The Antagonist

[Kalessin]

Good stuff!

the one ring was the main antagonist in lotr, but only insofar as it represents sauron's evil in conflict with the main protagonists

I think Amarinth is correct. The One Ring has what I would call a 'narrative will', in that it acts as a catalyst or motivation for the development of many characters (along with the Palantir - to a lesser extent - for Pippin and Denethor), and centers the 'storytelling' around its material and symbolic weight. However, looking at the story rationally the ring cannot be seen as 'independent' of Sauron. It has the ability to corrupt by virtue of the evil will (of Sauron) that it embodies, but its 'material' action is basically magnetic - it is eternally drawn towards its true master.

The character of Sauron in LotR is rather more lightly sketched than some of the other characters. Perhaps this is a deliberate weighting of the narrative, perhaps it simply reflects that 'pure evil' is as banal in dramatic terms as 'pure good' - there is no ambiguity, and no real personality, with which to weave. The ring, as it comes into contact with all the main heroic characters, provides a narrative opportunity for Tolkien to explore the individual moral struggle.

Even in The Silmarillion or Unfinished Tales, the character of Sauron is far less delineated and 'interesting' than even the various Numenorean monarchs, or the Valar, Elves and so on. So, just like the Dark Lord himself, it seems like Tolkien poured his 'narrative' energy into the One Ring [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

Peace [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]