Episode 163 Summary

[Tony Meade]

SESSION 163

Comment on the purpose of Saruman’s ring:

• There are multiple possibilities for the function of the ring that Saruman wears. These include enhancement of his native power of persuasion and defense against others’ domination of him.
• Part of Saruman’s purpose in wearing the ring during this conversation with Gandalf may be to test its effectiveness against the powers of other members of the White Council.
• Saruman’s original purpose as the White wizard was to oppose Sauron, and having studied Sauron’s ring lore, he may have thought he needed to protect himself from Sauron’s will.
• Note: This will be echoed in Elrond’s statement of dangers of studying the ways of the Enemy.
• It’s also possible that the Ring of Fire has unknowingly contaminated this test of Saruman’s ring.
• It seems more like Saruman’s character to create a ring with an offensive purpose than a defensive one, as it is fueled by his pride, and the defense of the hobbits is fueled by humility.
• While he may have started studying Sauron’s arts and setting himself up as a Power in his own right may have started out with the best of intentions but has been corrupted by his pride.
• Saruman may even now still think that he is one of good powers, though he has in fact fallen.

Saruman unmasks himself at last:

• Though Saruman refers to the “Ruler” as a progression from the “Power”, he is also being vaguer about who the “Power” is and therefore who the “Ruler” would be, if meaning himself.
• Gandalf’s rebuke begins by refuting the emptiness of Saruman’s ideas of sharing power, and therefore that his words are a deliberate lie, and that Saruman really means to claim the Ring.
• He points out the transparency of Saruman’s desire, and wishes for him to speak plainly at last.
• If Saruman is going into this conversation assuming that Gandalf has either claimed the Ring or is hiding the Ring in the Shire, then his real purpose is to get Gandalf to reveal the Ring to him.
• Gandalf’s refusal to give the Ring to Saruman is an acknowledgment of this fact to Saruman, but also that possessing the Ring is Saruman’s intention, though justified by keeping it from Sauron.
• By using the past tense “were”, Gandalf is stating that Saruman will no longer be head, or part, of the Council, and that if he thinks his intentions are still good, Saruman is deluding himself.
• In his dereliction of duty as the White, and in deceiving the Council, he has vacated this post.
• Saruman parallels Sauron after this unmasking in that he can no longer take a fair form to deceive others, though here it is more metaphorical, while with Sauron it is physically manifest.
• Gandalf rejects all of Saruman’s distracting arguments to lay bare the real choice. He uses sarcasm to show the false dichotomy between serving Sauron or Saruman as the only options.

The third choice to stay here, until the end:

• Saruman is not only affronted by Gandalf’s sarcasm and defiance, and by the lack of persuasion the arguments have had over him, but he may think that this is due to Gandalf claiming the Ring.
• He may interpret Gandalf’s statement about only one hand wielding the One as proof of this.
• Note: Gandalf will later assume the superiority in fact that Saruman suspects him of claiming now as a possible new Ring-lord, and Gandalf will indeed offer Saruman the choice to assist him.
• By the time that Saruman offers him the third choice of imprisonment, he has now concluded that Gandalf doesn’t actually have the Ring and sees this as a show of Gandalf’s lack of wisdom.
• That Gandalf would have found the Ring and not claim it is folly as it would have benefited him.
• He also sees Gandalf’s hope of hiding the Ring from Sauron in the vain effort to defeat him is something that Saruman also sees as foolish as it pertains to doing good for others.
• That Saruman sees acting on one’s selfish behalf as wisdom goes against the overall purpose of the Istari from the beginning, and Gandalf understands that the means to an end matter.
• For Saruman, the only wise course for Gandalf in this situation is not only supplicating to Saruman, but also acquiescing to his arguments as the only valid viewpoint on Sauron’s power.
• When does Saruman conclude that Gandalf doesn’t have the Ring with him? He states that conclusion when he threatens to force him to reveal where the Ring may be found.
• He may come to this conclusion when Gandalf resorts to sarcasm rather than revealing the Ring and using it against him. When he is described as cold and perilous may be that moment.

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[Tony Meade]

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Not one of the lighter matters:

