The Rings Of Power Is Doing To Galadriel What Peter Jackson Did To Aragorn
"The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" has had its fair share of haters. From a lack of lengthy beards on Dwarf-women, to made-up characters, to claims that the show doesn't channel the spirit of Tolkien well enough, the accusations have come hot and heavy from the moment the promotional cycle for Season 1 kicked off in earnest in early 2022.
One of the biggest lightning rods of discontent has been the apparent transformation of Galadriel. Fans of Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" are used to the stoic, powerful, and ethereal portrayal of Cate Blanchett as the Lady of Lórien. The legions of fans who have read the books by the same name are used to a similarly serious, somber, and calculating Lady of the Golden Wood.
In JD Payne and Patrick McKay's iteration of Middle-earth, though, Galadriel is very different. She is headstrong and stubborn, petulant and rebellious. She doesn't follow orders and expects others to do her bidding. She is wrapped in sorrow, fear, and a sense of urgency that makes her look more like an insecure human girl than an immortal Elf princess.
Actress Morfydd Clark has gone on record pointing out that we see this rough version of Galadriel at a particularly low point in her character arc in Season 1. Nevertheless, her version of Galadriel is leagues away from the familiar ethereal Galadriel that moves in slow-motion and never loses her temper (something that is a Jacksonian trademark, not necessarily a Tolkienian one). In "Rings of Power," we're seeing a new version of Galadriel that is clearly on track to have a complete character arc from insecure lows to self-confident highs. It's a transformation that is eerily similar to what Jackson did with another beloved Middle-earth hero: Aragorn.
Aragorn is distinctly confident in Tolkien's source material
Aragorn has a special place in Tolkien's writings. He is a king born into exile and awaiting his chance to return to his rightful realm in glory and power. Just to clarify, that's Aragorn's M.O. from day one. He doesn't slowly come to the realization that his destiny is to be a king. He knows it and is utterly secure in that fact from the first instance that Frodo and company meet him at the Prancing Pony in Bree. After that point, the Ranger repeatedly reiterates the fact that he is the heir of Elendil and Isildur and that his destiny is to sit on the throne in Minas Tirith. In "The Fellowship of the Ring" book, when Frodo finds out that Strider is coming with him on the quest, Aragorn confidently states that he and Boromir are temporarily joining the Fellowship on their way back to Gondor. He even says, "And the Sword-that-was-Broken shall be re-forged ere I set out to war." Yes, Aragorn decides to reforge Andúril in the books. Not Elrond. He even publicly declares a similar sentiment to the entire Council of Elrond shortly before this point.
Perhaps the most telling moment of Aragorn's inner security and confidence, though, comes when he encounters Éomer and the Riders of Rohan for the first time in "The Two Towers" book. As the encircling riders try to discover whom they've captured, the Ranger suddenly whips out his sword, shouts "Elendil," and then says, "I am Aragorn son of Arathorn, and am called Elessar, the Elfstone, Dúnadan, the heir of Isildur Elendil's son of Gondor. Here is the Sword that was Broken and is forged again! Will you aid me or thwart me? Choose swiftly!"
The Aragorn of the books is a character of legends, not one we relate to
Aragorn has a clear sense of destiny about him at every moment of Tolkien's original story. He isn't racked with self-doubt. Nor does he waver regarding his ultimate goal. He knows he's the king, and he's hellbent on doing the right thing to save his people and restore their fortunes.
In other words, book Aragorn is confident, not cocky. He's still a servant leader who puts the less fortunate first, has a sense of humor, and is able to talk with others without making them feel inferior. He's even smart enough not to set false expectations about what he can do for his people. At the Council of Elrond, he tells Boromir, "Little do I resemble the figures of Elendil and Isildur as they stand carven in their majesty in the halls of Denethor. I am but the heir of Isildur, not Isildur himself."
Tolkien masterfully balances these two extremes of humbleness and self-confidence, crafting a truly heroic character that is the stuff of legends. If book Aragorn feels too good to be true, that isn't a mistake. Tolkien wrote "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" from the perspective of Halflings. In the Middle-earth world, those books are supposed to have been written by Bilbo and Frodo themselves: if you pay attention, there's almost always a Hobbit in the room, giving the reader an accessible way to experience the story. This has the effect of portraying Aragorn as a larger-than-life character who is inherently inaccessible to a lowly Hobbit, yet willing to come down to their level.
This is the Aragorn that Tolkien created. Aragorn of the films, though is a bit different.
Aragorn in the movies is a more human figure
In contrast to the original version in the books, Viggo Mortensen's Aragorn is a bit of a different fellow.
Now, before we start comparing and contrasting Tolkien's and Jackson and Mortensen's Aragorns, let's just make one thing clear — movie Aragorn is amazing. Mortensen brings the character to life on screen, and Jackson and company do a masterful job portraying his character arc from quiet Ranger of the North to restored King of Gondor.
Nevertheless, that doesn't change the fact that Aragorn's movie character arc is more extreme than in the books. He's clearly a doughty warrior, and he knows his calling. But he's reluctant to accept it. He shows insecurities galore, and it isn't until "The Return of the King" that he finally fully accepts his destiny.
Throughout this transformation, there are multiple major changes. For instance, Elrond (Hugo Weaving) is the one who reforges Andúril and convinces Aragorn to wield it (and come on, man. The Elf is losing his daughter by forcing you to accept this thing!). Arwen (Liv Tyler) also flips the book line about being Isildur's heir and not Isildur himself. Rather than saying it to set expectations for others, she utters it directly to Aragorn as a way to bolster his nonexistent confidence.
