him. While she continues to stay attached to him, her character remains stuck to that relationship as well, so when Aragorn finally rejects her, her detachment from Aragorn and their strange relationship actually keeps her free her from the cage and allows her to become her own independent woman. When Aragorn turns her away, he says, “It is but a shadow and a thought that you love. I cannot give you what you seek. I have wished you joy since first I saw you.” In a way, Aragorn himself is acknowledging that he is trapping and limiting Eowyn, for she deserves more than what he can give her. Though heartbreaking for Eowyn at first, his rejection is also freeing, allowing her to find what she seeks by being disconnected from Aragorn. After Aragorn leaves, she refuses to let men tell her what to do any longer. When she joins the army of Rohan, taking Merry with her, she becomes her own woman and takes control of her own fate. 

 Eowyn and Merry ride to war together, and their platonic relationship bolsters both of their characters more than Eowyn’s romances ever did. Hobbits and women are both underestimated people, belittled by men and told to stay on the sidelines while the real warriors fight. Eowyn encourages Merry as he becomes a fighter for Rohan, but Eomer scoffs her efforts, saying, “you should not encourage him… I do not doubt his heart, only the reach of his arm. When the fear takes him, and the blood and the screams and the horror of battle take hold, do you think he would stand and fight? He would flee, and he would be right to do so. War is the province of men, Eowyn.” It is clear that Eomer sees hobbits and women alike as unfit for war. Though their hearts may desire the glory and the bravery, Eomer believes that both hobbits and women in the thick of battle would quail and run in the face of the violence and horror.

Eomer is expressing a common sentiment among many people, both in fictional worlds and real life. Eomer and many men see that women have no place in fighting or war or dirty business because they are about life and hope and purity, not death and destruction and pain. The other women in Lord of the Rings fit into this category, such as Arwen whose life with Aragorn demonstrates hope and the return of happiness and goodness to the world. Eowyn, on the other hand is more complicated. Eowyn constantly asks the men around her why she cannot fight for those that she loves, and she asks this on Merry’s behalf as well, saying, “Why should Merry be left behind? He has as much cause to go to war as you. Why can he not fight for those he loves?” Eowyn argues that Merry has a reason to fight, just as men do, and that gives him a right to go to fight. Though she talks about Merry, she is also talking about herself, implying that she too wants to fight for those she loves and has just as much reason to go to war as men. Eomer snubs her and says nothing more on the matter. However, Eowyn and Merry will prove that they are able fighters in war, not people who run in the face of the horrors. They are fighting for love and hope as well as courage and protection, demonstrating that the best of heroes work with courage and love together, not one or the other.

Eowyn and Merry are motivated to fight to protect those that they love, not for glory or honor as many men fight for. Early on, Eowyn clearly wants to show her valor and seek renown when fighting, protesting her station looking after the women and children by saying, “What renown is there in that?” However, when she rides to Gondor with Merry, her motives switch to become much more powerful and wholesome as Merry and Eowyn fight to protect those they love. After they join the riders to Gondor, Merry says “I know there is not much point now in hoping. If I were a knight of Rohan, capable of great deeds, but I’m not. I’m a hobbit, and I know I can’t save middle earth. I just want to help my friends. Frodo. Sam. Pippin.” Merry believes that he is small and a nobody, just as he has always been told, and he only wants to help his small group of friends. He believes that he isn’t capable of courage or hope because he is small and only motivated by helping his friends, but in the end, their desire to protect those that they love makes both Merry and Eowyn stronger than those who fight for bravery and honor alone. Just before the battle at Gondor begins, Eowyn whispers, “Courage Merry, courage for our friends.” They are not trying to be courageous to be tough or like all of the men riding with them, instead fighting with a courage motivated by their love for their friends. Other characters’ motivation to fight is far less powerful. Legolas and Gimli seem largely motivated to fight out of a strange competition between the two of them and their kill count. While this is a hilarious competition that continues throughout the trilogy, it does not hold the same power and passion as Eowyn’s desire to protect those that she loves. Eowyn and Merry’s love ends up being more powerful than the valor of the great knights that both of them had earlier admired so much. 

 Eowyn’s motives are substantial and meaningful, and they end up being a main reason that she is able to defeat one of the most powerful enemies of middle-earth: the Witch-King. Any analysis about Eowyn’s worth as a character would be incomplete without her well-known line, “I am no man.” Her most important moment has nothing to do with romances, yet it relies on her identity as a woman. However, it is not just the power of her womanhood that allows her to defeat the Witch-King. She never would have even gotten into that fight if it had not been for her desire to protect Theoden. Everyone else fled from the Witch-King even as he attacked Theoden, their king, but Eowyn stands between the Witch-King and her father figure, saying, “I will kill you if you touch him.” The fear in her eyes is evident as she fights this enemy that is much more formidable and powerful than she is, but she continues to stand against him in order to protect her father figure Theoden. 

