Shagrat Character Analysis in The Return of the King

Shagrat is an orc who retrieved Frodo from Shelob’s lair. His stubborn obedience to the order not to harm Frodo causes conflict with Gorbag, the leader of a challenging orc faction, and their tussle leads to the members of the two factions slaughtering each other. When Sam confronts Shagrat on his way to rescue Frodo, Shagrat escapes, taking Frodo’s mithril-mail shirt to Sauron.

Shagrat Character Timeline in The Return of the King

The timeline below shows where the character Shagrat appears in The Return of the King. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...two orcs come running past before falling dead. Sam wonders what the conflict is between Shagrat and Gorbag. He knows they’ve been ordered not to kill Frodo, but he remembers Frodo’s... (full context)

...the stairs come to an end. He hears through a closed door two arguing voices. Shagrat is demanding that Snaga leave the tower to deliver some news. Snaga refuses, flouting Shagrat’s... (full context)

Sam knows he won’t go unnoticed for long. He leaps out at Shagrat with a cry. Shagrat, holding the bundle, cannot fight Sam, but he uses the bundle... (full context)