Why is frodo in the hobbit

In the films, Frodo is Bilbo's nephew, a young hobbit often doubting his own decisions. He looks to others for guidance, and trusts in their advice. While it makes sense that Gandalf is the source of most of his sagacity, Samwise knows about as much as Frodo does about the world beyond The Shire, yet he's constantly looking to Sam for aid.

In the books, Frodo is Bilbo's adopted heir, the orphaned son of his first cousin which makes them second cousins. He's listened well to Bilbo , whom he regards as an "Uncle" and heeded his words. He's more calm, collected, and astute in his observations. We see Frodo' confidence shine the most in the beginning of The Fellowship of the Ring, when he's frolicking in the trees or busying himself with the other hobbits of The Shire.

Rarely does he show this level of ease and confidence again in the film, even when he reluctantly agrees to take the One Ring to Mordor. Frodo is, by and large, a plucky hero in The Lord of the Rings novels. He doesn't let a great deal deter him, except for matters of the heart such as when he thought he lost Gandalf to the Balrog , and doesn't need constant reassurance from Samwise to understand the great responsibility he's accepted.

The first film of the trilogy effectively eliminates a large portion of the first book, where the hobbits encounter Crickhollow and the Old Forest while traveling to Bree. This period informed the hobbits how scary Middle-Earth is outside The Shire, with the encounter with the Barrow wights being one of the scariest in the story, and the reason that Merry obtains the sword he'll later use to kill the Witch-King.

One of the biggest characterizations of Frodo in the films is the constant pull he has to the One Ring. He frequently has a need to use it, and when he does, it physically weakens him. It begins to alter him from a happy-go-lucky hobbit to a bitter, aggressive, jaded possessor. The constant bickering with Samwise, or the overblown issue about lembas before reaching Shelob's lair was completely out of character compared to the Frodo of the books.

Frodo wasn't defined by his constant struggle to abuse the power of the Ring in the books. He viewed it as a ward he must protect, and took his duty seriously. Both he and Sam operated as a team on that front. It's as though their shared burden of lusting after the One Ring has brought them closer together. Gollum led the two Hobbits to the Black Gate of Mordor , as Frodo had desired, but stopped the Hobbits from passing its doors, as the danger was too great. He then explained about a secret way into Mordor, 'Up the stairs and through the tunnel'.

The Hobbits once again found themselves being led by Gollum. After venturing into Ithilien , and witnessing a skirmish between a company of Haradrim warriors along with Oliphaunts and Rangers from Gondor, they were apprehended by the Ranger's captain, Faramir. Upon much interrogation, Sam foolishly misspoke, and gave away that Frodo was indeed carrying the One Ring.

Realizing the importance of the quest, Faramir proved his quality, unlike his brother, Boromir, and let the ring-bearer go free, resupplying the hobbits with food for their journey.

Later, Gollum was captured in the Forbidden Pool and forcibly taken into the hidden lair. Frodo begged for his safety, and he was not killed, although the rift between master and servant had once again begun to open. When they arrived at the top though, they were abandoned by Gollum. They cautiously traveled through the tunnel, and managed to get to the end only to find their way barred by Shelob 's great web.

Whilst attempting to cut through the webbing, Frodo bravely stood up to Shelob and forced her back further into the tunnels giving him and Sam time enough to hack through the threads and escape. Upon escaping the tunnels, Frodo thought himself safe; however, Shelob, through one of her many tunnels, managed to sneak out and jab him with her stinger. As he was being encased in Shelob's webbing, Sam was able to draw her into single combat wherein he, using Sting and the Phial of Galadriel , was able to mortally wound her and drive her back into her caves.

Sam took the Ring from around Frodo's neck upon hearing Orcish voices, and hid behind some nearby rocks. He overheard the Orcs speaking of Frodo, and Sam realized that his master was not dead, but merely paralyzed.

Frodo was then taken to the Tower of Cirith Ungol to await further torture and questioning. Frodo was taken to the utmost top of the tower and imprisoned. He was stripped of all his clothes and all the things he carried.

Squabbling over his mithril vest, fighting broke out amongst the two lead orcs and their battalions, killing almost all the Orcs and Uruks in the tower. Sam arrived at the gate of Cirith Ungol, only to find his way blocked by the Two Watchers ; he eventually overcame them, entered the tower where Frodo was held, and rescued his master.

They fled the tower, having to pass the Watchers again although this time destroying them , and entered Mordor. Frodo and Sam crawled onward through the empty plains of Mordor, as the Orcs had been sent to the Black Gate to stop the Men of the West's army, and, after falling in and out of a company of Orcs, started to climb Mount Doom. They journeyed on for many days with hardly any food or water, and Frodo became progressively weaker as the Ring's power over him grew the closer they came to Orodruin.

Frodo was eventually unable to go on, and Sam was forced to carry him a fair distance while his master rested upon his back. It was then that Gollum reappeared, and after a brief struggle, Sam cut Gollum in the stomach, and Frodo fled up the mountain. Inside the Crack of Doom, Frodo finally had the chance to destroy the ring, and rid himself of his burden, but the power of the ring was at its strongest, due to it being in the place of it's making.

