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It’s not that hard to explain why, inThe Lord of the Rings, Denethor, the steward of Gondor who ruled the realm in the absence of the king, would hate Aragorn. The latter was the rightful king after all, and could anytime supplant Denethor as the ruler of Gondor. Furthermore, Aragorn was part of the Fellowship that, in a twisted way, led to Denethor’s beloved son, Boromir’s death. So what’s not to hate? But what if there was more? A jealousy born long before the events of the Fellowship or before the true lineage of Aragorn was revealed?
Denethor II, son of Ecthelion II, Lord and Steward of Gondor, is easily one of the most grim characters inThe Lord of the Rings. While the Peter Jackson trilogy was only able to show the tragic ending of this character, who was supposedly a great man, in the book, Tolkien paints him in a more sympathetic light. In Appendix A ofThe Lord of the Rings, Tolkien explains just how a wise, promising young steward-to-be of Gondor was transformed into the paranoid, bitter, and despairing man seen inThe Return of the King.
Why Does Denethor Hate Aragorn?
Denethor hates Aragorn in a way that Faramir should’ve hated Boromir, because the latter was his father’s favorite son. In an excellent thematic parallel, it all traces back to Denethor’s father, Ecthelion. During the time of Denethor’s grandfather’s stewardship, Sauron returned to Mordor after fleeing Dol Guldur. So when Denethor’s father, Ecthelion II became the Steward of Gondor, he had to fortify the realm against any assault from Mordor. The wise Ecthelion called upon every man keen to serve the realm, and those who did it well, he generously rewarded with ranks. One such man was a captain named Thorongil, who was loved immensely by Ecthelion.
The people of Gondor had put great faith in Thorongil, meaning ‘Eagle of the Star’, named after his keen eye, swift wisdom, and the cloak he wore that had a silver star of the Rangers of the North upon it. Nobody knew where Thorongil came from or what his true name was, except that before Gondor, he had served King Thengel of Rohan (father of King Théoden). And yet, through his feats and wise counsel, he quickly became the steward’s favorite. Unfortunately, after a particularly valiant attack against the Corsairs of Umbar in which he destroyed their ships and prevented them from attacking Gondor, Thorongil decided not to return to Minas Tirith and went away, never to return to his position again.
Thorongil was Aragorn in disguise. And turns out, during his service in Gondor, he realized he wasn’t yet ready to claim the throne of Gondor, which, considering the high esteem he was held in, could’ve easily passed to him after Ecthelion’s death. Furthermore, Ecthelion regarded Thorongil more than his own son, Denethor. And Aragorn didn’t want to get caught in the politics of it all, choosing to leave Gondor before Denethor became steward.
Denethor wasn’t always the bitter manfromThe Lord of the Rings. He was just as strong-willed, wise, and far-sighted as Thorongil, kingly and statuesque in appearance, and proud. But when he wasn’t as valued by his father as this stranger captain from nowhere, his jealousy towards Thorongil grew. He was particularly suspicious of the captain’s advice to his father not to trust Saruman the White of Isengard but instead, to welcome Gandalf the Grey to Minas Tirith. In hindsight, it is suspected that Denethor could’ve found out Thorongil was Aragorn, son of Arathorn, the heir of Isildur and the rightful king to the throne of Gondor. And he believed that Aragorn and Gandalf were in cahoots to supplant him.
Denethor’s Pride and Jealousy Destroyed Him
InThe Lord of the Rings, Denethor symbolizes the pride that comes before a fall.Much like Saruman the White, Denethor’s pride and jealousy ultimately led to his downfall. They were both drawn to looking into the palantíri. Since Denethor’s will was stronger than Saruman’s (and he, as the Steward of Gondor, also had the right to look into palantír), Sauron couldn’t corrupt him like he did the white wizard. But he was able to show Denethor a terrible future and the fall of Gondor under his stewardship, which further plummeted Denethor into paranoia and fear. When his worst fears of being supplanted by Aragorn became too much, he refused to listen to Gandalf’s counsel after the death of his beloved son, Boromir.
The unresolved feelings of insecurity he nursed from his father’s treatment of him, Denethor passed on to his sons. He loved his wife, Finduilas, too much, and when she died young, he got worse, isolating himself in his tower, probably consumed by the palantír. He loved his elder son Boromir, in whom he saw all his virtues, anddismissed his younger son, Faramir, who was in reality more like his father, but simply didn’t believe in the glory of war without purpose. In the end, he lost Boromir, met a fiery end himself, and it was Faramir who survived the War of the Ring, and was crowned the Prince of Ithilien by Aragorn after he became King Elessar.
