The Two Towers

by

J.R.R. Tolkien

Bilbo Baggins Character Analysis

Bilbo Baggins is Frodo’s uncle and Gandalf and Aragorn’s friend. He’s an elderly hobbit living in Rivendell during the events of The Two Towers. Bilbo possessed the Ring for many years, unaware of its importance, and passed it on to Frodo. Cheerful and kind, Bilbo enjoys composing poems and telling the stories of his old adventures to the younger hobbits.
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Bilbo Baggins Character Timeline in The Two Towers

The timeline below shows where the character Bilbo Baggins appears in The Two Towers. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Book 3, Chapter 3
Joy and Optimism vs. Despair Theme Icon
Heroism, Honor, and Glory Theme Icon
...praises Pippin for his resourcefulness and tells him he’ll “get almost a chapter in old Bilbo’s book.” He takes the lead from Pippin, since he knows where they are, and Pippin... (full context)
Book 3, Chapter 4
Decline and Decay  Theme Icon
Joy and Optimism vs. Despair Theme Icon
...to breathe. They agree that the forest feels very old, though it doesn’t look like Bilbo’s description of Mirkwood. They’re low on supplies, and stop briefly to drink from a stream,... (full context)
Book 4, Chapter 2
Decline and Decay  Theme Icon
Good and Evil Theme Icon
Duty Theme Icon
Joy and Optimism vs. Despair Theme Icon
...sings a song about the harshness of the land and the riddles he once told Bilbo. Sam, meanwhile, worries about the problem of food, now that Frodo has adopted Gollum as... (full context)
Book 4, Chapter 7
Decline and Decay  Theme Icon
Good and Evil Theme Icon
Joy and Optimism vs. Despair Theme Icon
...Sam that “The king has got a crown again,” in reference to the poem that Bilbo wrote about Aragorn which ends “The crownless again shall be king.” Frodo takes it as... (full context)