he could have, perhaps, done something like withstood Saurman at
Isengard or even have not gone to
Isengard in the first place
There is a great deal tied up in the original post here...again coming back to the foundation of
Eru's creation.
The charge the
Istari were given was to 'help the
peoples of
Middle-earth in their fight against
evil.' Only
Gandalf fulfilled that charge.
Gandalf was selected by Eru himself, to go and aid the peoples. The others were all selected by one of the
Valar... and they all failed. There is great education in this..!
So the question becomes, is Eru 'enough' ??? Or do we need to enhance what Eru gave us for His purposes. (this goes into some very deep theology.)
Melkor was given 'a part in/of all the others' power' and was the mightiest of them... yet was not satisfied. He did not trust Eru's works or gifts to him.
Sauron sought
the One Ring for control and domination, not satisfied with what Eru had given him.
The 3 rings of the
Elves do not fit the category, because of the REASON they developed them. It was not for themselves, but to provide healing and preservation for/of Eru's creation.
Saruman dappled with ring-craft, not willing to accept Eru had given him all he needed to succeed in his charge without 'aid'... OR due to dark intents, to control and dominate more. Either way, his dabbling was not well received by Gandalf.
Gandalf knew if he needed more, it would have been, or yet be, given by Eru, as Eru would not give a charge he himself did not intend to be fulfilled. And of course, in the end, when Gandalf did need to take a very direct hand in the preservation of the
quest of the Ring, (the
Balrog), when he died in that part of his charge, he WAS given more, and sent back to fulfill the rest of Eru's plan for him.
Understanding the depths of
Tolkien means getting a good hold on his theology. Without it, all we have is our own perspective from which to work... and for most of us, it's far short of the need.
Ring-craft implies control - I think. I don't believe
Gandalf ever set out to control anyone else. He was bidden not to.
Just as a note:
The Elven rings were also for a certain kind of 'control'... healing, preservation, assistance in accomplishing Eru's theme.
There's nothing inherently wrong with 'control'. it's the 'what' and 'why', and 'how' of control that becomes the problem.
I think this is what you were referring to by your comment anyway... just wanted to clarify.
None of the rings as originally made were for an evil kind of 'control'. They were, however, except for the three, ultimately all corrupted.
