Why did he throw that?

[Nilpaurion Felagund]

I think that if you put yourself in Wormtongue's position, the most obvious emotion behind his action is Palantír envy. Imagine that your brother, dad, wife, whoever, spends all their time with this mysterious object that you are forbidden to use or even ask about.

First, he would have to know the thing exists. Nobody outside Saruman and...Saruman( [img]smilies/rolleyes.gif[/img] ) could have learned of its existence.

But then again, he could see Saruman going into a mysterious room and staying inside for hours. Then his curiosity will be stoked as to what's so appealing in the room. The chaos of the Ents' attack may have given him the chance. As to what happened in his mind after that...that's what the debate is all about.

What I think is completely unlikely is that he

quote:
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switched from one side to the other
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That would have been completely hack, and more suited to Transformers or Daffy Duck than JRR Tolkien.

I'm not so sure. Tolkien typified traitors as "double agents," working for and (knowingly or unwittingly) against their cause.

[Gandalf: ]Let us remember that a traitor may betray himself and do good that he does not intend.

(LotR V 4)

Besides,I didn't say he wanted to work for Gandalf or Théoden. He feared both, thinking that they may hurt him even if he joins their side.

[Gandalf: ]The treacherous are ever distrustful.

(LotR III 10)

Which is why he refused Gandalf's suggestion to leave Saruman. But of course, in the Shire, Gandalf's no longer there, and Frodo offered him to stay, so he finally defected to the side of good.

But then again, the "Double Agent" theory was just one of my three suggestions. Might have been a combination of any reason.

->Elenrod

<font size=1 color=339966>[ 9:00 PM January 06, 2004: Message edited by: Nilpaurion Felagund ]