In the initial part of the parley with Saruman, after Saruman has made a fair
greeting and (ironic) offer of aid and counsel , Theoden seems uncertain,
“Theoden opened his mouth as if to speak, but he said nothing. He
looked up at the face of Saruman with its dark solemn eyes bent down upon him,
and then to Gandalf at his side; and he seemed to hesitate. Gandalf made
no sign; but stood silent as stone, as one waiting patiently for some call that
has not yet come….There was a heavy silence.”
Gimli interrupts. Saruman counters. Then Eomer interrupts,
reminding the king of the cruel deaths of Hama and Theodred. And Saruman
counters yet again. All the while, Theoden remains silent.
1) Theoden says he’s worried about his faltering feet, but of more
concern is the potential for his mind to falter. Does Theoden possess the
strength of will to successfully confront Saruman alone? If Gandalf had not
been there, would things have gone differently? Was Gandalf actually
doing anything to aid Theoden?
I don’t have any other formal queries here, so I invite any other
comments/points that you would like to make about Saruman’s words to
Theoden. However, I do find the dialog rich in irony and barely veiled
hostility. I would be interested in hearing about everyone’s favorite
moments in this dialog…for ex:
-- Saruman makes many vituperative comments in this chapter. Unlike myself, he
always seems to have the right put-down at the tip of his
tongue. Our heroes get a few zingers in there too, though.
And the best verbal-slam award goes to……?
-- Likewise, Saruman’s cajoling and his diatribes are over-the-top with
irony. (Ex: Saruman’s assertion, “Much have I desired to
see you, mightiest of kings of western lands, and especially in these latter
years, to save you from the unwise and evil counsels that beset you!”
being my favorite) Any other favorite examples that illustrate to
you the warped reasoning of our twisted wizard or that especially reveal the
depths of his treachery?
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Ahhh, the power of cheese.