It was here that Frodo finally yielded to the temptation and power of the ring. Sam yelled for Frodo to destroy the Ring, but Frodo was overcome by its power and claimed the Ring for himself. Gollum attacked Sam, who fell and hit his head on a rock, temporarily knocking him unconscious. When he came to he saw Gollum fighting with an unseen foe Frodo, having put on the Ring. Then Gollum bit off Frodo's finger, Ring and all, and was reunited with his treasure for a short time, until dancing with joy he toppled off the brink and fell into the depths, destroying himself and the One Ring.

The two hobbits tried to escape as the volcano erupted. Just as it looked as though they were doomed, Gwaihir the Lord of Eagles saw them, and with his Eagle companions Landroval and Meneldor rescued Sam and Frodo and flew them to safety.

When they arrived though, they found it under the control of an individual named Sharkey later revealed to be Saruman and his forces. Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin however, started to gather all the Shirriffs and townsfolk of the Shire, and they successfully defeated the Ruffians employed by Sharkey at the Battle of Bywater. Frodo was not directly involved in the fighting at the Battle of Bywater; instead, he made sure that no Hobbits were harmed saying that no Hobbit had ever intentionally harmed another in the Shire and that it was not going to begin there , and also that any Ruffians that surrendered were not harmed.

During his brief tenure he helped lead the rebuilding of the Shire, but soon realized that he still bore the wounds of his quest. On mid-years day later that year, Frodo retired from his post as Mayor, letting the office revert to Will Whitfoot. During his last days in middle-earth, he tried to live as peacefully as possible. Frodo was still troubled by his shoulder wound, which pained him on each anniversary of the attack at Weathertop, in addition to falling sick on each anniversary of being stung by Shelob.

As such, October 6th of that year, he would suffer from his wounds again. March 13th, TA brought similar ailments, Frodo being ill from his stinging. While living with Sam and Rosie he would witness the birth of their oldest daughter Elanor twelve days later. He was allowed passage across the sea to the Undying Lands , as he was a ring-bearer, with the hope of healing the damage to his spirit that bearing the Ring had caused.

By such a point, Frodo would have been or so and his uncle would have likely passed away. Together, it was presumed they lived out the remainder of their days. Frodo, as described by Gandalf, was "taller than some and fairer than most, with a cleft in his chin: perky chap with a bright eye.

He could be described as fairly good looking for a hobbit. Frodo is described as appearing thirty-three, even when he is fifty, due to the influence of the Ring.

Bilbo and Frodo shared a common birthday on September 22, but Bilbo was 78 years Frodo's senior. At the opening of The Fellowship of the Ring , Frodo and Bilbo were celebrating their thirty-third and eleventy-first th birthdays, respectively.

Frodo, like Bilbo, was considered by many others in Hobbiton to be a little odd. His curiosity of the outside world, fascination with Elves and faraway places like those to which Bilbo traveled in The Hobbit did not fit the general content personality of most Hobbits. This curiosity was also attributed to his Took ancestry. He was very kind and compassionate, pitying Gollum and allowing him to guide him and Sam to Mordor despite Sam's distrust of the creature.

This act of kindness later proved to be a factor in the quest's success in destroying the Ring. The influence of the Ring and the wound by the Morgul-Blade seems combined to have given him the ability to see into the spirit world, for instance he sees faraway events in his dreams on several occasions.

He also can see the ring of power worn by Galadriel and he seems to be able to sense danger. Frodo was dressed in typical Hobbit-fashion when he left the Shire: knee breeches, shirt, waistcoat, jacket, and cloak.

Colors such as bright green and yellow were typical for Shire-folk. The resemblance between the two is uncanny, partly because Gollum started off as a Hobbit as well. Looking like Gollum for a few seconds in a scene depicting a possible future event is one thing - but, if Frodo actually ended up killing Gollum, it would be a much more significant event, as heavy departures from the source material are not taken lightly by Tolkien purists.

Yet early into the production stage for The Return of the King , Jackson envisioned an ending in which Frodo would "straight-out murder" Gollum. He later decided that ending would go against the spirit of Tolkien's writing and belittle Gollum's importance to the climax, and instead had Gollum die by falling into Mount Doom while grasping the Ring.

Sometimes old wounds never heal, and that's especially true in the case of the stab wound Frodo suffered at the hands of a Ring-wraith on Weathertop; it represents the suffering Frodo endured on his long journey.

When he leaves to see the Undying Lands, bidding a tearful goodbye to his friends , Frodo is finally free from the pain of his wound and the memories it brings.

Izak Bulten is an amateur film historian and Wikipedia addict who spends hours ingesting random facts in the hope he'll be able to use them in conversation at some point. In his free time, he enjoys animating, playing board games, and grappling with the occasional existential crisis. By Izak Bulten Published Apr 29, Share Share Tweet Email 0. Related Topics Lists lord of the rings. Izak Bulten Articles Published Izak Bulten is an amateur film historian and Wikipedia addict who spends hours ingesting random facts in the hope he'll be able to use them in conversation at some point.