Theoden’s relationship with Eowyn is that of a father trying to protect a daughter, and though Theoden’s desire to protect restricts Eowyn, their relationship is still crucial to Eowyn’s character and her growth. Throughout their relationship, both of them are trying to protect one another. Some of Eowyn’s first moments are seen trying to help and protect Theoden as he suffers from Saruman’s control, and she tries to go to his aid when Gandalf is purging Saruman from his system. Eowyn, however, is mostly helpless to do anything to help him for most of the story, largely because of the restrictions that Theoden himself puts on her. He is not her natural father, instead taking her in after her parents died. He does his best to raise her as his own, protecting her however he can, but sometimes in his attempts to protect her, he limits her. In many ways, Theoden’s protections of Eowyn are the cage that she fears so much. He keeps her from the fighting in order to protect her, but she wants to fight to be able to protect him and the rest of Rohan. Eowyn feels trapped, but even while she feels restricted by Theoden’s rules, it is clear that they care for one another very much. Some of Theoden’s first words when he is released from Saruman’s power are her name, and his last word is her name. He also clearly trusts her with great responsibility and power. Though he keeps her out of war to protect her life and keep her from pain, he tells her right before he rides into battle that, “I have left instructions—the people are to follow your rule in my stead. Take up my seat in the golden hall. Long may you defend Edoras if the battle goes ill.” He knows that she is a capable leader, and even when he keeps her out of physical danger, he does not relegate her to the sidelines and ignore her, instead giving her duties that help protect the rest of his people. He has great faith in her, but he also wants her to be happy. When Eowyn asks what other duties he asks of her, he tells her, “I would have you smile again, not grieve for those whose time has come. You shall live to see these days renewed. And no more despair.” Theoden makes his mistakes in parenting as he pushes Eowyn away from the fighting, but everything he does, he does trying to balance his desire to protect her and to see her happy. He desperately wants her safe and happy, and Eowyn is motivated by the same desire. 

Eowyn’s desire to save her father figure is what gives her the motivation and power to defeat the Witch-King. Eowyn rushes to his aid, disregarding her own danger and fear, and Merry goes to help and protect Eowyn. Merry stabs the Witch-King when Eowyn seems to be failing. Merry is fighting to save Eowyn, someone he has grown to care about, and by protecting her, he helps bring him down enough so that Eowyn can kill him. She utters her immortal words, “I am no man,” just after she takes off her helmet and reveals her identity as a woman. Her role as a woman and an outlier help her defeat the Witch-King, but an often neglected factor is that Merry and Eowyn defeat the Witch-King together because they are fighting with a desire to protect those that they care about. Together, a woman and a hobbit unite with the intent to protect those they love, and in doing so, they become more powerful than many of the sources of evil in Middle-Earth. 

 Eowyn is at the peak of her character development during the Battle of Pelenor and when she defeats the Witch-King. The battle still raging around her, she goes to her father, who lies dying trapped beneath his horse, and she still wants to help him, saying, “I’d like to save you.” Ever since her first appearance, she desires to help Theoden. Theoden and Eowyn’s relationship as basically father and daughter makes this encounter much more powerful for her character than if it was a romantic relationship. She had been with Theoden for many years, whereas her other two “romances” were only for a short while and much less substantial. On the battle field, even after defeating the Witch-King, her focus is still on helping her father figure whom she loves very much. When Theoden sees her, he does not fuss about her safety or make any comment as to why she disobeyed his orders. He shows again the love for Eowyn and the trust that he puts in her, and he replies to Eowyn’s desire to save him by saying, “You already did.” He acknowledges that she saved him here on the battle field and implies that she has been saving him his entire life. Though Theoden ends up dying from his wounds seconds later, Eowyn was finally able to take direct action to fight and protect those that she loves. She saves Theoden from a horrible death at the hands of the Witch-King, and his last words to her are not those of a father worrying about her safety and trying to restrict her fighting. Instead, his last moments are saying goodbye to a loved one and communicating how much he cares for her. Eowyn has grown as a character, finally able to fight to protect those she loves, and now she must also grow from the death of someone that she loves.

As Theoden dies, Eowyn experiences the pain of war and death around her. Theoden’s death is horrible and heart-wrenching, but in the end, this is a crucial moment of character growth that she has created herself. She is free from the cage that she feared so much, and she liberated herself by taking control and fighting against helplessness. After years of being told what to do by others and waiting for someone else to help free her, she tires of those trying to protect her by keeping her locked in the cage. She takes action herself, ignoring the men around her who told her no. Though it exposes her to more pain and death and suffering, she had already experienced that in her life, unable to do anything about it as she was forced to stand by and watch. Now she has the ability to act and try to protect people, and her freedom is all thanks for her decision to stop letting people try to protect her by keeping her locked in the cage.

