The 7 deadly sins vs. The 7 heavenly virtues.

[The Saucepan Man]

Originally Posted by Nurumaiel

I'm wondering if the first two quotes actually do show that Boromir is Proud, or if he has pride in a different way. I think the Pride that is sinful would be a vain pride. Pride is not necessarily a bad thing; it would be in the way that Pride is manifested.

There is certainly nothing sinful in pride, in the sense of nobility or self-confidence. Indeed, I would class confidence as a virtue as one can achieve much more if one is confident in one's abilities. Boromir displays both nobility and confidence. He is certainly confident in his skill as a warrior, and rightfully so.

Pride only becomes a negative quality where it leads to over-confidence or, as you say, arrogance. Again, Boromir displays both qualities. He is overly confident in his own ability to wield the Ring against Sauron and in defence of Gondor. And he is arrogant in thinking that he knows better than the Wise concerning what should be done with the Ring. He also displays a certain degree of arrogance during the Fellowship's journey south from Rivendell when, at times, he seeks to determine the route that the Fellowship will take.

The quotes that you give could be taken to denote either "good pride" or "bad pride". But I rather think that they hint at both sides of Boromir's proud nature at one and the same time.