The Return of the King

by

J. R. R. Tolkien

Gandalf Character Analysis

Gandalf, also called Mithrandir, is the wizard who entrusted Frodo with the task of bearing the Ring to Mount Doom. Many characters rely on him for advice or help. There are also some, such as Denethor, who feel that Gandalf’s wisdom is more of an insult than an aid, and it’s rumored among Men that when Gandalf arrives, bad news is sure to follow. Gandalf comes to Minas Tirith with Pippin in tow, hoping to counsel Denethor as to the best ways to prepare Gondor for war; however, he finds Denethor to be stubborn and arrogant, and he ends up making battle plans independently. When Denethor becomes overwhelmed by grief and orders his guards to burn him and his son alive, Gandalf intervenes, though he knows that removing his power from the midst of battle means that many others will die while he saves Faramir. His fearsome reputation and the respect he’s cultivated within Middle-earth become obvious when, at the moment of utter hopelessness in battle, the Eagles come to the aid of Gondor’s army to repay a favor. Gandalf is motivated by the responsibility he feels to save those less powerful than himself and to preserve life wherever possible, and he’s also driven by the goal of defeating Sauron. When this is accomplished and the Ring has been destroyed, his own power (which is tied to one of the slightly less powerful Three Rings) begins to wane too, and he accepts that his time in Middle-earth has come to its end. Ultimately, he boards the ship for the Undying Lands along with Elrond, Galadriel, Frodo, and Bilbo.

Gandalf Quotes in The Return of the King

The The Return of the King quotes below are all either spoken by Gandalf or refer to Gandalf. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Hope vs. Despair Theme Icon
).
Book 5, Chapter 1  Quotes

“But I will say this: the rule of no realm is mine, neither of Gondor nor any other, great or small. But all worthy things that are in peril as the world now stands, those are my care. And for my part, I shall not wholly fail of my task, though Gondor should perish, if anything passes through this night that can still grow fair or bear fruit and flower again in days to come. For I also am a steward. Did you not know?”

Related Characters: Gandalf (speaker), Frodo Baggins, Samwise Gamgee (Sam), Denethor, Shadowfax
Page Number: 16
Explanation and Analysis:
Book 5, Chapter 7 Quotes

“[O]ne at least of the Seven Seeing Stones was preserved. In the days of his wisdom Denethor would not presume to use it to challenge Sauron, knowing the limits of his own strength. But his wisdom failed; and I fear that as the peril of his realm grew he looked in the Stone and was deceived: far too often, I guess, since Boromir departed. He was too great to be subdued to the will of the Dark Power, he saw nonetheless only those things which that Power permitted him to see. The knowledge which he obtained was, doubtless, often of service to him; yet the vision of the great might of Mordor that was shown to him fed the despair of his heart until it overthrew his mind.”

Related Characters: Gandalf (speaker), Sauron, Denethor, Boromir
Related Symbols: The Seeing Stones
Page Number: 134
Explanation and Analysis:
Book 5, Chapter 9 Quotes

“We must walk open-eyed into that trap, with courage, but small hope for ourselves. For, my lords, it may well prove that we ourselves shall perish utterly in a black battle far from the living lands; so that even if Barad-dûr be thrown down, we shall not live to see a new age. But this, I deem, is our duty. And better so than to perish nonetheless—as we surely shall if we sit here—and know as we die that no new age shall be.”

Related Characters: Gandalf (speaker), Frodo Baggins, Samwise Gamgee (Sam), Aragorn/Strider, Denethor
Related Symbols: The Ring
Page Number: 162
Explanation and Analysis:
Book 6, Chapter 5 Quotes

“Turn your face from the green world, and look where all seems barren and cold!” said Gandalf.

Then Aragorn turned, and there was a stony slope behind him running down from the skirts of the snow; and as he looked he was aware that alone there in the waste a growing thing stood. And he climbed to it, and saw that out of the very edge of the snow there sprang a sapling tree no more than three foot high. Already it had put forth young leaves long and shapely, dark above and silver beneath, and upon its slender crown it bore one small cluster of flowers whose white petals shone like the sunlit snow.

Related Characters: Gandalf (speaker), Samwise Gamgee (Sam), Aragorn/Strider, Arwen
Related Symbols: The White Tree, The Shadow
Page Number: 270
Explanation and Analysis:
Book 6, Chapter 7 Quotes

“Well here we are, just the four of us that started out together,” said Merry. “We have left all the rest behind, one after another. It seems almost like a dream that has slowly faded.”

“Not to me,” said Frodo. “To me it feels more like falling asleep again.”

Related Characters: Frodo Baggins (speaker), Meriadoc Brandybuck (Merry) (speaker), Samwise Gamgee (Sam), Gandalf, Peregrin Took (Pippin)
Page Number: 299
Explanation and Analysis:
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Gandalf Quotes in The Return of the King

The The Return of the King quotes below are all either spoken by Gandalf or refer to Gandalf. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Hope vs. Despair Theme Icon
).
Book 5, Chapter 1  Quotes

“But I will say this: the rule of no realm is mine, neither of Gondor nor any other, great or small. But all worthy things that are in peril as the world now stands, those are my care. And for my part, I shall not wholly fail of my task, though Gondor should perish, if anything passes through this night that can still grow fair or bear fruit and flower again in days to come. For I also am a steward. Did you not know?”

Related Characters: Gandalf (speaker), Frodo Baggins, Samwise Gamgee (Sam), Denethor, Shadowfax
Page Number: 16
Explanation and Analysis:
Book 5, Chapter 7 Quotes

“[O]ne at least of the Seven Seeing Stones was preserved. In the days of his wisdom Denethor would not presume to use it to challenge Sauron, knowing the limits of his own strength. But his wisdom failed; and I fear that as the peril of his realm grew he looked in the Stone and was deceived: far too often, I guess, since Boromir departed. He was too great to be subdued to the will of the Dark Power, he saw nonetheless only those things which that Power permitted him to see. The knowledge which he obtained was, doubtless, often of service to him; yet the vision of the great might of Mordor that was shown to him fed the despair of his heart until it overthrew his mind.”

Related Characters: Gandalf (speaker), Sauron, Denethor, Boromir
Related Symbols: The Seeing Stones
Page Number: 134
Explanation and Analysis:
Book 5, Chapter 9 Quotes

“We must walk open-eyed into that trap, with courage, but small hope for ourselves. For, my lords, it may well prove that we ourselves shall perish utterly in a black battle far from the living lands; so that even if Barad-dûr be thrown down, we shall not live to see a new age. But this, I deem, is our duty. And better so than to perish nonetheless—as we surely shall if we sit here—and know as we die that no new age shall be.”

Related Characters: Gandalf (speaker), Frodo Baggins, Samwise Gamgee (Sam), Aragorn/Strider, Denethor
Related Symbols: The Ring
Page Number: 162
Explanation and Analysis:
Book 6, Chapter 5 Quotes

“Turn your face from the green world, and look where all seems barren and cold!” said Gandalf.

Then Aragorn turned, and there was a stony slope behind him running down from the skirts of the snow; and as he looked he was aware that alone there in the waste a growing thing stood. And he climbed to it, and saw that out of the very edge of the snow there sprang a sapling tree no more than three foot high. Already it had put forth young leaves long and shapely, dark above and silver beneath, and upon its slender crown it bore one small cluster of flowers whose white petals shone like the sunlit snow.

Related Characters: Gandalf (speaker), Samwise Gamgee (Sam), Aragorn/Strider, Arwen
Related Symbols: The White Tree, The Shadow
Page Number: 270
Explanation and Analysis:
Book 6, Chapter 7 Quotes

“Well here we are, just the four of us that started out together,” said Merry. “We have left all the rest behind, one after another. It seems almost like a dream that has slowly faded.”

“Not to me,” said Frodo. “To me it feels more like falling asleep again.”

Related Characters: Frodo Baggins (speaker), Meriadoc Brandybuck (Merry) (speaker), Samwise Gamgee (Sam), Gandalf, Peregrin Took (Pippin)
Page Number: 299
Explanation and Analysis: