The Fellowship of the Ring

The Fellowship of the Ring Summary | Plot Summary

The Fellowship of the Ring is Part 1 of the trilogy The Lord of the Rings; it is the prelude to The Two Towers, Part 2, and The Return of the King, Part 3, and a sequel to The Hobbit. Although The Hobbit is not included in the series, and was published seventeen years prior, it is considered the framework for The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. It is not vital to understanding the plot to have read it, but it certainly helps the reader better comprehend and enjoy the other books that follow.

This first part of the trilogy continues to look into the life of the Hobbit Bilbo Baggins and enters the life of his cousin and heir Frodo Baggins. During Bilbo's adventures into Middle Earth with the Grey Wizard Gandalf, he acquires a magical ring from a creature named Gollum. It is learned upon Bilbo's "holiday" from his home, Bag End, that the magic ring, which he leaves behind as an inheritance to his cousin Frodo, is more than just magic. The ring turns out to be The One Ring that was to be used by the Dark Lord Sauron to rule and destroy Middle Earth. The destruction of this ring before Sauron is able to find it and use it is the main plot of this book.

The verse which begins the book and is used inside the body of the text is very meaningful in understanding the plot. It is as follows:

"Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,

Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,

Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,

One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne

In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.

One Ring to rule them all. One Ring to find them,

One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them

In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie."

This verse itself explains the plot of The Fellowship of the Rings and, indeed, the other two books in the trilogy as well. It tells that, in all, twenty rings were made; nineteen of which are given to the various heads of Middle Earth - the Elven Kings, the Dwarf Lords, and the Mortal Men. The last and twentieth ring was made by the Dark Lord himself. It is this last ring, which is the most powerful and was made to control all of the others, and therefore, all of Middle Earth.

When the Dark Lord was attacked during a previous war, the ring was taken by Isildur, son of the King of men, and was just as quickly lost to him. It was then found by Gollum, who had it for many years before losing it to Bilbo. The Ring has corrupted all who possessed it, with the exception of Bilbo and Frodo; it is thought that something in the Hobbit nature prevents the Ring from quickly affecting them. However, over time, the Ring has even started to work its evil magic on Bilbo and this is what makes Gandalf realize that the Ring that Bilbo has kept with him, in secret, for over sixty years is actually the One Ring of legend past.

It was believed that the Dark Lord was dead and therefore neither him, nor the One Ring, presented any real danger, however, it is found that he did not die and has been regaining his strength over time, waiting for the right opportunity to rise up again; all he needs now to reach his full power and destroy Middle Earth is his all powerful One Ring. It is the only thing that stands between the catastrophic slavery of all the inhabitants of Middle Earth and their continued peace and happiness. Therefore, it is agreed by all that the Ring must be destroyed.

None can carry the Ring to its destruction except Frodo, because of his pure nature, but the task is too difficult for a young Hobbit on his own. Thus, the "Fellowship" is born to help Frodo reach the fires of Mordor, the only place where the One Ring can finally be rendered unusable by the Dark Lord Sauron. The Council of Elrond provides a representative of each of the free races of Middle Earth to swear their allegiance to Frodo and promise to help him reach his destination unharmed, or die trying. Along with this group, the wizard Gandalf, and hobbits Sam Gamgee, Merry Brandybuck, and Pippin Took, also swear their allegiance to Frodo. The group meets with many great adventures and obstacles along their way to Mordor. It is this noble quest and its awesome difficulties that form the enchanting story of The Fellowship of the Ring.