In theLord of the Ringstrilogy, Gandalf the Gray is the only one of the maiar who actually takes his Istari mission seriously. He roams around Middle Earth, gathering knowledge and guiding and protecting its peoples. In some ways, this makes him a little unpopular among the kingdoms of men, because he often shows up bringing tidings of war or great hardship ahead, and so they only see him when bad things are about to happen. Nevertheless, he brings this news for good reason, and always helps the kingdoms to prepare, which means that he has earned their trust over time.
This can be seen most clearly with the two great kingdoms of Middle Earth at the time of the War of the Ring: Gondor and Rohan. Gandalf comes to Gondor at a time when he is desperately needed. Denethor has given intothe fear-mongering of the Palantir, and is weakened by theloss of his oldest son Boromir. Gandalf also comes to Rohan in its time of greatest need, when Saruman has poisoned the mind of King Theoden using hisdark and secret trickery.
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However, despite Gandalf being a powerful wizard, and also being willing to sacrifice everything to help those he loves, neither of the rulers of the two great kingdoms seem particularly willing to accept his help and advice. For Denethor, this makes sense. He has been being fed lies andparanoia by Sauron in the Palantir, so he is mistrustful of absolutely everyone in his life, including his remaining son Faramir. But for Theoden, this is much more confusing, especially given his long history of friendship with Gandalf.
Even once he has been cured of Saruman’s toxicity, and of Wormtongue’s lecherous influence, Theoden still seems adamant to go against everything Gandalf says. For example, the question of the pillaging of the Rohan villages comes up when the two young children arrive at the halls, having been separated from their mother, and having watched their home burned to the ground. Gandalf advises the king “Ride out and meet him head-on. Draw him away from your women and children. You must fight!” He urges the king to put an end to the danger his people are in. But Theoden refuses, not wanting to endanger his people further or risk war.
This is a very interesting scene, in which Peter Jackson has made some very clever directorial decisions. At the open ingof the scene, Theoden is sat in his throne, a place of much suffering for him of late, where he has been essentially incarcerated by his own feeble will. Gandalf sits in the chair next to him, which is highly significant, because this is the place from which Grima has been leering over the old king,filling his mind with poison. This is only made all the more clear when Gandalf, with all the good intentions in the world, leans over and places his hand on Theoden’s seat as he advises him to go to battle. The look on Theoden’s face as he sees the hand creeping over the arm is one of trauma all too fresh, and it is clear at this moment that he is reminded of having been manipulated into making the wrong decisions for far too long. He immediately stands up, out of the throne, and walks away from the situation, commanding the room as a true king should. He is making his own decision.
In response, Aragorn then says, “Open war is upon you, whether you would risk it or not.” Theoden responds that he, not Aragorn, is the king of Rohan. This is further proof of his desire to reinsert himself as the person in charge, and the person with his kingdom’s best interests at heart. Theoden has clearly had enough of letting others call the shots for him, and wants the freedom to make his own choices after spending so long being steered by other people’sself-serving intentions.
This remains true of Theoden’s character throughout the rest of the films. Like any human being, he makes several good and bad decisions, and also has the final say in riding to the aid of Gondor when he discovers that their beacons are lit. In this way, he regains his former strength of will that has been so long lacking. When the king dies valiantly in the Battle at Pelenor fields, he feels that he can finally go proudly to meet his forefathers, having lived his final days as he would have chosen them, rather than living them to meet someone else’s ends. This is a brave and valiant thing, and also sets the precedent for others to do the same. It foreshadows Eowyn’s choice to marry who she wants andlive a life unburdened by her previous fears; and for Eomer to take up Theoden’s mantle, and rule unfalteringly as a good king, as his uncle did in the final days. Though rejecting Gandalf’s advice may have seemed like something Theoden wouldn’t usually do, it signified him taking back his power and will.
