Epic Final

A vast landscape full of rolling hills, soaring peaks, and enchanted forest. Hero’s pure of heart and full of valor questing to put and end to a great evil. An unknown force granting divine inspiration of a great power just when the characters need it most. These are some of the qualities of an epic, the greatest stories ever written. I will be discussing the above elements in relation to The Lord of the Rings, the trilogy directed by Peter Jackson and based on the novels written by J.R.R. Tolkien.

I think one of the most important aspects of an epic is the vast world it takes place in. The Lord of the Rings begins in a small peaceful hobbit village called the Shire and we are taken to many exotic locations within the realm of Middle Earth, such as Rivendell, Helm’s Deep, and Isengard. Many establishing shots are used to show landscape. This is a visually appealing way to show just how

vast this landscape is and emphasize the length of the characters journey.

Without a hero and his quest, there is no story, which is why I have chosen to make that my next point. Heroes are a perfect model of the society they come from. They represent all that is good and just. In the beginning of the “Fellowship of the Ring” Bilbo tells Frodo he is the only Baggins that showed true spirit. Frodo also has a purity that no one else has which makes it so that he is the only one who can carry the ring. All others who touch the ring become corrupted by the power it possesses. In Rivendell Frodo says,” I will take the ring, though I do not know the way,” showing his courage and will to do what is right The struggle to maintain his identity represents the struggle of all mankind to hold on to the good in a world full of evil temptations and corruption.

Another important element in an epic is the supernatural. This takes many forms in Lord of the Rings. Of particular interest are the wizards, Gandalf and Sarumon. In the first movie they have a battle using only their magic. This battle also shows that the evil forces are stronger at this point in the film because of Gandalf’s loss; however, in the second film when Gandalf rides over the hill during the battle of Helm’s Deep we see that the forces of good have dramatically increased. A high angle of Gandalf is given to show he is powerful and in control of the battle. The elves are also a strong supernatural figure. They are immortal and most have superhuman grace or agility. In the second movie, The Two Towers, we are introduced to the ents, which are living trees possessing a vast knowledge of the worlds and incredible strength.

The story of Lord of the Rings was intended as a sequel the J.R.R. Tolkiens less complex children’s boo The Hobbit; however, the story developed into much more. Lord of the Rings was written over a twelve year period, and initially intended to be one volume pared with The Silmarillion, but the publisher decided to omit the second volume and publish Lord of the Rings as thee. The writing of such a great story can be and epic quest it’s self.