-
F
O
R
U
M |
-
The LOTR Movie Site
April 22, 2000It Makes Sense to
Include Arwen in the Fellowship
John R.
A modern-day Tolkien, tasked with writing a greatly truncated
screenplay of his sprawling story, and also ordered to make it commercially successful so
as to repay his investors, would jump at the opportunity to include Arwen in the
Fellowship.
The story of Aragorn and Arwen is itself the "commercial" version of the earlier
story of Beren and Luthien. Aragorn and Arwen are descendants of Beren and Luthien. Arwen
is thought to be Luthien's incarnation, and Aragorn inherits the ring of Barahir. Aragorn
meets Arwen in the same way Beren meets Luthien, and both men are given the same
impossible tasks in order to win the hand of their love. Finrod and later his sister
Galadriel both sacrifice their kingdoms and lives to aid the quests.
Luthien rescues Beren then accompanies him to the completion of his quest. She defeats
Sauron and casts down Morgoth.
So including Arwen in the Fellowship is not "policitally correct". It is instead
true to Tolkien's original material about the First Age. Personally I would have no
problem dropping the ineffectual Legolas to be replaced by a spunky elf princess. |