Saruman and Boromir

[galadriel]

I think Boromir would have been reduced to a Gollum-type. Saruman was more-or-less par with Sauron, but Boromir was only a measly little human. It would indeed be sad to watch him slowly weaken under the influence of the ring. At the end, it would most likely betray him just as it betrayed Gollum.

[Psycho Kitty]

ya Boromir was never actually fully corrupted by the ring at all. i dont think anything like saruman was. saruman felt the temptation of the ring for years and totally gave himself over to it. plus he was much more powerful so he could almost deal with that power. boromir was just like exposed to the great power of the ring for a little while and it almost overwelmed him. but i think tolkien's use of boromirs corruption was just a way of showing a kind of corruption/redemption thing on the part of a human from a race that had been corrupted in the past. for a while his corruption was internal. and its galadriel that first detects it by looking into his heart. and he knows she sees it and he is ashamed.

[Sween]

I dont think Boromir was per say courepted from the very start thats a kinda nieve way of looking at it! he never wanted to rule all like saurman did or hurt anyone apart from sauron and his servents! what you have to rember about Boromir is that he was captian of gondors armies and in many ways more used to been a leader and the trappins of it than any other member of the company. Aragorn in his youth had been a captian (or was it the captian) of Gondors and was also used to it. But rember Boromir had been raised to lead and tyhats why he would often apear stubborn. He also had gorwn up with the threat of Mordor all his life on his doorstep. think of him as a first world war solider who has spent all his life in the trenches on the frount line gonna make you hard. In his folly and lack of knoledge he thought the ring could save Gondor (he was right but not in his way) he didnt comprehend its power. has anyone ever noticed first impressions count with the ring? smegol got it in a violent way and it made him rotten. Bilbo found it as a usefull toy and use it in that way all his life it came to frodo as matter to be kept secreat and feared! Boromir loooked it as a way for victory and it played on this to him. He did repent in the end i think Boromir is quite tragic and not the least bit evil !

Saurman was indeed 'as great as his fame made him'(think thats right)! But he was allways a bit of idiot he resented Gandalf from the onset as he rembred the ways in the ring of doom when galdalg said he would go as the third (cannot rember which valar said it) 'no not as the third'! He seemed to allways of reveled in praise and liked to be held high in honor (which no doubtly he deserved initonally) gandalf never looked for it or wanted any thou. He studies sauron and probably admired him in many respects his power and his cunning all things which in many respect deserve praise even the most evil have things to be admoired. Hittler was an evil man but the things he achived in life in many ways were great. Bit like that quote from harry potter that.

To some up Saurman was allways likely to fall under the power of the ring due to his character. Boromir was an innocent who was led into folly by the ring itself. Rember Saurman never even came close to been near the ring he wasnt couropted by the ring he was courupted by power the ring was only ever the means of getting power

[galadriel]

I wouldn't call Boromir innocent per se. Let's not forget that his own brother, Faramir, was perceptive enough to refuse the Ring. But I'm sure even Faramir could be persuaded to use the ring under the right circumstances.

I think you have a good point when it comes to "first impressions": a person's reaction to the Ring is a good measure of what kind of person they really are.

[Aragorn_of_the_west]

I agree with you galadriel- but i do think that Boromir was a bit inocent- in a way.
Faramir you say, was not tempted- but he didnt stay with the ring for as long as Boromir did and was not exposed to its power nearly as much. One might say that Boromir was doomed the second he saw it- but Boromir was so protectful of his country and home, that he lost some( or all ) of his commen sense.
from this i argue that his innocence turned into temptation and corruption when he saw the ring and its power and when his worry for his home was very great.

AragornOtW

[Sween]

Originally posted by Aragorn_of_the_west
I agree with you galadriel- but i do think that Boromir was a bit inocent- in a way.
Faramir you say, was not tempted- but he didnt stay with the ring for as long as Boromir did and was not exposed to its power nearly as much. One might say that Boromir was doomed the second he saw it- but Boromir was so protectful of his country and home, that he lost some( or all ) of his commen sense.
from this i argue that his innocence turned into temptation and corruption when he saw the ring and its power and when his worry for his home was very great.

AragornOtW

Boromir was very innocent he didnt understand the ring and its effects. He knew little of its history just what was reveled to him at the council of elrond and never fully comprehended how evil it was.

Faramir on the other hand was a very learned man and knew much of the mind of Gandalf and probably understood the nature of the ring better if he was to take it he would not be innocent as he had a reasionable knoledge of it

[Elvedans]

Boromir was head-strong and proud. He loved his country and would take any chance of saving it, be it wise or not. I don't think this is an indication of badness, just naivity and too much love of something. Faramir was a little more level-headed, he had to be to cope with the peer pressure from his brother. I'm sure if it had been the other way round, Faramir would have done the same.

[Sween]

Originally posted by Elvedans
Boromir was head-strong and proud. He loved his country and would take any chance of saving it, be it wise or not. I don't think this is an indication of badness, just naivity and too much love of something. Faramir was a little more level-headed, he had to be to cope with the peer pressure from his brother. I'm sure if it had been the other way round, Faramir would have done the same.

what try and take the ring from frodo? Boromir was certinally the most venrable of the fellowship. The hobbit resisted the ring well, Gandalf was an angel, Dwafs sauron couldnt understand and it may not of affected him as much, legolas was an elf and aragorn was the king of men. He was the weakest link of the fellowship in regards to tempation of the ring. He also had the most to lose in some respects

[durin's bane]

For Saruman, I don't think he really was corrupted. He was in league with Sauron and tried to get on his good side by stealing the Ring from Frodo.
As for Boromir, I suppose he was nice enough, and he was helpful in battle. But after he tried taking control of it, he was never the same.

[galadriel]

Originally posted by Sween
Boromir was very innocent he didnt understand the ring and its effects. He knew little of its history just what was reveled to him at the council of elrond and never fully comprehended how evil it was.

Faramir on the other hand was a very learned man and knew much of the mind of Gandalf and probably understood the nature of the ring better if he was to take it he would not be innocent as he had a reasionable knoledge of it

I don't think it's a matter of knowledge.

For instance, Frodo didn't know much of the Ring. He knew about as much as Boromir did. Admittedly, he had seen the Ring's effect on Bilbo, but both were told how the Ring had destroyed Isildur. Knowing Isildur's fate should have had a profound effect on Boromir considering the prominence of Isildur in Gondorian history.

Obviously, it wasn't knowledge that allowed Frodo to resist the Ring longer than Boromir could. I was some peculiar hobbitish strength of will.

On the other hand, Saruman was very knowledgable on matters of the Ring. He knew very well what it could do to a person. But his knowledge and wisdom didn't save him from folly.

Even if Boromir had possessed all the knowledge in the world, I think he would have still tried to take the Ring from Frodo. Desire of the Ring would ultimately cloud his reasoning.

I will agree that Boromir was, shall we say, "only human". He fell into a trap that any more-or-less good person could fall into and regretted his decision afterwards. He wasn't perfect, but he was a good man.

[Elf Girl]

Originally posted by durin's bane
For Saruman, I don't think he really was corrupted. He was in league with Sauron and tried to get on his good side by stealing the Ring from Frodo.

I think that that is what he thought he was doing. However, in truth he desired it for himself.