J.R.R. Tolkien had an excellent point about The Return of the King’s тιтle, but this perspective behind the third volume of The Lord of the Rings no longer matters. The three volumes of Tolkien’s genre-defining fantasy epic were released in the 1950s, following up The Hobbit nearly two decades later. After their release, however, Tolkien continued to build the world of Middle-earth, with тιтles like The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales being published after his death, using his in-depth notes to provide readers with more details about his tales.

Beyond just the love for the stories of the Lord of the Rings books, Tolkien fans have a deep admiration for the legendary writer’s process. Along with all of his notes, which have been compiled into numerous extensive volumes, readers have long taken an interest in Tolkien’s letters, which have provided insights into his perspective on Middle-earth. For example, his letters offered a perspective on Orcs that conflicted with his portrayal in the novels. In Letter 140, written on August 17, 1953, he discussed the тιтles of his three volumes.

Tolkien Was Afraid The Return Of The King’s тιтle Gave Away The Story’s Ending

The тιтle Hints At Aragorn’s Rise & Sauron’s Defeat

Letter 140 was sent one year before the publication of The Fellowship of the Ring, and Tolkien shared his thoughts on the planned тιтles for the three books. He approved of Fellowship and The Two Towers, though he suggested The War of the Ring as his pitch for the third volume. The recipient of this letter was Rayner Unwin, who preferred The Return of the King, but Tolkien felt that his тιтle idea encompᴀssed the narrative of the volume in a more non-committal way that “gives less hint about the turn of the story.”

In praise of “The War of the Ring,” Tolkien also liked the idea that the тιтle mentioned the One Ring again, which was arguably the most crucial part of the story. He planned his chapter тιтles in an effort not to give away much of the story, and he hoped his тιтle would accomplish the same. Of course, The Return of the King is the тιтle widely recognized as the third volume of Tolkien’s saga, as well as one of the best movies ever made, so it won the day, with the book published in October 1955.

Tolkien Made A Good Point About The Final LOTR Book’s тιтle, At Least Initially

Tolkien Rightfully Didn’t Want To Give Away The Ending

J.R.R. Tolkien wasn’t wrong about The Return of the King’s тιтle; it gives away a pivotal plot point in the story. Sure, Aragorn being crowned as the King of Gondor isn’t the biggest moment in the volume, but it represents a turning of the tide, with him uniting the world of Men in defiance of Sauron. This isn’t a restoration of the monarchy; it’s the return of leadership in an Arthurian sense, suggesting that any person can learn from the great heroes and legends of old and take up arms in the name of goodness.

With that in mind, the volume’s тιтle essentially suggests that good will prevail, and that Aragorn’s leadership will give hope to Men, allowing them to win against the great evil of Mordor. The One Ring must be destroyed for the heroes to eventually win the day, but the тιтle implies an ultimately positive ending result, which may detract from Tolkien’s stakes that suggest a doom-like threat. In 2025, this may not matter anymore.

Why Tolkien’s Return Of The King Criticism Isn’t As Important Now

Everyone Knows The Heroes Win, & It Doesn’t Ruin The Story

While I totally understand what Tolkien had in mind when he wrote this letter in 1953, the issue has essentially resolved itself due to the greatness of his material. The Lord of the Rings is a multi-billion-dollar-grossing movie franchise, and the books are one of the highest-selling series ever written. Even beyond the immense pᴀssion countless viewers have for Tolkien’s material, a broader perception of his work exists in the vernacular that makes spoilers somewhat irrelevant.

Like Star Wars or most superhero тιтles, The Lord of the Rings is widely perceived as a story where good triumphs over evil. Of course, this is reductive of the complexity in Tolkien’s world, but it coincides with the general tone of his epic, as does the тιтle for The Return of the King. It doesn’t matter if you know the good guys win going into this story; most people do; the true value in this tale is the characters, their dynamics, the themes, and the vast, unparalleled imagination.

The Lord of the Rings

Movie(s)

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

J.R.R. Tolkien

First Film

The Lord of the Rings (1978)

Cast

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)

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

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