LOTR Rants | Mostly Aralas

a ROTK scene by scene analysis of aralas, ig

SORRY IM A FEW DAYS LATE POSTING THIS TBH I COMPLETELY FORGOT ABT IT

this is the end of the first volume, the next one will be individual analyses of aragorn and legolas!! this is also the shortest of the three (four..?) only 3500 words!!

as always, don't take anything too seriously and enjoy!!

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A Scene-by-Scene Analysis of Aralas in Peter Jackson's the Return of the King and the Straight Context, Queer Scene Theory (SCQS)

The presence of Aralas in director Peter Jackson's the Return of the King is an interesting phenomenon to say the least, full of stolen touch and there-and-gone glances, midnight trysts, veiled meanings stuffed into practiced speeches and, of course, an abundance of straight context, as the Return of the King is the final film in the trilogy and thus must tie off Aragorn's romance with Arwen.

But, perhaps reflecting the almost desperate nature of Aralas in this trilogy finale as the two stretch out the final dregs of their closeness before Arwen separates them in body and soul forever, the Lord of the Rings: the Return of the King does not begin with even a reference to the daughter of Elrond. Rather, during the opening Three Hunters' scene in which the three and Gandalf reunite with the hobbits Merry and Pippin at the feet of Isengard, Aragorn can be seen turning to the side to meet the eyes of Legolas as he smiles that rare, exceptionally wide smile. Legolas glances back with his own, softer smile the next second, painting of the two a perfect tableau of that widely recognized phenomenon: in a moment of joy or laughter shared among a group, each person in the group will look to the one they like the most as they smile or laugh, showing that they wish to share their joy especially with that person. We see this kind of covert glance between Aragorn and Legolas once more in the scene of Saruman and Gríma's deaths before the feet of the former's tower, this time more in the form of a glance of concern as Legolas looks to Aragorn just at the line, "We shall have peace" from Théoden. This glance also symbolizes Legolas' recognition of Aragorn's role as a king, knowing that in later days, it will be Aragorn making speeches such as Théoden's in this moment, when he is no longer simply a ranger but the King of Gondor. This sets off the general theme of finality, the end of an era, that rings true beneath every frame of this film, also shown in the way Aragorn and Legolas lean into each other during Gandalf's iconic, "Saruman, your staff is broken."

Following all that comes yet another one of my favourite scenes in the entirety of Peter Jackson's original Lord of the Rings trilogy: while all sleep in the King's Hall post-Battle of Helm's Deep and just pre-Palantír, Aragorn steps out to tryst with Legolas beneath the cloak of night, bumping into Éowyn along the way and hearing her qualms of a nightmare she had had, sleeping on a divan just outside the Hall. First and foremost, the queer subtext of Aragorn stepping out to meet with Legolas beneath the stars, things that hold great meaning to elves, already begs to be marked. Secondly, note the symbolism of him bumping into Éowyn as he makes his way outside to Legolas, reflecting the way he bumped into Legolas on his way to meet Éowyn's father, the King, in my favourite scene in the entire trilogy, after having recovered from his fall from that ever-memorable cliff in the previous film. Note the way Aragorn sees Éowyn sleeping alone, outside that hall on that lavish divan, covered in furs, marking her noble status, and he stoops first and foremost to stoke the fire before her feet. This symbolizes his ranger's instincts, registering heat in the night as being of first and utmost importance, for in the wild, one risks the very real possibility of freezing to death in the night. This also symbolizes his distantness from his kingly future and fate in this moment, when all is still and he feels himself to be the only person in the world, for he does not even recognize that stoking the fire is not necessary in this already heated and well-insulated chamber, and he acts on pure, past instinct. But, just then, Éowyn wakes, telling Aragorn of a strange dream she had had of a great wave washing over her, a reference to the Fall of Númenor, the city of Aragorn's predecessors, drowned beneath the Sundering Sea. This reminder of Númenor brings Aragorn suddenly back to the present, to the knowledge of his future fate, but he pushes this away, still vying for his moment alone with Legolas, answering, "Night changes many thoughts." Notice how he must then drag his hands from her grasp as he leaves her, reflecting Legolas having to do the same in his and Aragorn's ever-iconic "Lle abdollen" scene. Both times, this represents a rejection of the false love interest and a reminder of Arwen and Aragorn's true path in life.