The Return of the King

by

J. R. R. Tolkien

Meriadoc Brandybuck (Merry) Character Analysis

Merry is one of the four hobbits included in the Fellowship of the Ring, and Pippin’s best friend. He offers his sword to King Théoden and is made his squire but is told to stay behind when the Rohirrim ride to Gondor because Théoden predicts he’ll be more of a burden than a help in battle. Merry rides into battle anyway when Éowyn, disguised as Dernhelm, takes him secretly on her horse. He assists Éowyn in her defeat of the Lord of the Nazgûl by striking him behind the knee, after which Merry becomes sick with the Dark Shadow and can only be revived by Aragorn’s healing skill. The value of Merry’s bravery and loyalty is acknowledged when Éomer knights him. He proves his newfound knowledge of battle strategy in the Battle of Bywater, which leads to the hobbits’ successful reclamation of the Shire from the Chief and his ruffians.

Meriadoc Brandybuck (Merry) Quotes in The Return of the King

The The Return of the King quotes below are all either spoken by Meriadoc Brandybuck (Merry) or refer to Meriadoc Brandybuck (Merry). 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 3 Quotes

He sat for a moment half dreaming, listening to the noise of water, the whisper of dark trees, the crack of stone, and the vast waiting silence that brooded behind all sound. He loved mountains, or he had loved the thought of them marching on the edge of stories brought from far away; but now he was borne down by the insupportable weight of Middle-earth. He longed to shut out the immensity in a quiet room by a fire.

Related Characters: Meriadoc Brandybuck (Merry)
Page Number: 56
Explanation and Analysis:

The world was darkling. The very air seemed brown, and all things about were black and grey and shadowless; there was a great stillness. No shape of cloud could be seen, unless it were far away westward, where the furthest groping fingers of gloom still crawled onwards and a little light leaked through them. Overhead there hung a heavy roof, sombre and featureless, and light seemed rather to be failing than growing.

Related Characters: Sauron, Meriadoc Brandybuck (Merry)
Related Symbols: The Shadow
Page Number: 66-67
Explanation and Analysis:
Book 5, Chapter 6 Quotes

“Hinder me? Thou fool. No living man may hinder me!”

Then Merry heard of all sounds in that hour the strangest. It seemed that Dernhelm laughed, and the clear voice was like the ring of steel. “But no living man am I! You look upon a woman. Éowyn am I, Éomund’s daughter. You stand between me and my lord and kin. Begone, if you be not deathless! For living or dark undead, I will smite you, if you touch him.”

Related Characters: Éowyn/Dernhelm (speaker), Lord of the Nazgûl (speaker), Meriadoc Brandybuck (Merry), Théoden
Page Number: 114
Explanation and Analysis:
Book 5, Chapter 8 Quotes

“Do not be afraid,” said Aragorn. “I came in time, and I have called him back. He is weary now, and grieved, and he has taken a hurt like the Lady Éowyn, daring to smite that deadly thing. But these evils can be amended, so strong and gay a spirit is in him. His grief he will not forget; but it will not darken his heart, it will teach him wisdom.”

Related Characters: Aragorn/Strider (speaker), Meriadoc Brandybuck (Merry), Éowyn/Dernhelm, Lord of the Nazgûl
Related Symbols: The Shadow
Page Number: 148
Explanation and Analysis:
Book 6, Chapter 7 Quotes

Then the hobbits suddenly realized that people had looked at them with amazement not out of surprise at their return so much as in wonder at their gear. They themselves had become so used to warfare and to riding in well-arrayed companies that they had quite forgotten that the bright mail peeping from under their cloaks, and the helms of Gondor and the Mark, and the fair devices of their shields, would seem outlandish in their own country.

Related Characters: Frodo Baggins, Samwise Gamgee (Sam), Peregrin Took (Pippin), Meriadoc Brandybuck (Merry)
Page Number: 294
Explanation and Analysis:

“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:
Get the entire The Return of the King LitChart as a printable PDF.
The Return of the King PDF

Meriadoc Brandybuck (Merry) Quotes in The Return of the King

The The Return of the King quotes below are all either spoken by Meriadoc Brandybuck (Merry) or refer to Meriadoc Brandybuck (Merry). 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 3 Quotes

He sat for a moment half dreaming, listening to the noise of water, the whisper of dark trees, the crack of stone, and the vast waiting silence that brooded behind all sound. He loved mountains, or he had loved the thought of them marching on the edge of stories brought from far away; but now he was borne down by the insupportable weight of Middle-earth. He longed to shut out the immensity in a quiet room by a fire.

Related Characters: Meriadoc Brandybuck (Merry)
Page Number: 56
Explanation and Analysis:

The world was darkling. The very air seemed brown, and all things about were black and grey and shadowless; there was a great stillness. No shape of cloud could be seen, unless it were far away westward, where the furthest groping fingers of gloom still crawled onwards and a little light leaked through them. Overhead there hung a heavy roof, sombre and featureless, and light seemed rather to be failing than growing.

Related Characters: Sauron, Meriadoc Brandybuck (Merry)
Related Symbols: The Shadow
Page Number: 66-67
Explanation and Analysis:
Book 5, Chapter 6 Quotes

“Hinder me? Thou fool. No living man may hinder me!”

Then Merry heard of all sounds in that hour the strangest. It seemed that Dernhelm laughed, and the clear voice was like the ring of steel. “But no living man am I! You look upon a woman. Éowyn am I, Éomund’s daughter. You stand between me and my lord and kin. Begone, if you be not deathless! For living or dark undead, I will smite you, if you touch him.”

Related Characters: Éowyn/Dernhelm (speaker), Lord of the Nazgûl (speaker), Meriadoc Brandybuck (Merry), Théoden
Page Number: 114
Explanation and Analysis:
Book 5, Chapter 8 Quotes

“Do not be afraid,” said Aragorn. “I came in time, and I have called him back. He is weary now, and grieved, and he has taken a hurt like the Lady Éowyn, daring to smite that deadly thing. But these evils can be amended, so strong and gay a spirit is in him. His grief he will not forget; but it will not darken his heart, it will teach him wisdom.”

Related Characters: Aragorn/Strider (speaker), Meriadoc Brandybuck (Merry), Éowyn/Dernhelm, Lord of the Nazgûl
Related Symbols: The Shadow
Page Number: 148
Explanation and Analysis:
Book 6, Chapter 7 Quotes

Then the hobbits suddenly realized that people had looked at them with amazement not out of surprise at their return so much as in wonder at their gear. They themselves had become so used to warfare and to riding in well-arrayed companies that they had quite forgotten that the bright mail peeping from under their cloaks, and the helms of Gondor and the Mark, and the fair devices of their shields, would seem outlandish in their own country.

Related Characters: Frodo Baggins, Samwise Gamgee (Sam), Peregrin Took (Pippin), Meriadoc Brandybuck (Merry)
Page Number: 294
Explanation and Analysis:

“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: