The Character Development of Arwen

[Lord of Angmar]

"Character Development of Arwen" is an oxymoron. [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

Seriously though, I found Arwen and Aragorn's relationship to be poignant in its subtlety, and Here Follows A Part of the Tale of Aragorn and Arwen is probably my favorite part of the Appendices to Lord of the Rings. Arwen did not however, have any character development whatsoever in the conventional sense, in the books (nor really in the Appendices either, despite having actual dialogue, actions, etc.); what she did have was a mysterious, ambiguous and Elvish aura that (arguably) would have been detracted from had she been featured in a much more prominent role in the books. I would not mind more of her interactions with Aragorn being highlighted in the novel (I thought Peter Jackson's additions to Arwen and Aragorn's relationship in Rivendell in the Fellowship of the Ring were quite well done, but that is a topic for another thread.) However, I must say that I did like the way Tolkien set up their romance, and found their relationship to contain plenty of depth, even if Arwen is lacking in character development.

Since their mutual affection does not materially alter the course of events in LOTR in any way - nor does it drastically change their characters during these events - there's no reason we have to know every detail. (Kalimac)

Very good point, although one might argue that Aragorn's character and his actions would be at least slightly different if it were not for Arwen.

-Angmar