Sauron was the villain of all villains in The Lord of the Rings, but his evil mastery fell flat in one scene. The Dark Lord, his One Ring, and his evil kingdom of Mordor are regarded as the most fearsome, terrible things in Middle-earth in the Third Age, which makes Frodo’s journey seem entirely impossible. Even when the Hobbit took off from Rivendell, there was little hope that he would actually succeed in his quest. Against all odds, Frodo made the trip across Middle-earth to destroy the One Ring. It certainly wasn’t easy—though perhaps it wasn’t as hard as it should have been.
A significant reason why Frodo and Sam were chosen to destroy Sauron’s Ring is that the Dark Lord wouldn’t see it coming. He was a cunning villain of pure evil, which meant that Sauron assumed that any being in Middle-earth would use the Ring (as he would), not destroy it. Pure-hearted little Hobbits were beyond anything the Dark Lord could understand, so he essentially disregarded them. This explanation for the strange plan in The Lord of the Rings makes some sense and fits well with the villain as he was portrayed. However, it still seems that Sauron would have been prepared for at least part of Frodo’s plan.
Frodo & Sam Sneaking Into Mount Doom Feels Too Easy In The Lord Of The Rings
Sauron Left The Mountain Wide Open
One does not simply walk into Mordor—except that’s precisely what Frodo and Sam did. As terrifying as Sauron’s dark kingdom was made to sound, it seemed that the Hobbits entered Mordor and traveled to Mount Doom far too easily. Sure, Frodo was technically captured and held captive, but Sam single-handedly managed to rescue his friend and get him to the ominous volcano. Mount Doom was a key piece of Sauron’s power, but it was essentially left unguarded, especially in the Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King movie.
When Frodo was captured, Sauron assumed that the Hobbit had been a scout – he didn’t know the plan to destroy the One Ring until it was too late.
The Lord of the Rings books at least provided some explanation for why Mount Doom was so accessible to Frodo and Sam. Aragorn had purposely used the palantir to reveal himself to Sauron. So, as the Gondor king’s army approached the Black Gate, Sauron focused all his attention and forces on him, assuming that Aragorn would have the One Ring with him and attempt to use it. Aragorn hoped this would be enough of a distraction for Frodo to make it to Mount Doom, and he wound up being right. Still, given all we know about Sauron in Lord of the Rings, even this seems a bit silly.
This Return Of The King Moment Doesn’t Match Sauron’s Portrayal As A Villain
Sauron Was Supposed To Be Far Cleverer Than That
Sauron is highly clever in The Lord of the Rings. He can see into the hearts and minds of individuals and manipulate them before they even know what has happened. It is this that has made Sauron such an effective and terrifying villain. He isn’t even shown in the flesh in The Lord of the Rings, but the Dark Lord has still left a mark on the genre that has lasted nearly a century. This only makes it more evident that Frodo and Sam’s trip to Mount Doom was just a bit too easy. Surely, Sauron would have covered all his bases, especially since he had the disposable forces to utilize.
Ultimately, it’s good that Sauron wasn’t as diligent as he should have been. Otherwise, Frodo and Sam might not have been successful in their mission. Lord of the Rings is a well-constructed story, and JRR Tolkien worked for decades to fill any potential gaps. Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings movies couldn’t possibly fit in all these additional explanations, so Frodo’s lucky moments seem even more ridiculous on the screen. To enjoy the tale, such things must simply be accepted.
