The Complete Philosophy of The Lord of the Rings

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About this video essay:
An extensive analysis of the deeper meanings and philosophy of Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, and Peter Jackson’s adaptation, that examines Tolkien’s sanctification of pagan virtues, the role of heroism and moral victory in Middle-earth, the presence and purpose of higher forces, and the essential role of hope in Tolkien's mythology.
Originally published in 2 parts, this remastered edition features a completely new voice over track and audio mix, and corrected some minor mistakes.

Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
4:43 I. Sanctifying History
9:03 II. Military Victory vs. Moral Victory
11:52 III. At What Cost?
14:43 IV. Freedom and Evil
18:17 V. A Cosmic Conflict
21:51 VI. Responsibility and Salvation
25:38 VII. The Guiding Hand of Ilúvatar
32:18 VIII. A Mythology of Hope

Sources:

Listen to my podcast, Cinema of Meaning:

Further Reading:

[LikeStoriesofOld]

Hey everyone! I’m excited to present this remastered cut of my original breakdown of the philosophy of The Lord of the Rings from a couple of years back. Due to the limitations I had at the time, I had to break the video up in 2 parts. But in hindsight, I kind of regretted it because I do believe it’s best experienced as a single story. I also corrected a few minor mistakes and did a full re-recording of the audio as I made the original videos when I was still working with a crappy mic while sitting in a closet, and I think I can do much better now. All in all, The Lord of the Rings remains such a rich and timeless work, and I’m still really proud of the script of wrote for my video about it, and so I just wanted to make sure it can be enjoyed – both by newcomers and by longtime fans of the channel – in the best possible version of itself.

[waveplay]

Theoden's final words "I go to my fathers, in whose mighty company I shall not now feel ashamed"....this hits so hard.

[lewislewis]

Boromir became one of my favourite characters after my mate said "we all want to be Aragon, but most of us are Boromir".
He is a skilled warrior, Gondor's champion and a virtuous man corrupted by power. That said, he fails but gets an opportunity to redeem himself, at the cost of his life

[blingkid]

A story that makes life worth living in a world rife with evil and despair. Truly one of the only films that makes me feel like I'm not alone.

[danrubin]

A gorgeous presentation. As an interpreter of Tolkien, who corresponded with him, while developing a dramatic version of The Hobbit as an episodic radioplay, I deeply appreciate this reading of his intent. Thank you.

[Assywalker]

This story is one of the greatest gifts a single man has ever given to the world.

[TitanishSpirit]

No story I've read, seen or heard moves me in the same way as this trilogy of books and movies continues to do every time I sit to experience them again. The dangers in the journey, the courage to rise to the occasion and heroism of the common man, the sacrifices and bonds of friendship and duty. I truly love these movies and they will never cease to bring me to tears. This story is true.
Do not forget that there's some good in this world, it's worth fighting for, and even the smallest of us can be a powerful force in the pursuit of it if we choose to hold onto hope. <3

[dedf]

I never understood Galadriel's sacrifice before; I thought it was merely another "girl boss" moment when she chooses the "mom life" over the "power of domination", but the fact that she was sacrificing the life of Lothlorien itself, makes her so much more of a tragic, deep, and beautiful character than before.

Thank you so much for explaining this so well!

[NASkeywest]

THATS IT! When Peter Jackson said “We are going to film this movie as if it were real and actually happened.” The trilogy is so good because it’s so realistic. It doesn’t feel like a fantasy, it feels like a real battle and real world.

[houston-coley]

This is a phenomenal video. In my experience, many commentaries and analysis videos of LOTR tend to treat Tolkien’s religious subtext with an almost eye-rolling triviality or something to brush under the rug and chuckle about. I’m really thankful for a video that delves into the Christian influences in an honest and rich way.

[rga]

I see Éowyn's charcter arc as a contrast to the stereotype of "strong female character" that is common in certain movies, that one must strip the strong female character of her feminity and make her kick butt. Éowyn's realization isn't "women shouldn't fight", but rather "violence sucks, even when it's used wisely; there are greater things than it". And, as you showed, this is part of a wider moral in the entire series that Tolkien knew very well, due to personal experiences.

[Alexander.Anthony]

My uncle showed my brother and myself the fellowship when I was in 2nd grade and my brother 5th. He would pause the movie incrementally and try to explain a scene as any times as needed or whenever we had questions. We were able to catch the next two in theaters with him. Ive legit grown up with this trilogy and it feels more like visiting an old friend whenever I catch it on TNT from time to time.

[MinimumEffortMedia]

“A single dream is more powerful than a thousand realities.” J. R. R. Tolkien

[leloupdessteppes]

Tolkien's spirituality and values managed to touch me so deeply that since I saw the movies and read his books I stayed completely obsessed by it. His work is unique and touches this "truth and light" that many of us were looking for. He managed to reconcile myself with the Christian ethos which I almost thought would be impossible. Thank you Tolkien.

[yourmusicguru]

Tolkien was a man with a profound understanding of God. He knew answers to questions that still plague many today. These answers often go unnoticed by the reader/viewer, but it didn’t get past you. Kudos, and God bless.

[kimhaas]

THANK you for finally explaining Eowyn and her character arc as being similar to Faramir’s. Tolkien is no CS Lewis. This is not Narnia. Tolkien admires Eowyn’s courage and skill. The point he is making is that’s not the only important thing in the world. When the war was over, there was still healing and that’s when she and Faramir can drop their guard and enjoy life. It’s not about gender. Tolkien is rather sympathetic to eowyn’s POV.

[jarismeixner]

I would give anything just to thank Tolkien and Peter Jackson to bring me these beautiful trilogies that really brought tears to my eyes.

[nursharabi]

It was a incredible experience, i haven't shed a tear In months ever since my release from the army. Thank you my friend for moving something inside of me, something I forgot existed.

[sandyr]

This is an incredible and beautiful tribute to J.R.R. Tolkien and LOTR. I especially love that you are focusing on the spirituality of the stories, rather than the fantasy. TYSM for sharing your LOTR resources, and quoting from those resources in this presentation!

[TheSuperappelflap]

Galadriels arc is also quite beautiful when taking into account the context it is given in the Silmarillion and other books. She always desired power in middle earth, but rejected Feanor after the kinslaying, choosing instead to travel an arduous journey to middle earth over the helcaraxe. This shows that she always had a line she would not cross, but her desire for power, to rule, was nearly as strong as that conviction. The comment she made that she passed the test, to reject the one ring and thereby her power in the mortal realm, and fade into the west, to the spiritual realm of the undying lands, is just a final conclusion to a story arc that spans many millenia of legends and stories. The moral and philosophical lesson from this is, very bluntly put, that power is not the most important thing in Tolkiens hybrid pagan and christian mythology, but morality, character, principles. I think this is one of the main reasons that his stories appeal to such a wide audience all over the world, that it very obtusely weaves those themes into what is on the surface a fantasy story about elves and dwarves and dragons.