After Eowyn’s defeat of the Witch-King, her character does not experience nearly as much growth as she regresses partially back into the theme of women in romantic relationships. She is saved unwittingly by Aragorn in battle after she was already wounded, and then Aragorn heals her from her injuries. Though she does take on a bit of a damsel in distress feeling because of this, she does not become romantically involved with Aragorn again. In fact, this scene which could have been much more sexualized and romanticized instead focuses on Eowyn and her struggle with sadness after the battle and Theoden’s death. She does not revert back to depending on Aragorn for validation and comfort, instead shown standing alone after she is healed. She retains her freedom that she gained herself when she became fighter in the Battle of Pelenor. Eowyn is alone for only a short while however until she becomes romantically involved with Faramir. 

Though she as a woman should not have to be in a romantic relationship in order to be valid and complete, her relationship with Faramir is different than her other two “romances.” This one is mutual and wholesome. Wormtongue was a perverted creep who lusted after her, and she had little control over that situation. Aragorn was a place of comfort and safety, but it was one-sided and still trapped her in dependence. When she interacts with Faramir, it is more like two people who need each other equally, both relying on one another for comfort and happiness in a dark time. Faramir experienced his own great loses when his brother and father died, and he is in a place of despair similar to Eowyn’s. Eowyn tells him, “The city has fallen silent. There is no warmth left in the sun. It grows so cold.” Both of their expressions show this despair that is reflected in the silence and cold, but Faramir responds, “It’s just the damp of the first spring rain. I do not believe this darkness will endure.” Eowyn and Faramir smile at one another, and though they are small smiles, it is clear that being together and talking is a comfort to both of them. Faramir and Eowyn are both mourning the recent loss of the family members. After the suffering that they have endured, they are able to act as almost therapy for one another, a source of comfort in a cold world. This scene is less than a minute, but it demonstrates that they are able to give each other hope and a bit of happiness. Faramir isn’t just finding a broken woman to fix and grow his character; they are both grieving and broken and finding solace in the company of one another.

After the Battle of Pelenor, Faramir and Eowyn’s stories fade as the War of the Ring concludes, so the only other time this romance is seen is for a brief couple of seconds at Aragorn’s coronation as they stand next to one another applauding and sharing a look of great happiness between one another. Eowyn’s growth as a character mostly finished after Theoden’s death, and her only other parts in the story are these brief scenes with Faramir. A part of me takes issue with the idea that she had to end up with a man in order to be happy, but if she was going to be put back into another romantic relationship, as all the woman seem to be in Lord of the Rings, her relationship with Faramir was a good way to do so. Both were lost souls and had problems with their fathers, and they were each struggling with their role to try to protect the ones that they loved around them. Theirs is not a one-sided relationship, but instead one where they both benefit and grow and are able to be happy and at peace with one another. After so much suffering on both their parts, they each get a well-deserved happy ending. 

With only four main women in the Lord of the Rings trilogy movies, each of them play critical roles as a representation of women in the world. Out of the four, only Galadriel’s character is not deeply connected or reliant on romantic relationships for character growth. I long for more women characters in Lord of the Rings who are not so fully wrapped up in romance stories. Some romances are wonderful for the story, but as evident by the many men who function without any romances in their story arcs, it is not necessary for all characters to have romances for their characters to be meaningful. Though Lord of the Rings lacks a diversity in female characters and usually limits them to romantic plotlines, Eowyn’s character and her relationship with men is still a crucial representation of women in Lord of the Rings and fantasy settings in general. Eowyn escapes a very disturbing and one-sided relationship with Wormtongue, who rather than love, was obsessed and lecherous. She abandons an unrequited and complicated love interest in Aragorn and instead strikes out on her own, finally moving away from every man who is telling her what to do. She fights for friendship and hope, not just romantic love. Though she ends with Faramir in another romantic relationship, her time as a character completely unconnected with any romantic love was important not just for her character development but as a symbol of what all women could be allowed if not shackled down with their role as someone only relevant in romantic relationships. When Eowyn was free from her romantic relationships, she was able to become independent and grow to have one of the most iconic moments in the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy. The more women are disconnected from romances, allowing their characters to vary, the richer fantasy worlds can be.

For more thoughts about Eowyn as a character and her role in Romances, click here to check out a wonderful blog post on The Mary Sue!

This is the fourth part of a four part post. The previous three are Tauriel, Galadriel, and Arwen. For the full post, click here.