Lead, Follow, of Go Over the Sea

"Then let me carry it a bit for you, Master," he said. "You know I would, and gladly, as long as I have any strength" (III, 214).

Sam is no fool, and that has been made clear throughout his adventures in Mordor (although his role as THE Fool may be debatable), but here he acts foolishly in asking for the Ring yet again, risking his Master's disapproval that he has previously been deeply hurt by twice before (III, 214 and I, 115). His lust for the Ring is the only logical cause for his words, and its powers of manipulation are made all the more evil by acting on the pure loyalty of Samwise Gamgee.

In the end of the trilogy, Frodo chooses to go across the seas and depart from Middle Earth. This choice will end his relationship with Sam, but Frodo tells Sam that he is now expected to lead others, as mayor, husband, and father. Sam's "part of the Story goes on" (III, 309). Despite his sadness at Frodo's parting, Sam, in his last words of the trilogy displays contentment with his new position: "He drew a deep breath. ‘Well, I'm back,’ he said" (III, 311). Sam, defined as a loyal servant throughout the trilogy, becomes in the end a loyal family man with respect and love for the family that depends on him as well as the people he is to serve as an elected official. Undoubtedly, his relationship with Frodo is the ideal which Sam would try to uphold in his new roles.

Like Frodo and Sam, Merry and Theoden (from the Old English ‘theoden’ meaning ‘lord’) form a relationship based on love and loyalty. Recalling the aged Hrothgar and the older Beowulf of Beowulf (Beowulf, 357, 2209-2210, the first image of Theoden, is of an old man, "...a man so bent with age that he seemed almost a dwarf" (III, 116). He is deceived and debilitated by the influence of the wicked Grima Wormtongue, and not until the words of Gandalf revive his conscience do we see the true Lord of Rohan:

He drew himself up, slowly, as a man that is stiff from long bending over some dull toil. Now tall and straight he stood, and his eyes were blue as he looked into the opening sky. (III, 120)

As his fingers took the hilt, it seemed to the watchers that firmness and strength returned to his thin arm. (III, 123)

Unlike Hrothgar's helpless situation at the beginning of Beowulf (Beowulf, 189-191) and Frodo's reluctant bravery, Theoden is more like the aged Beouwlf who chooses to fight the dragon who has ravaged his land:

Not one foot Will I retreat from the barrow-keeper, but there by the wall it must go between us as fate decides, the Lord, for each man (Beowulf, 2524-2527).

Likewise, Theoden says, "I myself will go to war, to fall in the front of battle, if it must be. Thus shall I sleep better" (II, 123). He is still an old man, but he is an old man riding willingly to battle.

At the core of his character, however, Theoden is a lord, and a lord of any age requires servants who are both loyal and helpful. It is the Hobbit Merry's practicality that marks him at the beginning of the trilogy, and shows him to be one willing to act in the interest of others. It was he who helped Frodo locate a home in Crickhollow (I, 76), and once Frodo, Sam, and Pippin arrive, he proves to be a thoughtful host, addressing all of his guests concerns: