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Originally Posted by Kath
I always thought (personal opinion though not based on any real facts) that the reason Frodo was so much more affected by the Ring than Bilbo was because when the latter had the Ring Sauron was not really searching for it. He did not know that it had been found and so was not actively seeking it out. When Frodo has the Ring Sauron knows of its existence and (as is said in the film) all his thought is bent on it.
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This is actually how I always saw it. At the time when Bilbo was in possession of the ring, Sauron was still fairly weak. He did not yet possess the power to begin actively seeking out the ring. It seems that he and the ring both grew equally in power - each tied to the other, so every burst of energy from one causing an increase in the other. It is almost as though, through the connection, they bolstered each other up to full strength. At the time that Frodo had the ring and was prepared to destroy it, I don't think that any being could have possessed the will power to throw the ring into the fire. Even Sam, who most consider to be even more selfless than Frodo, felt the weight of the ring pretty quickly during the short period of time where he had to hold it. Though he was not yet Mr. Possessive, he began to understand the torture Frodo endured - feeling it much more quickly than Frodo, in fact. I think that the ring had this much effect on Samwise so quickly because Sauron was so close to regaining his former strength.
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So even if Gandalf was around it would have been far harder if not impossible for him to have persuaded Frodo to let it go as the Ring has had more of an influence on him than it did on Bilbo.
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The ring still did have an effect on Bilbo though. It was a very, very powerfully dark object: even in the depths of its weakness, over time it could still wear away at a person. Look at what it did to Smeagol, corrupting him even as its creator lay almost helpless. It had nowhere near the power it would eventually take on as Sauron regained strength, but it still had the power to inflict and plant evil in the most innocent of places. In so many ways the ring is more powerful than its true creator and master - Sauron depended on it for his own survival, but the ring did not seem to need Sauron to carry on itself. It continued to fulfill its role even when Sauron was incapacitated.
In my mind, the ring is sort of a form of artificial intelligence. It seems to possess a mind of its own - know who it wants to burden and who it wants to remain with. It tries to guide its bearer to a certain location and has such a persuasive manner about it. But, at the same time, it does not express a certain human quality - perhaps spirit or emotion. This makes it even more frightening - it continues its spread of darkness despite what appears to be defeat. It is so vigilant - it does not know fear or hopelessness, it only knows its job and continues so effectively. It controls not only beings such as Frodo and Sam, but its creator as well - Sauron, originally the master (or lord, if you will) of the ring, now finds himself dependent on the ring as the ring is not so dependent on him. I feel that if Sauron had been reunited with the ring and had continued to gain power, even if some being had found the means of destroying Sauron, the ring would survive, find a new bearer to control, and would endure.