Character Foils in Lord of the Rings

[Nurvingiel]

Almost every character in almost every book has another who is their equal and opposite. It's not always the main hero and the main villain who are foils. Any two characters can augment each other in the story.

My question to you is, who are character foils in Lord of the Rings?

To kick it all off, I will suggest Eowyn and Arwen. They similar in some ways, but have marked differences.

Similarities:
Both great women who get married to marry excellent men at the end of the book.
They are both heroes in their own way.
They either are or were in love with Aragorn.

Differences:
Arwen is not a warrior, Eowyn is arguably one of the greatest warriors in Middle-earth.
For most of the book, Arwen and Eowyn seek entirely different lifestyles. Arwen is not an adventurer, and operates behind the scenes. Eowyn is a warrior at heart, going so far as to disguise herself and forgo other duties to be part of the 'final' battle for Middle-earth.

What do you think?
What other character foils would you suggest?

[Fimbrethil]

I think Pippin and Gandalf are foils....think about for a while before reading the rest of this if you have to.

Same: Both are trying to help Frodo in some way shape or form.
They both have made...mistakes. They both were captured and held for some length of time hurting womever it was they were supposed to be with waiting for or going to get.

Different:Well Gandalf is...magical and Pippin isn't. Pippin's short with fury feet...to the best of my knowledge Gandalf is or has none of these. Gandalf doesn't seem to have a knack for knocking buckets into wells.


There are definatly many more you could add and maybe some you could take away but all in all I think they are, as Nurvingel said, equal and opposite.

[Tuor of Gondolin]

How about Theoden and Denethor?

Both great kings who for a long time relatively successfully
governed their people and directed resistance to aggression,
both lost a son and heir, both were subject to enormous
pressure late in their lives, and to both Gandalf offered advice/assistance,
but one rose to the occasion and the other failed.

[Nurvingiel]

That's a really good one Tuor!

Saruman and Gandalf are character foils:

Both Isatari, very powerful and wise

but:
Saruman allied himself with Sauron, giving up hope
Gandalf said he was the enemy of Sauron, and still had hope
Saruman didn't respect Hobbits, his mistake
Gandalf put his faith ultimately in Frodo and Sam, who saved Middle-earth
Saruman mostly stayed in Orthanc, Gandalf was always travelling
Saruman gave in to the temptation of the Ring
Gandalf wouldn't even touch it.
Saruman died tragically, killed by his only follower (at the time)
Gandalf was killed by the Balrog, but came back from the dead (so to speak)

I'm sure the list goes on here.

I agree with you too Fimbrethil, Gandalf can have more than one foil.

[mithrand1r]

Originally posted by Tuor of Gondolin
How about Theoden and Denethor?

Both great kings who for a long time relatively successfully
governed their people and directed resistance to aggression,
both lost a son and heir, both were subject to enormous
pressure late in their lives, and to both Gandalf offered advice/assistance,
but one rose to the occasion and the other failed.

Very good, but Denethor was not a king. He was the Steward of Gondor.

You could use leaders instead of Kings and this should work fine.

[Dúnedain]

Originally posted by Nurvingiel
Gandalf wouldn't even touch it.

Actually he did touch it, just before he through it in the fire in Bag-End

[Nurvingiel]

Originally posted by Dúnedain
Actually he did touch it, just before he through it in the fire in Bag-End

I thought he used the tongs the whole time. But whatev. He certainly did resist its temptation though.

[Ilúvatar]

Fimbrethil - just wanted to point out that Pippin did not drop a bucket into a well. He dropped a stone in to see how deep it was.

-Ilúvatar

[The Gaffer]

Originally posted by Ilúvatar
just wanted to point out that Pippin did not drop a bucket into a well.

Ah, that movie thing is seeping into the collective subconscious. Well spotted, Eru (no pun intended).

Yes, you could contrast Gandalf with Saruman, Denethor, Theoden, the balrog, Sauron, Witch-king.

How about Ted Sandyman and Sam? Selfish ambition vs humble subservience.

Also:
Faramir vs Boromir
Legolas vs Gimli
Galadriel vs Sauron (or even Elrond)
Treebeard vs Old Man Willow

Ye gods, the list goes on. Good idea for a thread.

[Nurvingiel]

I wouldn't call Sam subservient, but it's still a good character foil.

[Imric]

I'm suprprised no one has mentioned Boromir and Faramir.

[Imric]

Dang. I see someone has mentioned Boromir and Faramir!

[Fimbrethil]

Originally posted by Ilúvatar
Fimbrethil - just wanted to point out that Pippin did not drop a bucket into a well. He dropped a stone in to see how deep it was.

-Ilúvatar

Ah! Ya caught me! I was hoping no one would notice because I didn't have time to edit my post. Maybe it should be Merry as Gandalf's foil? Though they both do eventually separte from Gandalf I think Merry had to stay with him to grow a little more as a character. Am I getting my roles in the book confused? Please correct me if I am. Anyway glad you all liked it.

[The Gaffer]

Merry and Fatty Bolger might be a good one.

[Attalus]

Besides the ones mentioned, how about Gollum vs. Sam? Servant coerced and treacherous set against willing and faithful, yet both absolutely necessary. BTW, I agree that Sam is not subservient: sturdy independance about sums it up. And, going outside LotR, Tom Bombadil vs. Beor. (well, Beor is at least referred to in LotR). Tom is welcoming and friendly, Beor surly and scary, but both are ultimately helpful.

[Nurvingiel]

Originally posted by The Gaffer
Merry and Fatty Bolger might be a good one.

I don't think we know enough about Fatty Bolger to make a good comparison. He helped the Hobbits escape the Shire, and kept up the illusion of Frodo's presence as long as possible, then was imprisoned by Sharkey's men.

We could compare different events and actions, but we don't know much about his character.

Gollum and Sam are awesome foils Attalus!

1. Gollum was always trying to get the Ring, Sam willingly gave it back to Frodo.

2. Gollum tricks people and Sam is honest.