The important link in Aragorn's ancestry
In a popular Quora thread, user Eric M. Van connected the issue of Aragorn's weaker presence in the films to a critical ancestral connection. The exiled king has his primary claim to the throne through two legendary characters: Isildur and his father Elendil (both of whom happen to be key characters in "The Rings of Power"). Van points out that in Tolkien's writings, Aragorn is consistently linked to the venerable, immaculate image of Elendil. While he mentions Isildur, he often roots his claim to the throne in that fellow's dad. In PJ's films, Elendil is rarely mentioned, and all of the emphasis is put on Isildur. This naturally shifts the tone of the conversation.
Part of the issue is that Isildur is depicted as a failed king who took the One Ring when he shouldn't have. While this is true, it is also his last act in a long and illustrious lifetime. When the writers chose to focus on that point (understandably so, since it kept things brief and digestible in the cinematic format), it tainted the ancestral connection. Rather than use it as a primary point in his political platform, movie Aragorn is left trying to shake his connection to the failed king.
From self-doubt to a warped family history, the Aragorn of the movies is different from the source material, if only because he's much more insecure. And, to be honest? This works. It creates a more relatable character with a very satisfying character arc within the three movies, even if it's a significant deviation from the source material. And now, "Rings of Power" is using this model to craft a more developed arc for Galadriel.
The Rings of Power's Galadriel is undergoing a similar revamp
Okay, so what does all of this Aragorn business have to do with Morfydd Clark's portrayal of Galadriel? First off, Galadriel is a conundrum of a character in Tolkien's source material. She has multiple conflicting versions of her story, and the Oxford Professor never nailed down an official version of her role in Middle-earth history. All the same, we do figure out some things about her character pretty quickly.
For instance, in "The Fellowship of the Ring," the first time Frodo meets Galadriel and Celeborn, it says, "Very tall they were, and the Lady no less tall than the Lord; and they were grave and beautiful." The word "grave" is used to describe Galadriel's speech a bit later, too. This somber appearance is overlaid with a gentleness and majesty that is apparent throughout the written narrative.
Despite their light, nearly angelic appearance, Elves aren't always portrayed as gentle beings. In Tolkien's posthumously published writings — we're talking about books like "The Silmarillion" and "Unfinished Tales" — the Elves are constantly portrayed as hot-headed, impetuous, rebellious, and violent.
Those stories take place earlier in Middle-earth history, during the First and Second Ages and even further back. "The Rings of Power" is primarily set during the Second Age, whereas "The Lord of the Rings" story takes place in the Third Age (when Elven culture in Middle-earth is on the decline). Amazon's show has clearly opted to use this shifted timeline to depict a Galadriel that is early in her maturation process. In much the same way that Peter Jackson tore down Aragorn's untouchable persona and made it more relatable, Galadriel in "The Rings of Power" has been developed as a young, flawed, and hurt being.
Galadriel's ancestral connections and Elvish maturity
Another similarity between the onscreen Aragorn and the Young Galadriel of "The Rings of Power" comes in the form of the people they're connected to on-screen. In the books, Galadriel's ancestral and familial connections are numerous. She's discussed as the wife of Celeborn, the daughter of Finarfin, the mother-in-law of Elrond, and the niece of the Elvish antihero Fëanor. In the show, she's been reduced to the sister of Finrod.
In the same way that Aragorn's prominent link to Isildur overshadows his story in Jackson's films, Galdriel's principal connection to a single family member has inordinately influenced how she acts in the "Rings of Power" narrative. While there's plenty of room to introduce Celeborn and her daughter Celebrían moving forward, at the moment, Galadriel feels like an extension of her brother's storyline, the same way Aragorn couldn't escape Isildur's narratively isolated infamy.
One more interesting curveball we have to touch on here is the concept of Elvish aging and maturity. In the book "The Nature of Middle-Earth," Tolkien breaks down a mathematical formula — yes, a formula — for how fast Elves mature. While the numbers are complicated, the primary takeaway is that Galadriel's maturity level is little more than a young human adult during "The Rings of Power" story. During "The Lord of the Rings," she's matured into an elder statesman. It seems that this lack of maturity in a younger Galadriel was present in the minds of the writers as they developed their younger iteration of the character for the show.
Galadriel isn't the only character getting an on-screen overhaul
Galadriel isn't the only character getting the Jacksonian Aragorn treatment. Several of the "Rings of Power" characters — many of whom have brief, one-dimensional appearances in Tolkien's texts — are significantly further developed with more relatable story arcs. In fact, the "relatable hero" concept is clearly at work across JD Payne and Patrick McKay's Middle-earth.
Elrond (Robert Aramayo) is more youthful and inexperienced. This makes him infinitely easier to connect to than Hugo Weaving's older iteration of the wise leader of Rivendell. Out on Númenor, Isildur (Maxim Baldry) and Elendil (Lloyd Owen) — who we already know end up perceived as epic heroes thousands of years later — are being rounded out as living, breathing human beings. They have hesitations and personal tragedies that, while they've been made up for the show, add a deeper dimension to their characters. Even the evil chancellor Pharazôn (Trystan Gravelle) is a complicated version of the superficial villain that he plays in Tolkien's writings.
Don't forget the darkest character arc project to rule them all. Sauron is a very inaccessible character throughout "The Lord of the Rings." While he's more than a glowing eyeball perched atop a tower in Tolkien's stories, he still rules from behind, pushing his slaves and servants to do his bidding for him. In "The Rings of Power," we've already seen a more complex version of the villain in the form of Halbrand — and rumor has it, we're in for even more complex evil ahead. Whether it's Sauron, Galadriel, or anyone else, though, one thing is clear. Reworking character arcs isn't new. Peter Jackson was already busily doing the same thing to Aragorn two decades ago — and most would agree that the cinematic world is better off for it.