Tolkien Calls This the Most Tragic Moment in The Lord of the Rings
J.R.R. Tolkien said the most tragic moment in *The Lord of the Rings* was Sam’s protective rebuke of Gollum, which he believed extinguished Gollum’s chance to repent. The moment matters because Tolkien saw it as an example of how good intentions can cause harm.
In “The Stairs of Cirith Ungol”, Gollum returns to find Frodo and Sam asleep and briefly seems moved by affection for them. Sam wakes, assumes Gollum is threatening Frodo and drives him away; Gollum then commits to betraying the hobbits to Shelob. Tolkien later described Gollum’s failed repentance as a tragic turn, while Frodo is ultimately given another chance to resist the Ring.
- Tolkien called Sam’s rebuke of Gollum the story’s most tragic moment.
- Sam’s protectiveness may have ended Gollum’s chance to repent.
- Gollum then resolved to betray Frodo and Sam to Shelob.
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The Lord of the Rings is a fantasy story by J.R.R. Tolkien about a struggle to destroy a powerful ring that can corrupt whoever possesses it. Frodo Baggins, a hobbit, carries the Ring towards the place where it can be destroyed, with his friend Samwise Gamgee travelling alongside him.
Gollum, a creature long changed by his attachment to the Ring, guides them through dangerous country. He has mixed motives: he wants the Ring back, but at times seems to feel affection for Frodo and Sam. Their journey explores how the Ring affects people and whether they can resist its pull.