Legolas is being a good diplomat here. he states firmly that he and Gimli are
allies of Aragorn. There are no snippy inquiries as to why the son of Thranduil
(a Prince himself!) has not been invited to the council. Legolas is presenting
himself as a demure soldier and good friend. He wants to ensure a smooth
transfer of power in Gondor.
Legolas' calm attitude and Aragorn's marked reticence to reside in
the city show a sensible political attitude. People tend to hunger for a strong
leader during times of war, but there are always dissenting voices. Remember
the Kinstrife.
2) Is there any real threat of civil war in Gondor? How do
Aragorn's cautious tactics compare to (one of) the overall themes of "Power
corrupts" in "Lord of the Rings"?
Legolas may be a Prince, but he's not a captain. He leads no troops. He's a
foot soldier. An elite foot soldier, granted, but a foot soldier nonetheless.
He doesn't need to be at the council. It's obvious that he and Gimli are not
along to lead, but to follow and support.
As others note, Gimli is not introduced by name, but then, Legolas never gives
his name either. Why? It may be that they don't bother because their names will
mean nothing to him, or because he's a captain and they are simply grunts, or
perhaps because it will become painfully obvious that Legolas is clearly the
least accomplished of the Walkers. :-) Instead of trying to give Gimli some
credibility, as Smokering suggests, perhaps he was hoping to keep from being
overshadowed. (Figuratively, of course.)
In all seriousness, however, I think that the real reason that Legolas is so
low-key is the same as why Gimli is too. They're just there to see their
friends. They don't need to run about trying to collect accolades and things.
They don't have an inflated sense of self. I don't think it was nearly the
political maneuver that Aragorn's not entering the city was. Much more of a
natural calmness and humility without a lot of thought behind it.
As to civil war, wajeff nails this one. If the West survives, Aragorn will be
crowned king by acclamation. If the West doesn't survive, there won't be
anywhere to be king
of.
--------
"I like the kind of literary criticism that tries very hard to understand what the author is saying. I despise the kind that cares only about how the reader responds to it. The first requires a great deal of hard scholarship, ultimately as much as had the writer. The second can be practiced by anyone with a navel into which to gaze."
Reverend
.
