Feanor's Wrath

[Anguirel]

So you're saying, getting that nasty ol' Thingol out of the way would have been a blessing?

I must say, WarBringer, I'm extremely glad you weren't in command of the host of exiled Noldor! It would have been a black day for the poor old Sindar when you touched Middle-earth sand...

But I feel this argument is in the end fruitless. Feanor is to a great extent a model of the literary archetype of the doomed genius, the hopeless non-conformist. His Spirit of Fire could not have ruled and ordered, would not have been content with anything less than revenge. He had to go too far. You might say, that's partly what he's there for. I say this despite, nay because of, my admiration for him (one that Gandalf supports in LOTR). He was a peerless artist-the greatest. He was a magnificent orator-the greatest. In terms of warrior prowess, he wasn't far from the top. This led him, however, into hubris, and nemesis, sadly, was completely inevitable. Indeed, had Feanor lived and settled down to any degree, the story would be much less satisfying-to wit, an anticlimax.