Episode 112 Summary

Tony Meade

Active Member
SESSION 112

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.
Frodo’s last reunion:
  • 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.
A second conspiracy unmasked:
  • 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.
(continued below)
 

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(continued)

Hobbitry in Rivendell:
  • Bilbo reverses his teasing about Frodo taking his time by saying that they had come from the feast too early now. This is all good-natured teasing of Frodo and Elrond together.
  • Was Bilbo actually asleep when Elrond approached him? Bilbo claims that he was meditating on his song, and Frodo seems to believe him, and he knows Bilbo well, but Bilbo has also changed.
  • Bilbo might have fallen asleep in the hall before, and Elrond is still teasing him about it.
  • The overall joking and teasing tone make it difficult to know when people are being serious. The narrator leaves the readers feeling dubious about Bilbo claims to not have been asleep.
  • Note: Frodo as narrator might be highlighting the joking tone to show his uncertainty, and we see that Bilbo is at least passing off his claims very well.
  • This scene establishes Bilbo as completely at home in Rivendell, and that he has been accepted by Elrond as a resident and Bilbo has accepted him as a friend, as shown through his behavior.
  • Gandalf is the only other non-hobbit character that we have seen engage in hobbitry with hobbits. Strider had approached this in the stone trolls’ glade, but that was only a first step.
  • Bilbo shows that he is intimate with the high people of Rivendell who are held in awe by people outside it. This shows something about Bilbo, but also of Elrond and his homely house.
  • This depiction of Elrond matches his description in The Hobbit, where his kindness is highlighted.
Bilbo disturbed:
  • Bilbo’s pause after saying he had been disturbed might have been rude if not followed by his explanation about making up a song. Citing this as his urgent business is ironic and funny.
  • He may also be engaging in preemptive sabotage of his upcoming performance, as he knows that he will be judged on the quality of the song, and so blames any faults on being disturbed.
  • Note: The structure of the “Errantry” poem is very complex, and the only time Tolkien used it. Therefore, the Eärendil poem is probably something that Bilbo has worked on for a long time for just this moment. So, any disturbance of his last-minute revisions might actually distract him.
  • Note: Tolkien has engaged in preemptively lowering expectations in the text, such as prefacing the Beren and Lúthien poem by stating that Strider is attempting to render into the Common Speech on the fly. This allows him to engage in complex poetry but deflect criticism. He also does this as a narrator, when he claims that he can only hint at the grandeur of what he describes. The frame of the story as being handed down through multiple layers of provenance also allows him to make claims of editorial errors and shortcomings.
  • Elrond teases Bilbo by saying that his song will be judged, as he sees what Bilbo is doing by deflecting criticism. He also knows Bilbo well enough to know that Bilbo really cares about it.
  • Is Bilbo being afforded an honor by being allowed to recite his poem, or is the floor open to all?
  • It seems to be a mix of both, as Bilbo is an honored guest of the feast party, but all of those guests would be allowed to participate with verse or song.
The missing Dúnedan:
  • Why not name Bilbo’s friend in the text? Frodo is trying to convey the experience of being there, and the feelings of surprise he felt at the time. Thus, our surprise is preserved.
  • Why doesn’t Frodo ask who Bilbo’s friend is? He doesn’t get a chance, as after this Bilbo takes over the conversation to ask Frodo about news from the Shire, and Frodo is focused on Bilbo.
  • Frodo doesn’t parse the name “Dúnedan” to figure out what it might mean, and he may not remember Strider being called that by Glorfindel, given his state at the time.
  • Strider’s absence seems to have been noted and notable, though unlike Bilbo’s joke about being engaged in urgent business, Aragorn actually has been, and it is assumed that there is a reason.
  • Elrond’s sons are noted as also not being present, but probably for the same reasons as Aragorn.
  • It’s not clear how many Elves and others live in Rivendell, and how many of those would be invited to the feast, or if the feast were open to all.
  • There may have been a level of possible awkwardness given Aragorn and Arwen’s relationship, though this is probably an open secret among most of the lords of Rivendell.
  • At this point, only the hobbits and the readers are not aware of the relationship between them. Had they sat near each other at the feast, this is something that Frodo would comment upon.
  • Note: Elrond has not forbidden contact between Aragorn and Arwen, only their marriage, unless or until Aragorn defeats Sauron and becomes king. There is a precedent for Elvish fathers in Thingol to forbid these kinds of relationships altogether, including hiding away their daughters.
END OF SESSION
 

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