nice post guys! makes me think (ouch)
To me, Elves were not robots at all. Their fate or doom was just a different variety than mens. Being a part of the Music, their fate was unequivocally linked to that of Arda. Saying that does not mean that they did not have free will. The rebellious Noldor being the exception, the elves imo were always focused on the ideal of "Arda Unmarred". After all, they were there pretty early on - they know what an unpoiled ME is like, an ideal that would be hard to forget if one never dies of old age. This mentality i feel is a reflection of their being bound to the Music.
Morgoth's "ring" was ME itself, thus binding his fate with the elves (whom he desired for his own to rule). Orcs are a manifistation of the link as well. Were those elves doomed to be
corrupted, enslaved and ruined by Morgoth to produce orcs? In hindsight, well yea obviously.
But in hindsight, every player's doom in this story can be fleshed out. Did Eru have a hand in everyones doom? YES I think that was the authors intention. But, as in our reality, the Makers hand and will are hard to fathom at times...
