September 19, 2003

Crowning of Elessar Before Battle of the Morannon?
Bob Praz

Oh yes, here we go with this interesting bit of educated speculation (hmm...I don't even know if that sentence works).
I posted recently an article about how PJ would treat Aragorn in ROTK. I have another thing to add: has no one noticed that Aragorn seems to have been crowned as Elessar between the Battle of the Pelennor and the final battle at the Black Gate?

How does one guess this? Well first of all, if you watch all the clips from previews, pictures and such, you'll notice that until Aragorn reaches Minas Tirith, he is, of course, in his old ranger clothes. But then there's plenty of pictures showing him leaving Minas Tirith (and leading the Host of the West) in a completely new raiment with the White Tree and a far more kingly appearance. He's also seen in battle wearing this guise, and since this is after the Pelennor Fields, it has to be at the Black Gate. There’s also a shot of him in the DVD preview approaching the Throne of the White Tower in his RANGER clothes, and I can’t see why he’d do this without the intention of claiming his kingship (he does nothing of the sort in the book prior to his crowning).

Now some may say Aragorn simply changes his clothing before setting out for the Morannon, and that is still a possible alternative to this theory, and I can't deny it. However, why would PJ go through all the trouble of having Aragorn dress up as a king, and not have him claim the throne of Gondor? It doesn't make sense, because either it goes against Aragorn's character, or it is simply controversial to have someone dress as a king but deny being one.
Most importantly, the audience would be confused and unable to understand it. "Is he king or not?" they'd ask. Those who haven't read the book wouldn't see why Aragorn would refuse the Crown now that he's in Minas Tirith and that he has already proven himself in the Paths of the Dead and in the Battle of the Pelennor. Plus, if he wants to challenge Sauron, is it not much more dramatic and much more logical if he claims the throne of Gondor, and thus give the movie (and the characters in it) some optimism and added tension or anticipation? And it would attract Sauron's attention far more effectively.
Also, when you think about it, there's not much that happens between the victory at the Pelennor and the march to the Black Gate. Sure, there's the Houses of Healing, and PJ will likely give us a bit of exposition in the style of The Last Debate, but apart from that, there is nothing important happening and there is nothing to advance the plot. After such a victorious battle, Peter will want to give us something to feel good about, not simply another speech of how desperate the war is and how unlikely is their victory. The movie needs something significant to happen while Frodo and Sam are wandering slowly and unexcitingly across the Plains of Gorgoroth.

Finally, to somewhat confirm this even further, the description of the King Elessar (that's right, KING Elessar) figure at the Sideshow Weta Collectibles site features these words:
"Aragorn is bound to fulfill this destiny and lead the people of Gondor toward their uncertain future. Newly crowned under his Elf name, Elessar, the King rides out at the head with his forces to answer the threat of Mordor and confront the darkness that seeks to destroy them."
Since the collectibles are based on the movie, and the descriptions accompanying have thus far been accurate, there's good reason to believe they've just affirmed that Aragorn is crowned as Elessar before proceeding to the Black Gate.

For one, I think this would be a good and acceptable change to the plot, as once the climax is finished, the movie must be concluded at the Grey Havens in a reasonable amount of time, leaving little space for an entire ceremony of inauguration. As for the wedding, I have no clue if PJ has changed it, but since it doesn't feel right to have it right before the final battle, I don't think we need to worry about it.

P.S.: Sorry about the length of this article, but I felt it was better to back up my theory as much as possible NOW so that I won't have to say more afterwards. Write a response if you can; I'd like to know if you agree or if you think I'm mad (hehe).