comic relief in LotR

[MatthewM]

"Time wears on, and the mists are blowing away, or would if you strange folk did not wreathe yourselves in smoke." -Legolas

[Ataralasse]

I like the line in Fangorn when Legolas says "I feel older in this forest, older than I have felt since traveling with you children." or something to that effect (I've got to find my book! >_<). Imagine Aragorn's dirty look, not to mention Gimli's!

Also, I like when in the Appendices, Aragorn calls "Tinuviel!" after Arwen and she smiles and says, "Why do you call me by that name?" I can just picture her thinking, "::indulgent sigh:: Yet another infatuated sap!"

"This was unexpected and rather difficult. There was some scattered clapping, but most of them were trying to work it out to see if it came to a compliment." <Love, love, love that line! They did Bilbo's line so well in the movie.
Bilbo: "I don't know half of you half as well as I should like, and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve!"
Crowd: One or two people clap, most look at each other like, "Huh?"

I like some of the other mentioned already, like Aragorn scolding Merry about pipeweed, Quickbeam, and the 'wreathed in smoke' line. Betcha Legolas was downwind on that last one.

[Lalwendë]

Fordim has put a long quote in so I will too, don't hang me for it and davem has just reminded me of one of the funniest things in The Hobbit (more on which in another thread shortly). This is great, as acutely observed as a Mike Leigh script, especially if you know about the agonising complexities of British manners regarding strangers:

"Good morning!"said Bilbo, and he meant it. The sun was shining, and the grass was very green. But Gandalf looked at him from under long bushy eyebrows that stuck out further than the brim of his shady hat.
"What do you mean?"he said. "Do you wish me a good morning, or mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not; or that you feel good this morning; or that it is a morning to be good on?"

"All of them at once,"said Bilbo. "And a very fine morning for a pipe of tobacco out of doors, into the bargain. If you have a pipe about you, sit down and have a fill of mine! There's no hurry, we have all the day before us!"Then Bilbo sat down on a seat by his door, crossed his legs, and blew out a beautiful grey ring of smoke that sailed up into the air without breaking and floated away over The Hill.

"Very pretty!"said Gandalf. "But I have no time to blow smoke-rings this morning. I am looking for someone to share in an adventure that I am arranging, and it's very difficult to find anyone."

"I should think so in these parts! We are plain quiet folk and have no use for adventures. Nasty disturbing uncomfortable things! Make you late for dinner! I can't think what anybody sees in them," said our Mr. Baggins, and stuck one thumb behind his braces, and blew out another even bigger smoke-ring. Then he took out his morning letters, and began to read, pretending to take no more notice of the old man. He had decided that he was not quite his sort, and wanted him to go away.

But the old man did not move. He stood leaning on his stick and gazing at the hobbit without saying anything, till Bilbo got quite uncomfortable and even a little cross.
"Good morning!"he said at last. "We don't want any adventures here, thank you! You might try over The Hill or across The Water."By this he meant that the conversation was at an end.

"What a lot of things you do use Good morning for!"said Gandalf. "Now you mean that you want to get rid of me, and that it won't be good till I move off."

"Not at all, not at all, my dear sir! Let me see, I don't think I know your name?"

"Yes, yes, my dear sirand I do know your name, Mr. Bilbo Baggins. And you do know my name, though you don't remember that I belong to it. I am Gandalf, and Gandalf means me! To think that I should have lived to be good-morninged by Belladonna Took's son, as if I was selling buttons at the door!"

"Gandalf, Gandalf! Good gracious me! Not the wandering wizard that gave Old Took a pair of magic diamond studs that fastened themselves and never came undone till ordered? Not the fellow who used to tell such wonderful tales at parties, about dragons and goblins and giants and the rescue of princesses and the unexpected luck of widows' sons? Not the man that used to make such particularly excellent fireworks! I remember those! Old Took used to have them on Midsummer's Eve. Splendid! They used to go up like great lilies and snapdragons and laburnums of fire and hang in the twilight all evening!" You will notice already that Mr. Baggins was not quite so prosy as he liked to believe, also that he was very fond of flowers. "Dear me!"he went on. "Not the Gandalf who was responsible for so many quiet lads and lasses going off into the Blue for mad adventures. Anything from climbing trees to visiting Elvesor sailing in ships, sailing to other shores! Bless me, life used to be quite interI mean, you used to upset things badly in these parts once upon a time. I beg your pardon, but I had no idea you were still in business."

"Where else should I be?"said the wizard. "All the same I am pleased to find you remember something about me. You seem to remember my fireworks kindly, at any rate, and that is not without hope. Indeed for your old grandfather look's sake, and for the sake of poor Belladonna, I will give you what you asked for."

"I beg your pardon, I haven't asked for anything!"
"Yes, you have! Twice now. My pardon. I give it you. In fact I will go so far as to send you on this adventure. Very amusing for me, very good for you and profitable too, very likely, if you ever get over it."

"Sorry! I don't want any adventures, thank you. Not today. Good morning! But please come to teaany time you like! Why not tomorrow? Come tomorrow! Good-bye!" With that the hobbit turned and scuttled inside his round green door, and shut it as quickly as he dared, not to seem rude. Wizards after all are wizards.
"What on earth did I ask him to tea for!"he said to himself, as he went to the pantry. He had only just had breakfast, but he thought a cake or two and a drink of something would do him good after his fright.

Splendid. One of my very favourite things that Tolkien ever committed to paper