[Lord of Angmar]

I disagree with your statement that characters in an epic should not be written with internal angst. If you were to read the Odyssey in its original form (which I have done) you would see better the multi-dimensional and often deeply troubled mind of Odysseus. And what of other epics, such as the movie Lawrence of Arabia or Shakespeare's plays Romeo and Juliet, MacBeth and Hamlet (to name only a few)? These may be considered epics, and in each the characters obviously have immense internal angst and their purposes are never so completely clear cut as

destroying an evil ring, defending one's city, winning back a prized possession, getting back home again.

In Lord of the Rings, the characters do not necessarily show their internal anxiety and fears in words or direct actions, but certainly they are ever looming over the characters on their quests. Even before I saw the movie, I knew of the hardships and doubts of Aragorn's life, Boromir's passion for his city and willingness to give his life for it, and his uncertainty about what was to come. I cannot say that traumatic events are not used as influence and motivation for these characters. The plight of Gondor is surely traumatic to Boromir, and surely it sculpts drastically all of his decisions in FotR. The death of Gandalf is a traumatic event to all, and all of the members of the Fellowship feel it and act on it in different ways. For Frodo, it is leaving the Fellowship and determining to go off to Mount Doom alone. For Aragorn, it is being unsure about the path to take after the death of Boromir and the departure of Frodo and Sam. For Merry and Pippin it is wondering what part they are to play--if any--in the great deeds of the time. In many ways, Tolkien's book is can be considered a psychological study, although, granted, their emotions and motivations are never really as fully displayed and depicted as they are in the movies.

His vulerability to the Ring is based in his personality flaw of pride more than a traumatized past.

I tend to disagree with this statement. I do not see any proof that Boromir's pride is the key factor in his lust for the Ring. I think it is far more the idea in his mind of the fall of Gondor that pushes him to try to steal the Ring. It is, in my opinion, more a product of love for his city and fear of its destruction than pride (I do not even see what you mean by pride-- do you mean that he thinks he deserves the Ring by relation to Gondor? That he thinks he is a better bearer than Frodo? Please elaborate.) that draws him to the Ring.