Peter Jackson made some significant changes to Arwen’s character in his The Lord of the Rings movies, ultimately making her far more like another of Tolkien’s female characters. Typically, I do not advocate for major changes from book to screen. However, there are some exceptions. Overall, Jackson’s Lord of the Rings movies are regarded as a respectful adaptation of Tolkien canon. This is because many of the changes that Jackson made were in keeping with the general themes of Tolkien’s works—something that is reflected in Arwen’s character.
Female characters don’t get much attention in Tolkien’s central Lord of the Rings books. The Fellowship of the Ring was made up of males, and the only women of real note were Galadriel and Eowyn. However, Tolkien’s legendarium went far beyond Frodo’s story, and his other Lord of the Rings stories featured a handful of other, more impactful female characters. I can’t deny that men still generally run the show, but the female Maiar and Elves of Tolkien’s world still left a significant mark. We may never see these characters brought to a screen adaptation, but Jackson brought us pretty close.
Peter Jackson Made Arwen A More Prominent & Powerful Character In His Lord Of The Rings Movies
Arwen’s Role Was Much Smaller In The Lord Of The Rings Books
Once upon a time, I would have complained about the fact that Jackson cut Glorfindel’s big moment from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. However, over the years, I have come to love the role that the movies gave to Arwen. In Tolkien’s books, Arwen was simply a background character. She was a point of motivation for Aragorn, but Frodo never actually heard her speak or interacted with her in any meaningful way. In the Fellowship of the Ring movie, however, Arwen was a hero.
In canon, it was the elf Glorfindel who saved Frodo from the Ringwraiths and carried him into Rivendell as the river washed their enemy away. However, Jackson cut Glorfindel entirely and handed his job over to Liv Tyler’s Arwen. She became a magnificent female warrior elf—a character who didn’t just pᴀssively wait for her lover to complete his mission, but aided him in it. This not only allowed us to become more invested in Aragorn’s romance, but it also brought to the screen a heroic figure we might otherwise never get a chance to see.
Arwen’s Fellowship Of The Ring Role Reflects Another Of Tolkien’s Powerful Female Elves
This Might Be The Closest We Get To Seeing Luthien On Screen
Perhaps Arwen’s most striking moment in Jackson’s Fellowship of the Ring is when she draws her sword and challenges the Ringwraiths to come claim Frodo. She is fierce and palpably powerful, something we never saw from her character in the books. However, this isn’t to say Tolkien never wrote a female elf this way. Luthien, from the tale Beren and Luthien, is known to be a powerful hero. She and her human lover set out on a grand journey to reclaim a Silmaril from Morgoth in the First Age. It’s a tragic romance, but there’s never any question that Luthien is a powerful and heroic figure.
Luthien has never been depicted in live-action on screen, but Jackson seemed to capture her character with his version of Arwen in The Lord of the Rings.
Luthien has never been depicted in live-action on screen, but Jackson seemed to capture her character with his version of Arwen in The Lord of the Rings. This is especially meaningful since Tolkien made it perfectly clear in his books that Aragorn’s lover paralleled the legendary First-Age elf heroine. It is stated in the books that she greatly resembled Luthien, and Arwen’s decision to become mortal was foreshadowed by the story of Beren and Luthien, where the elf maiden made the same sacrifice. In this way, Jackson’s change wasn’t meaningless pandering—it was a way to reflect Tolkien’s poetic intent.
Arwen is a direct descendant of Luthien, who was the child of an elf father and Maia mother.
Could We Ever See Luthien In A Future Lord Of The Rings Movie?
Legal Rights Make This Complicated
Luthien is arguably the most important female character in Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. The author even had the name put on his wife’s headstone, since the steadfast romance of Beren and Luthien was based on his own romance. This is why Jackson giving Arwen similar prevalence and power in his Lord of the Rings movies is so impactful. However, it also makes it all the more frustrating that a Beren and Luthien story has yet to be adapted to the screen. It’s an epic love story and impactful adventure, so why hasn’t Hollywood gotten on board yet?
New Line Cinema and Warner Bros have several Lord of the Rings movies on the way, only one of which we have many details on. After The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, it’s difficult to say what will come next. However, an adaptation of Beren and Luthien may be complicated. Tolkien signed away the movie and TV rights to his central Lord of the Rings story, but his estate has been reluctant to do the same with his posthumously published works since the author’s death. Naturally, this includes Beren and Luthien. Perhaps the legal aspect will be sorted out someday. For now, however, we have The Lord of the Rings movie’s Arwen.
The Lord of the Rings
- Movie(s)
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The Lord of the Rings (1978), The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim
- Created by
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J.R.R. Tolkien
- First Film
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The Lord of the Rings (1978)
- Cast
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Norman Bird, Anthony Daniels, Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, John Rhys-Davies, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Orlando Bloom, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Sean Bean, Ian Holm, Andy Serkis, Brad Dourif, Karl Urban, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, James Nesbitt, Ken Stott, Benedict Cumberbatch, Evangeline Lilly, Lee Pace, Luke Evans, Morfydd Clark, Mike Wood, Ismael Cruz Cordova, Charlie Vickers, Markella Kavenagh, Megan Richards, Sara Zwangobani, Daniel Weyman, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Lenny Henry, Brian Cox, Shaun Dooley, Miranda Otto, Bilal Hasna, Benjamin Wainwright, Luke Pasqualino, Christopher Guard, William Squire, Michael Scholes, John Hurt
- TV Show(s)
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The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
