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Originally Posted by the phantom
Though I guess a King that stays back doesn't fill the part of a romantic hero- the way fantasy Kings are supposed to be.
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Tolkien certainly espouses the heroic ideal of great leaders "leading from the front" and fighting side by side with their people. We can see this not only in central characters such as Aragorn and Theoden (in contrast, as has been pointed out, with Denethor), but also in the likes of Gil-Galad, Elendil, Thranduil, Celeborn, Dain II and Brand. There is a similar contrast, in
The Hobbit, between Bard (the true Lord of Dale) and the Master of Laketown.
But, as
the phantom and others have said, there is much more to Aragorn's acceptance by the people of Gondor than his military skills.