Boromir was the only member of the Fellowship who tried to take the ring. He was vain and entitled, believing that he alone, of the Fellowship, was worthy of the ring. He was a thief and a traitor.

Boromir was a Lord of Gondor, and he wanted everyone to know it. “His garments were rich, his cloak was lined with fur, and he had a collar of silver in which a single white stone was set.”

Boromir did not redeem himself. He failed to protect Merry and Pippin from the orcs, who wouldn’t have found the hobbits wandering alone if it weren’t for Boromir’s actions in the first place.

Boromir would not have felt remorse or apologised if he had succeeded in taking the ring; he only did because he was caught. His image was so important to him that his “heroic” death was staged to create sympathy and goodwill so that he would not be remembered through the ages as a thief and a traitor.

Boromir got what he deserved.

  • ryven@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    3 months ago

    Mortal men cannot long resist the influence of the Ring at such close proximity. Replace Boromir with any other human, dwarf, or elf, and some member of the Fellowship would still have turned on the ring-bearer by the end.

    Hobbits are more resilient, but with long enough exposure even they can be swayed. It was only a matter of time.

    • folkrav@lemmy.ca
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      3 months ago

      This is how I see it too. His intentions were pure - he wanted the ring’s power to save Gondor. The Ring corrupted and exploited those desires. In the books, we know his immediate thoughts were for the people of Gondor and the hobbits he felt like he failed, and he gave his life to defend their escape.

    • AwkwardLookMonkeyPuppet@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      It’s worth saying that hobbits are more resistant because they don’t really desire any worldly power or wealth. They just want to be left alone, which is part of the reason why Sméagol took the ring into the mountains and disappeared for 500 years. The ring plays upon your desires, so his desire for solitude was amplified considerably.