the effect of the Ring on Bilbo and Frodo. Bilbo used it frequently to
become invisible, and sometimes for extended periods. Whenever Frodo put
it on, terrible things happened: he was in the spirit world, he saw things
quite differently, Sauron spoke to him, etc. Similarly, when Sam put it
on he was tempted by a vision of gardening in Mordor. Nothing even
remotely like this happened to Bilbo; the effect of using the Ring was entirely
benign -- no visions, no temptation, no ill effects whatever.
NZ's explanation of why Frodo and Sam weren't horribly corrupted as Gollum (or,
to a lesser extent, Boromir) is correct, but it's really clear that the Ring in
LotR is quite different from the one in The
Hobbit.
Join TORnsibs for
LotR Symphony at the Hollywood Bowl Sept. 21, 2004! For details, email erather {at} forth {dot} com.
