Another possible layer of meaning has occurred to me – herbal medicines such as belladonna can be beneficial or poisonous; it’s all a matter of dosage. Could Tolkien be suggesting (rather tongue-in-cheek) that a little bit of such a lively girl as Belladonna Took goes a long way – and too much can be lethal? [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img] [img]smilies/tongue.gif[/img]
__________________
'Mercy!' cried Gandalf. 'If the giving of information is to be the cure of your inquisitiveness, I shall spend all the rest of my days in answering you. What more do you want to know?' 'The whole history of Middle-earth.. .'
|