Tony Meade
Active Member
SESSION 112
Comment on seating arrangements at the feast:
Comment on seating arrangements at the feast:
- Frodo’s “suitable chair”, meaning a chair for his size, may also be referring to his place at table.
- Out of respect to him and the feast in his honor, they would want to put him near the head, but not so conspicuous as to make him uncomfortable.
- The overall seating plan may be a mix of medieval and later traditions, with the head of the household at the head of the table, with guests arranged by importance in descending order.
- Arwen’s placement is significant, as she would not occupy the place of the Lady of the House, as that could be for her mother Celebrian, but she would sit near the center as the unwed lady.
- However, she is still set back to the wall and apart, denoting her importance in the household.
- Note: The seating in the Great Hall at Hogwarts is much more like the traditional medieval style, with the headmaster at the middle of the head table, facing out toward the rest of the hall.
- Elrond’s seating seems to be the more modern style, sitting at the head of a long table, with guests seated on the sides of the table in order of importance, Glorfindel and Gandalf at his end.
- However, this would only be one of the tables, with other tables in the room for other guests, so some of the people at the high table would have their backs to other tables in the room.
- This could suggest that while there would be an order of precedence in effect, it would also be more egalitarian, though the high table of Elrond is on a dais above the others.
- This mix of seating traditions may be a result of Elvish traditions that are not explained.
- Note: There is a hint of the Arthurian Round Table traditions in the seating arrangements.
- Note: Bilbo, as a hobbit, shows an apparently unusual lack of interest in feasts, but there is a misunderstanding about the prominence of eating and food among Hobbits. It may be exaggerated by some modern Tolkien readers, and this is exacerbated by the depictions in the films. Food is important to their culture, but it is not completely central. Tolkien himself thought that overly gluttonous notions of Hobbits missed the depictions in the book. Bilbo is still punctual for meals and enjoys food, but he doesn’t go to feasts because he doesn’t like large crowds and ceremonial pomp and would rather spend his time on his hobbies. Bilbo may be more introverted now than he was when he had the Long-expected Party. Also, he may feel a need to prepare himself in advance of performing his poem in the Hall tonight.
- There is a certain amount of cheek between Elrond and Bilbo. Bilbo may be cheeky by missing the feast, but Elrond is also in addressing him as “little master”.
- The term “little master” is often used to affectionately address the child of a noble or wealthy family, though he may mean it in the respectful way that Bilbo addresses “Master Hamfast”.
- The inclusion of the word “little” seems to be teasing him in the manner of hobbitry. Elrond has been around Bilbo long enough to understand how hobbits talk among friends.
- When Bilbo says to Frodo that he had better things to do than attend the feast, Elrond is still there, and this is him reciprocating the hobbitry. Elrond may be standing aside and laughing.
- Elrond had addressed Frodo with great, and perhaps fondly mocking, pomp and circumstance.
- Bilbo is also teasing Frodo by saying that he had taken his time, which is his joking about both his perilous trip to reach Rivendell, and his late arrival from the feast to the Hall of Fire.
- Note: A little of this spirit is captured in Aragorn’s arrival in Helm’s Deep after his near-death experience and Legolas’ telling him right away that he looks terrible as a greeting.
- Frodo’s question reveals the sense of a conspiracy in keeping him from knowing Bilbo was there, but Bilbo deflects the question somewhat by reminding Frodo of his being asleep for days.
- Bilbo doesn’t apologize, as he tacitly acknowledges the conspiracy, including Elrond’s introduction and the reveal as if it were supposed to be the final event of the feast in his honor.
- Elrond and Gandalf may see this atmosphere of friendship and good cheer as part of Frodo’s healing process and increases his experience of it incrementally.
- Why doesn’t Strider tell Frodo about Bilbo being in Rivendell while on the way there? He may simply not be thinking about a reunion between the two hobbits under the circumstances.
- Also, Frodo doesn’t need any encouragement to get to Rivendell other than the Ring.
- Strider also doesn’t need to establish his credentials further after Gandalf does, and though he doesn’t hide the fact that he knows Bilbo, he also never mentions it explicitly in the text.
- Strider also knows that information might go astray in the wild, and so this would not be a topic for idle conversations since the Enemy is searching for Bilbo, as well as other Bagginses.
- Gandalf and Elrond might have counseled Bilbo not to write Frodo, over fears about the Ring’s influence on him, as well as worries about the reliability and security of posting to the Shire.