[Mithadan]

The Fall of Denethor is one of the sadder moments in LoTR. We have a great man of noble upbringing, utterly dedicated to his duties, who becomes deceived by Sauron after attempting to use the Palantir with the best intentions of using what knowledge he gained for the good of Gondor. Or is this just too simple....

Could it be that Denethor learned to covet his station and, after becoming overshadowed by Thorongil, became determined to consolidate his power into a royal dynasty? He was distrustful of Gandalf, perhaps because he realized that Gandalf's allegiance was not just to Gondor but rather to all free peoples. Would he allow Gandalf to peruse the Royal Archives freely, or instead would he himself investigate the scrolls and books which Gandalf took an interest in to further his own agenda? Could he have known of the Ring and Isildur and divined the meaning of the dreams which Boromir and Faramir had? This would explain why he sent Boromir, a great captain of men and warrior, rather than Faramir, whom he considered weak, to Imladris. He hoped that Boromir would "bring him a great prize". Thoughts?