📖👀 Chapter 4 (📔Book V): The Siege of Gondor

[Rivendell_librarian]

An initial small thought: why not the Siege of Minas Tirith since Gondor is a much greater area as has been described in previous chapters. It could be that Tolkien is emphasising that if Minas Tirith falls so Gondor will fall. There is an excellent diagram of Minas Tirith and a helpful battle plan showing the movement of forces in Fonstad's atlas.

This chapter is very episodic covering about five days leading up to the engagement of forces in the battle for Middle Earth. Remarkably it is only about 10 days or so since Boromir was killed. But, unlike with Helm's Deep, Tolkien chooses to focus on the personal as seen through the eyes of Pippin. We see the descent of Denethor into madness as he becomes increasingly hooked on the drug of his palantir, not realising he is being played by Sauron. Both Sauron and Saruman engage in mind games against the leadership of Rohan and Gondor while at the same time throwing their forces forward into battle. We also see more of the hate-love relationship with Faramir.

Pippin is grouchy about the lack of food and Gandalf is just grouchy - well he does have the future of Middle Earth to worry about. Gandalf rides to the rescue of Faramir and the few Gondorians with him from the Nazgul. Faramir is amazed to see another halfling but Gandalf steps in to change the subject. It is significant that Faramir is seated in a low chair next to Denethor and we witness some belittling in comparison to the favoured Boromir. Gandalf is keen to discover the timing of this attack from Mordor and Frodo's movements but Faramir explains clearly that the two cannot be directly connected. Denethor tells Faramir he would rather he (Faramir) had died in place of Boromir but it was Denethor who chose Boromir for the mission to Rivendell. Denethor gives away his lust for the Ring "If I had this thing" not "we". The Ring would not be safe in the bowels of Minas Tirith.

After this tension filled conference, Pippin asks Gandalf is there any hope for Frodo. "There never was much hope just a fool's hope as I have been told" replied Gandalf: a great bit of dialogue. There's a well known Christian principle here: For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength. The "fool" Gandalf works out that Aragorn has provoked Sauron by showing himself in the palantir Gandalf presented to him.

Denethor sends Faramir back to the outer defences but all the news is that the enemy is advancing. The prince of Dol Amroth (Denethor's cousin) and Gandalf rescue a now stricken Faramir. This setback leads Denethor descent into madness as he plans to burn a not yet dead Faramir and himself on a funeral pyre in the House of the Stewards at the rear of the city. Gandalf has assumed command. Pippin rises to the challenge even giving orders to Denethor's servants not to do anything until he can fetch Gandalf. Gandalf has his own problems with the weirdly telegenic Grond being commanded by the Witch King to break down the city gate. Dol Amroth's knights mount a strong defence but Grond "crawls on", the gate is smashed and the witch king rides in and all flee save Gandalf. Gandalf tries his balrog trick: "you cannot pass" vs "you cannot enter here" and at this very moment a cock crows and distant horns are heard. "Rohan had come at last".

This last section and the complex cliff hanger - well it's remarkable Booker winning fiction if the Booker actually was a measure of writing quality.

 

[Squint-eyed Southerner]

Something I've mentioned elsewhere, but is worth noting again here -- though it took many years and many readings for me to recognize it -- is the way in which the scene at the Gate, in its sequence and imagery: the pre-dawn setting, appearance of the Nazgul, the pale sword, repeated blows, the "words of power", followed by the breaking of the Gate, and even down to the cock-crow and distant horns, followed by the retreat of the Nazgul, replicate, on a vaster and more epic scale, the assault on the house at Crickhollow. This cannot have been coincidence, and I think helps explain why so many passages throughout the work resonate with readers, sometimes un- or semi-consciously.

it's remarkable Booker winning fiction

Indeed:

In rode the Lord of the Nazgul. A great black shape against the fires beyond he loomed up, grown to a vast menace of despair. In rode the Lord of the Nazgul, under the archway that no enemy ever yet had passed, and all fled before his face.

All save one. There waiting, silent and still in the space before the Gate, sat Gandalf upon Shadowfax: Shadowfax who alone among the free horses of the earth endured the terror, unmoving, steadfast as a graven image in Rath Dinen

A masterful piece of writing that brings chills every time.

One more small note on the writing: in the final text, Tolkien altered Denethor's words to Faramir from the draft's "You are weary, my son" to a colder and more distant "You are weary, I see", showing how a tiny change in wording can effect a great change in tone and significance; a demonstration of the author's statement that he'd "labored over every sentence, almost every word".

 

[TrackerOrc]

'Gandalf did not move. And in that very moment, away behind in some courtyard of the City, a cock crowed. Shrill and clear he crowed, recking nothing of wizardry or war, welcoming only the morning that in the sky far above the shadows of death was coming with the dawn.
And as if in answer there came from far away another note. Horns, horns, horns. In dark Mindolluin's sides they dimly echoed. Great horns of the North wildly blowing. Rohan had come at last.'

As I dissect his books, chase down tiny points of interest to prove (or disprove) some point or other, I often forget just how good his writing is on the most basic of levels.

He really knew how to end a chapter didn't he!

I need to remind myself more just what a cracking good story Tolkien managed to get down on paper.

 

[Rivendell_librarian]

I couldn't agree more TrackerOrc.

I do have this mental picture of a CraftsmanOrc lovingly adding the finishing touches to Grond.

 

[Rivendell_librarian]

Something I've mentioned elsewhere, but is worth noting again here -- though it took many years and many readings for me to recognize it -- is the way in which the scene at the Gate, in its sequence and imagery: the pre-dawn setting, appearance of the Nazgul, the pale sword, repeated blows, the "words of power", followed by the breaking of the Gate, and even down to the cock-crow and distant horns, followed by the retreat of the Nazgul, replicate, on a vaster and more epic scale, the assault on the house at Crickhollow. This cannot have been coincidence, and I think helps explain why so many passages throughout the work resonate with readers, sometimes un- or semi-consciously.

Indeed:


A masterful piece of writing that brings chills every time.

One more small note on the writing: in the final text, Tolkien altered Denethor's words to Faramir from the draft's "You are weary, my son" to a colder and more distant "You are weary, I see", showing how a tiny change in wording can effect a great change in tone and significance; a demonstration of the author's statement that he'd "labored over every sentence, almost every word".

I also noticed that Theoden has been calling his nephew, Eomer, "my son". Maybe Tolkien was thinking of different types of rulers and military commanders.

 

[Squint-eyed Southerner]

Yes, it's one more example of the "contrasted parallels" Shippey talks about.

 

[Eljorahir]

I noticed yesterday, Denethor says to Faramir almost the same thing Boromir said to Frodo.

Denethor to Faramir: "...Boromir was loyal to me and no wizard's pupil..."

Boromir to Frodo regarding the danger of using the Ring: "Gandalf, Elrond--all these folk have taught you to say so..."

 

[Starbrow]

'Gandalf did not move. And in that very moment, away behind in some courtyard of the City, a cock crowed. Shrill and clear he crowed, recking nothing of wizardry or war, welcoming only the morning that in the sky far above the shadows of death was coming with the dawn.
And as if in answer there came from far away another note. Horns, horns, horns. In dark Mindolluin's sides they dimly echoed. Great horns of the North wildly blowing. Rohan had come at last.'

This part always gives me chills, no matter how many times I read it.