Smeagol Vs Beowulf

Of Crowns and Rings
The characters of Henry V from Shakespeare’s play of said name and Gollum from Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien are two characters whose personalities are torn apart due to gaining a power far greater than they could handle. Henry V is split into two duel factions: the ruthless soldier that will order his soldiers to commit atrocities in his name , and just leader who wants to spread mercy and justice throughout his kingdom of England. Similarly Smeagol, the former alias of Gollum, is torn between his past identity as a carefree hobbit and his rabid Gollum persona that is willing to do anything to get what he wants. While different in species and story, both characters show how power can turn one into a creature that …show more content…
Henry, consumed with his new role as king, announces that he will declare war on France, despite there being no reason for doing so other than to claim the land as his own. Once the war with France begins, he makes numerous speeches dictating to his enemies how he will command that his troops murder, rape, and mutilate any innocent person they come across in the city. By saying the vulgar threats, he is demonstrating the power that having the crown of England possesses. He is both trying to impress and intimidate both his enemies and allies, and in doing so allows him a victory over the French. Similarly, the character of Smeagol becomes the character of Gollum to the influence of the ring of power and is willing to murder the hobbits if it means he gets what he wants. He already succeeded in murdering his own friend in the attainment of the ring of power and he is willing to do the same to the two hobbits who trust him. Gollum managed to deceive Frodo into believing that his friend Samwise Gamgee was trying to steal the ring from him. In the end he would achieve a bittersweet victory that leads to his own death. While Henry’s manages to control his evil side, Gollum lets it control him. Gollum’s villainous acts were all in his quest to garner the power he once had, while in contrast Henry’s were due to the …show more content…
Immediately after Henry’s vile threats towards the French, he commands that his troops act merciful to the newly captured city. Afterwards, he demonstrates his charming, and slightly awkward side when talking to Catherine of France. He jokes with her and manages to turn his inexperience with the French language into a delightful quirk. Another example of him switching back into his sympathetic personality is during the scene where he ventures in disguise through the camp of his soldiers. He asks them about their opinions of the king and indirectly assures them that he will not abandon them. This shows that Henry genuinely cares about the wellbeing of his soldiers, even though they are doomed to die for a dubious cause. Similar to Henry’s charitable side, Gollum frequently goes back into his Smeagol persona while helping the Hobbits into Mordor. While he doesn’t know that the hobbit’s intentions are to destroy the ring, he helps them venture through the lands of Mordor and even rescues Frodo from drowning in the Dead Marshes. The persona of Smeagol appears on and off; often times involving Smeagol literally talking to his split personality of Gollum. For a large portion of the story, Gollum fluctuates between his good side and bad and it isn’t till he learns about the Hobbit’s mission that he allows for Gollum to take completely over. Both men are those torn between two opposing