Dom Nardi
Member
I have a background in political science and have written a paper about politics in Lord of the Rings for the Mythlore journal. I was talking with Corey recently, and he suggested I start thinking about how we might incorporate politics into the story of the Silmarillion. In particular, I would help think about how the Elven kings would behave and rule.
The Silmarillion obviously has a lot of Elven kingdoms, but Tolkien doesn't provide details about the political arrangements. Yet, there might be some points in the show when we'll need to think carefully about these issues. For example, does Thingol have a lavish throne with a hall full of courtiers? How does High King Ingwe relate to the other Elves? Should all the Elven kingdoms be basically enlightened despots, as depicted in the book, or should we play around a bit with the types of political systems?
Peter Jackson's Hobbit films provide an important example of how this matters to the adaptation process. In the films, Jackson gave Thror a large throne with the Arkenstone lodged in the top. In the Riddles in the Dark podcast, Corey noted that the Arkenstone seemed to have greater political importance than in the books, almost acting as a symbol of Thror's divine right to rule. Also, Jackson changed Laketown's political realm from a corrupt democracy (or oligarchy) to a corrupt dictatorship or Soviet republic.
I'd love help with this, or at least a small group with which to discuss various issues. I'd like this thread to be the place for people to submit questions or ideas about the depiction of politics in the Silm Film. Initially, I'd like to make a list of the generally issues that might come up (e.g., the depiction of political symbols like crowns, etc.).
Please let me know if you're interested in helping out?
The Silmarillion obviously has a lot of Elven kingdoms, but Tolkien doesn't provide details about the political arrangements. Yet, there might be some points in the show when we'll need to think carefully about these issues. For example, does Thingol have a lavish throne with a hall full of courtiers? How does High King Ingwe relate to the other Elves? Should all the Elven kingdoms be basically enlightened despots, as depicted in the book, or should we play around a bit with the types of political systems?
Peter Jackson's Hobbit films provide an important example of how this matters to the adaptation process. In the films, Jackson gave Thror a large throne with the Arkenstone lodged in the top. In the Riddles in the Dark podcast, Corey noted that the Arkenstone seemed to have greater political importance than in the books, almost acting as a symbol of Thror's divine right to rule. Also, Jackson changed Laketown's political realm from a corrupt democracy (or oligarchy) to a corrupt dictatorship or Soviet republic.
I'd love help with this, or at least a small group with which to discuss various issues. I'd like this thread to be the place for people to submit questions or ideas about the depiction of politics in the Silm Film. Initially, I'd like to make a list of the generally issues that might come up (e.g., the depiction of political symbols like crowns, etc.).
Please let me know if you're interested in helping out?