The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers - Characters & Cast

His primary motivation is his duty to protect the free peoples of Middle-earth and his love for Arwen. He fights for a future where they can be together, which requires him to accept the burdens of leadership and confront the forces of Sauron directly.

In The Two Towers, Aragorn fully embraces his role as a leader of Men. Having accepted his path at the end of the first film, he now acts with authority and resolve, guiding Legolas and Gimli, advising Théoden, and fighting to protect the people of Rohan. His declaration at Helm's Deep, "Then I shall die as one of them!", encapsulates his commitment to his adopted people and his transformation from a solitary ranger to a future king.

His motivation is pure duty: to carry the Ring to Mordor and destroy it. Unlike other characters fighting for victory in battle, Frodo's quest is a slow, sacrificial walk into the heart of enemy territory, driven by the knowledge that it is the only way to save the world.

Frodo's journey becomes darker and more internalized. The Ring's influence weighs heavily on him, making him more suspicious, desperate, and physically weakened. His arc is one of descent, as he struggles to maintain his identity against the Ring's corrupting power. He shows a growing, and perhaps dangerous, empathy for Gollum, recognizing a shared fate as a Ring-bearer, which isolates him further from Sam.

His motivation is his unwavering love for and loyalty to Frodo. He is not driven by a grand sense of destiny but by a simple, powerful promise to protect his master and friend, no matter the cost.

Sam's role evolves from a simple gardener and friend to Frodo's unwavering protector and moral compass. As Frodo weakens, Sam's strength and resolve grow. He is suspicious of Gollum, protective of Frodo, and ultimately provides the emotional anchor for the quest. His monologue at Osgiliath about the great stories is the thematic heart of the film, defining his simple, profound understanding of good, evil, and hope.

His sole motivation is to reclaim his "Precious," the One Ring. This desire overrides everything, forcing him to serve Frodo while constantly plotting to betray him. The inner conflict is between his method of getting the Ring (Sméagol's servitude vs. Gollum's murder).

Introduced fully in this film, Gollum's arc is a tragic internal war. The film masterfully portrays his split personality: the piteous, childlike Sméagol who is capable of loyalty to Frodo, and the malevolent, Ring-obsessed Gollum. For a time, it seems Sméagol might be redeemed through Frodo's kindness, but the cruelty of Faramir's men and Gollum's own deep-seated corruption push him back into treachery, setting up his plan to lead the hobbits to Shelob.