I suspect Boromir’s plans are much more comcrete than this. The One Ring is a weapon of Dominion — one that is maintaining the foundations of Barad-dûr. If he can take the Ring and seize control of it, the forces of Mordor will be his to command, as dominion over them comes with the One Ring.
Where I suspect he has not gone with that line of thinking is that he (or, as I suspect he is more likely planning, Denethor) would become a new Dark Lord. But that risk, I think, might be one that he would consider a necessary one — as his father will say: “Nay, it should have been kept, hidden, hidden dark and deep. Not used, I say, unless at the uttermost end of need, but set beyond his grasp, save by a victory so final that what then befell would not trouble us, being dead.”
Hi Matt,
I doubt that Boromir's thoughts would have run so far at the moment he stood up in the council of Elrond. He really does not know much about the One Ring yet. He is not even sure that it is here in Imladris (though he may suspect so). I think he is still preoccupied with a defense against the 'new power' which his troops faced in Ithilien, and not thinking of anything so grand as commanding the forces of Mordor. I don't think he is even at all sure that he should be the one to counter that 'new power' himself. He must be wondering about the line in his dream,
"the halfling forth shall stand".
I don't think he would be at all surprised at this point if Elrond were to counsel him, "Yes, the Morgul-spells can be turned aside, and even back upon their wielders, but it must be done by a halfling. If you can persuade Frodo to go to Minas Tirith with you, then, chances are that the 'new power' could be defeated and Gondor could hold the line!"
I think it is easy to overestimate how much Boromir knows at this point (as we know so much more). I think that Boromir does not know much with certainty. I think his main thoughts at the point he stands up are:
1. "It is a good thing that one of us went to Imladris. I am impressed. I am hopeful that we will get counsel 'stronger than Morgul-spells'.
2. "Really this council should hear about my dream before we go much further. We have heard intelligence about recent events from around the Western World, but I have a vision, perhaps angelic, perhaps divine, which indicates that this council may be crucially important. The council should hear this now!"
I really don't think that Boromir, yet, is thinking much about the Ring being able to 'command the forces of Mordor', or destroy the forces of Mordor. He is just hoping for counsel that will enable Gondor to overcome the 'new power', the 'Morgul-spells', which defeated his forces in Ithilien.