The Inherent Incompatability of Morgoth and Sauron

[Morthoron]

Originally Posted by Inziladun

Saruman's handicap may have had less to do with lesser ability than with his original motives for his fall.

It seems to me that while Morgoth and Sauron each had grand ideas about re-ordering the world to fit his own image of its "right" state, Saruman's turn to evil was in a meaningful way influenced by jealousy of Gandalf. Envy is a rather destructive emotion, in that the actor has a tendency to become blind to danger in the desire to spite his enemy. Saruman was subverted by Sauron perhaps the more easily because he desired Gandaf's failure, and wanted power to bring it about.

Yes, envy of Gandalf is certainly a major component of Saruman's moral weakness, but another important aspect of Saruman's flawed character is his coveting of the Ring. The Ring warped him just as surely as if he were wearing it. Its possession became all-encompassing to him, even to the point of creating his own rings and risking destruction by not only betraying the Lords of the West, but Sauron as well. Even if Sauron had been victorious at the Morannon and recovered the Ring, Saruman, his treachery revealed to the Nazgul previously, would have found eternal torment in Barad-dur for his traitorous actions.