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 Peter
Jackson's Arwen
There is not a doubt that Peter Jackson
appreciates the significance of the role that Arwen plays
in Tolkien's fiction. The vision of loveliness, strength
and nobility that Tyler brings to the screen as Jackson's version
of Arwen can leave the viewer no doubt as to the identity of the
Evenstar of the Elves. But Jackson has stronger ideas in
store for Arwen than even Tolkien intended.
Analysis by Greg Wright
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THE FELLOWSHIP
OF THE RING
MONTHLY FEATURE: FEBRUARY 2002
Peter
Jackson's Arwen
This
page was created on February 6, 2002
This page was last updated on
May 31, 2005
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Peter Jackson's Arwen
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In
April, 2004, this web page was annotated to address errors in the
text. Click on highlighted text to review errata.
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The
Beauty of the Elves
In J.R.R. Tolkien's novels, Arwen—played with luminosity
by Liv Tyler in Peter Jackson's adaptation of The
Fellowship of the Ring—is referred to as the "Evenstar"
of her people: that is, the full flowering of the beauty of the Elves;
and yet, by fate, symbolic of their waning. In her veins flows
the blood of the greatest of the Elves, and the greatest
of Men; and as Aragorn first beheld her in the forests of Rivendell
he thought he witnessed, through some Elvish magic, the very incarnation
of Lúthien Tinúviel, the fairest of all Elven Ladies that had ever
lived. Arwen Undomiel: daughter of Elrond, granddaughter of
Galadriel and Celeborn, granddaughter of Eärendil, great-granddaughter
of Lúthien herself; and distant cousin of her betrothed, Aragorn—himself the descendent and heir of Elros, brother of Elrond.
There is not a doubt that Peter Jackson appreciates the significance
of the role that Arwen plays in Tolkien's fiction. The vision
of loveliness, strength and nobility that Tyler brings to the screen
as Jackson's version of Arwen can leave the viewer no doubt as to
the identity of the Evenstar of the Elves. Indeed, as I noted
in my review of The Fellowship of
the Ring , Jackson has stronger ideas in store for Arwen than
even Tolkien intended. |
Why
Expand Her Role?
For
those who have read Tolkien's novel, it is inescapable when watching The
Fellowship of the Ring that characters and events have either
been compressed or trimmed. For instance, episodes at
Crickhollow, the Old Forest and in the Barrow Downs are missing
entirely; and after leaving Bree, there is little sense of the weeks
spent in the wild on the trail to Rivendell.
So in the midst of the rush to the Ford of Bruinen, the seasoned
Tolkien fan will be somewhat taken aback to find Arwen patrolling
the Troll Fells instead of Glorfindel, and outracing the Ringwraiths
to Rivendell! There, of all things, she utters Words of Power
to bring the waters of Bruinen down upon the Dark Lord's minions.
This is a very different Arwen than Tolkien's, who remains in the
background of the action, and in fact never utters a line of
dialog until after the fall of the Barad-dûr.
Aside from introducing some very fine scenery for his male
viewers, and some badly needed on-screen romance for his female
viewers, what is Jackson up to?
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Seizing
the Day
The clues to Jackson's intent can be found in the words
he puts in Arwen's mouth: having been introduced in the movie in
a speaking role, Arwen can now say anything Jackson wants her to. With
her character, there are no speeches or dialog which need to
be replicated.
So whose words come out of Arwen's mouth? Not Glorfindel's.
The words she exchanges with Aragorn and the Hobbits in the
Troll Fells bear no resemblance to the High Elf's words of advice
and encouragement. Neither are her words borrowed from Elrond, or
others of his household at Rivendell. Significantly, her words
also do not come from the Tale of Arwen and Aragorn published
as an appendix to The
Return of the King .
In The Fellowship of the Ring
, Arwen's words come from the mind of Peter Jackson.
He has taken full advantage of the opportunity to say some
things of his own.
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Arwen and Frodo
In Tolkien's novel, Glorfindel's horse Asfaloth bears Frodo alone
to the Ford of Bruinen, and Frodo collapses after resisting
the will of the Nine Riders. In Jackson's movie, Arwen bears
him across the Ford and is the agent of resistance. There
she speaks Words of Power to make the river rise against the Nine.
Here, Jackson's choices establish Arwen as one of the most
potent powers in Middle-earth, capable of employing the same kind
of powers that Gandalf and Saruman use at Caradhras. (In the
novel, the flood is the work of Elrond's wielding of one of the
three Rings of Power, with flourishes provided by Gandalf.)
Arwen then kneels over the fading Frodo and says, "What
grace is given me, let it pass to him. Let him be spared.
Save him."
To whom is Arwen speaking? What's this "grace" she's
talking about?
If Jackson holds true to Tolkien's intent, it is the grace extended
to Arwen by the Valar (Middle-earth's pantheon) to pass into the
Blessed Realm. As one of the children of Elrond, the Halfelven,
she is allowed the choice of leaving Middle-earth to dwell in immortality
with the Valar, or to remain in Middle-earth as a mortal and suffer
death. In the eventual passing from the Grey Havens, Frodo
takes Arwen's place in paradise. Arwen's "grace,"
then, is the gift of immortality.
Her request is made of the Valar. What Jackson puts in Arwen's
mouth in this scene, then, is the closest thing to a prayer
ever uttered in Middle-earth.
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Arwen
and Aragorn
At
Rivendell, Jackson also takes significant time to manufacture a scene
between Aragorn and Arwen. First, Jackson is at pains to establish
Aragorn's self-doubt. Despite Arwen's assurance to Aragorn that
he is not "bound to" the same failure as Isildur, Aragorn
replies that "the same blood" flows through his veins, as
Isildur's heir: "the same weakness." Why not rather
have Aragorn recall in confidence that he is "Estel," the
hope of his people, and that the blood of Eärendil and Beren also
flow in his veins? Perhaps Jackson is hinting at the effects
of Original Sin (see next month's feature on Aragorn and Elrond);
regardless, it is Arwen who has the confidence to assert that
Aragorn will "face the same evil" and "defeat it."
Behind every good Man is a great Elf-lass, I guess.
This says far more about Arwen than it does about Aragorn. As
the scene plays out, Aragorn reveals that it was Arwen who chose him
when they first met, rather than he who pursued her (with conditional
support from his surrogate father, Elrond) as Tolkien would have it.
For Aragorn's sake, Arwen has "forsaken the immortal life"
of her people, telling him, "I would rather share one lifetime
with you than face all the ages of this world alone. I choose
a mortal life." And in giving Aragorn her pendant (the
Elfstone???) she continues, "It is mine to give to whom I will,
like my heart."
The selflessness and sacrifice that Jackson has Arwen explicitly
exhibit, in dialog of his own choosing, recalls the words which
the Apostle Paul uses in Philippians 2:6-7, saying that Jesus did
not consider his divinity something to be grasped, but instead
gave it up to become mortal, made in human likeness. |
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 A
Key to Understanding Jackson
In the words of Arwen we find one key to understanding the aims
of Peter Jackson. Given the opportunity to have her say
anything at all, he chooses prayers and expressions of self-sacrifice.
While some may legitimately find Jackson's film too spiritually
oppressive, it's also easy to see how others may find light
in the midst of the darkness.
It's there by design.
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