• That Saruman is wearing his own ring shows that he is prepared to face Gandalf as Ring-lord.
• Note: The wizards’ combat in the film version is precisely what Saruman is prepared for in this moment but does not happen in the book. Gandalf actually refuses this combat with Saruman.
• Attempting to goad a possible Ring-lord into a fight to reveal the Ring is a risk but may be the only way bring the Ring into the open if it is present, and violence has been necessary before.
• Saruman despises Gandalf enough to believe that his power is sufficient to defeat Gandalf even with the Ring, especially at this moment inside Saruman’s center of power inside Orthanc.
• The idea that Saruman is most powerful within Orthanc is supported by Gandalf’s assertion that he may have power there to resist the Nine, which he couldn’t do outside of Isengard.
• There is also a need for haste, as if Gandalf has the Ring, then the longer he continues to possess it, he will have more chance to master it, in Saruman’s estimation.
• Note: Galadriel will explain to Frodo later that he must train his mind in order to use the Ring to dominate the wills of others. Saruman would think Gandalf too much of a fool to do this himself.
• It seems notable that Gandalf has no center of power like Saruman, or Sauron, or even Radagast, due to Gandalf’s humility and his role as the Grey; not even the Shire acts as this.
• The White may have also been intended to be itinerant like the Grey, and his setting up a center of power was the beginning of his fall, though Saruman would see it as a sign of superiority.
• Saruman uses himself as the standard for wisdom and assumes that is true of everyone else, and now recategorizes Gandalf from possible ally to mere source of information on the Ring.

Where the One may be found:

• The Shire seems like an unlikely place to establish a spiritual stronghold, but Gandalf’s eccentricities and the Nine’s search for the Shire makes it likelier that the Ring was found there.
• It would seem impossible that Gandalf, having found the Ring, would entrust it to a hobbit, but just leaving it in the Shire would confirm Gandalf’s foolishness for Saruman.
• Does Saruman know about the Dúnedain? The Council may not have discussed the line of Elendil, as Elrond has sheltered them for many centuries, though it is not a secret subject.
• Saruman would likely not regard the Dúnedain of the North as much use due to their current estate and would probably only think of them as part of the legacy of “dying Númenor”.
• It’s unlikely that Saruman has ever met Aragorn and would only think of him as another Chieftain of the Dúnedain, even though Aragorn is exceptional in many ways among his people.
• Saruman wouldn’t consider the heir of Isildur as owner of the Ring, as even Aragorn rejected any claim to this, and since they don’t present a military threat, he may disregard them altogether.
• By refusing to give even news of the Ring to Saruman, Gandalf may have tipped his hand.
• While the threat of “trouble and pain” is implicitly a threat of physical torture, Saruman may also be referring to the possibility that he might find a means to dominate Gandalf’s will.
• Note: It’s clear that people who are invisible while wearing the Ring interact with the physical world normally, so physical threats to those wearing the Ring are still viable threats.
• It’s not clear if Saruman thinks that physical torture wouldn’t be effective on Gandalf, or if a spiritual domination is simply more within his means and preferences and pride.
• By keeping Gandalf on top of the tower of Orthanc, he is not only torturing him through deprivation and exposure, but also keeping Gandalf at the center of his power and influence.
• Note: There is a parallel between the imprisonment of Gandalf on top of Orthanc and Morgoth’s imprisonment of Húrin, where he could witness the effects of Morgoth’s power firsthand.

The hindrance and insolence of Gandalf the Grey:

• Saruman’s retort to Gandalf and his choice of words assumes and apparent superior position. The word “insolence” is usually applied to children and others lower on a social scale.
• By using the vague word “Ruler”, Saruman makes it clear that either he or Sauron will end up with the Ring in the end, and whichever does will turn to Gandalf’s punishment later.
• It’s apparent that Saruman is at least temporizing with Sauron, and he may sell Gandalf to Sauron as a show of good faith, even though he is playing both sides for his own benefit.
• While Gandalf and Saruman are peers, he would still be trapped inside Orthanc, and therefore there is no escape either way, so Saruman’s laugh is at Gandalf’s helplessness.
• Gandalf’s understanding of the situation is why he chooses not to fight, regardless of the outcome. However, Gandalf wins the moral confrontation by maintaining his integrity.
• Gandalf does feel a threat to his physical survival, and he may also understand that his death would constitute a failure in his purpose in Middle-earth as he would not be able to continue.
• Note: There is no reason for Gandalf to expect to be resurrected after the fight with the Balrog. The incarnation of the Istari is an exception to the normal physical manifestations of the Ainur, and with that comes the fear of death that is present in all incarnate beings, like Men and Elves.
• Is there a battle at the spiritual level, but not physically visible? While there is a struggle over moral choices, it doesn’t bear the hallmarks that are seen in other instances of spiritual warfare.
• In using his power, aided by his Ring, to persuade Gandalf to his side is a kind of assault, but Gandalf may choose not to fight him at this level out of a sense of pity and hope for a cure.
• Gandalf may partly choose not to fight and submit to imprisonment out of pity and hope of rekindling his heart to good, which is his role as the Grey and as the keeper of the Ring of Fire.
• Note: Gandalf will choose to do spiritual battle with Saruman after his defeat by Rohan and the Ents, but even then, he will offer him a final choice to turn away from evil and aid them. Frodo will also show Saruman pity and mercy for these same reasons after the Scouring of the Shire.
• Gandalf feels this as a personal betrayal, but also betrayal of the mission of the Istari altogether.

END OF SESSION