Boromir's Death

[Zigûr]

Originally Posted by Belegorn

Boromir may not have been able to perceive its evil, but that would only make him less responsible than a High Man who would, like him, want the Ring, like his father. I'm just saying even the High Men could not all reject it and overcome its temptation and the only two that I know of who did were Faramir and Aragorn. Perhaps Elendil would have destroyed it had he lived, but I'm not sure. However, maybe temperament has a role to play in this as Boromir and Isildur seemed to have a fiery temperament and perhaps Elendil like Aragorn and Faramir would have rejected it.

I don't mean to suggest that Boromir's stature is necessarily responsible, only that it might have limited his understanding. It's worth remembering that Boromir desired the Ring for its power. Isildur's rationale for keeping the Ring was as a weregild for the loss of his father and brother, just as Bilbo argued that he kept it because Gollum would have killed him otherwise. I'm not saying that their corruption was different, but Boromir, unlike people previously interested in the Ring, actively wanted to use it for its "true" purpose, the manufacture and maintenance of Power. This was a very "Middle" attitude to take: as Faramir suggests, they esteemed mastery and martial prowess above other skills, and the Ring was the ultimate weapon in that regard. I personally don't think it's so much a matter of wanting to keep the Ring as it is wanting to use it, and use it for its primary purpose (not just to become invisible and such). The Ringbearers each kept the Ring for a variety of reasons (of diverse validity) but Boromir wished to actually wield it, even though he had been told repeatedly and with emphasis that doing so would only achieve further ruin.
His circumstances were different to Isildur, of course, but Men like Aragorn and Faramir refused to use it. Faramir said "I do not wish for such triumphs." He was in the same situation as his brother, but of greater wisdom and stature.
In this way I don't think that Elendil, or Aragorn, or Faramir, or anyone else could have destroyed the Ring, because I'm fairly sure no one could have destroyed it voluntarily, but perhaps a High Man might at least be less inclined to use it even if they felt compelled (like anyone else) to keep it.