[davem]

Let's look at this from the Noldor's point of view for a moment:

As for the 'Doom of Mandos' - do the Noldor really believe it? They saw the Valar brought to apparent ruin, in their own land, saw Morgoth kill the Trees under their noses. I wonder if they didn't have some sense that lots of things were possible - even if the Valar said they weren't. Perhaps we're dealing with a people who had faced what seemed the ultimate disaster, set off on their own on what appeared a suicide mission - taking back the Silmarils from Morgoth - & seemed, against all odds to be on the road to winning.

You can almost imagine them thinking: Maybe the Valar don't know everything. Isn't it worth the risk? And the Valar had left them (& the Sindar, men & dwarves, who had not offended) to their fate. Morgoth is a threat to their very existence - what were they supposed to do? Stand back & do nothing & let him wipe them out piecemeal? They either have to fight, hit him as hard as they can & attempt to defeat him, or wait till he destroys them. They can't go back. They have nowhere to run. We have the clash of the two contending themes of the Music being made mainifest - conflict in the world is inevitable because its a conflict which began before the world. This a battle between forces attepting to actualise the different themes - Morgoth's forces are continuing to 'sing' the themes he introduced in eternity. The Elves - for all their 'sin' are still attempting to 'sing' the theme Eru propounded to the Ainur by Eru before the 'Ea!' was spoken & Arda came into being.

So,(as Tolkien stated) the Valar were at fault in holding back & barricading Valinor. The themes will contend throughout history till the Great End. The Noldor have committed a terrible offence in the Kinslaying, but the Valar have shirked their obligation. They contended with Melkor in the Anulindale, but they have refused to continue that contention within the world. The Noldor should not have been deserted by the Valar, who behave like offended children instead of the Holy Ones given stewardship of Arda by Eru that they are. Why should they have to crawl back to the Valar & beg them to help. When they do try & get back to ask the Valar just refuse to listen. The Valar have ultimate responsibility for dealing with Morgoth, but are hiding behind the Pelori, being self righteous, while the Noldor, the Sindar, Men & Dwarves are shedding their blood & losing their lives, doing their job for them.

Of course, this is not the whole story - the Valar do intervene, they don't leave the people of Middle Earth to their fate, but from the perspective of the Noldor in ME it could easily seem that way. The Valar have good reason to be wary of direct confrontation with Morgoth, they don't know how devastating the consequences of all out war between them & Morgoth will be on Beleriand, or Middle Earth as a whole.

But war is inevitable, because the Music set out this eternal & temporal contention, so this battle is inevitable, & they would have had to fight it sooner or later, even if they knew defeat was unavoidable. Whatever the Noldor did, out of pride, fear loss, desire, anger, however much they can be said to have brought their fate on themselves, the Valar (again as Tolkien said) are not wholly in the right, because in the end dealing with Morgoth is their responsibility, not the Noldor's (or anyone else's), & they shouldn't have to be begged to do it.