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Old 04-28-2004, 06:30 AM   #20
The Saucepan Man
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Narya Ambitious Ringwraiths?

Bęthberry


Quote:
Would they be susceptible to flattery? to desire and lust? to revenge? Could Saruman appeal to these susceptibilties as the devil or satan has to men's vanities in stories over the ages
I am with Kuruharan on this one. As Men, they were clearly subject to such human frailties. After all, it was their pride and lust for power which led them to take the Ring's which Sauron offered to them in the first place. But, once they became Wraiths, they became subject to Sauron's will, and, as such, had no will of their own. Saruman was only able to influence them by playing on their "devotion" to their Master, ie by persuading them that he was a faithful ally. He could not have appealed to any personal ambition of theirs, since they had no personal ambition. As Kuruharan said:


Quote:
Their opinions would be the opinions of Sauron. They were not capable of deliberately doing anything against his interest.
The fallibilities that you list would of course apply to Sauron's human allies, to the extent that they were not superseded by Sauron's fear and/or propaganda. And they would no doubt apply to Orcs too (or at least some), as the conversation between Shagrat and Gorbag shows us.
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