You really got a hold on me

[Lalwendë]

Ho, Eomer has inspired a naughty heretical thought in my mind. Here goes...*lights blue touchpaper and runs*...

Maybe the Ring works on Frodo's wish to hide from danger, on his cowardice?

When ever Frodo puts the ring on he needs to hide. The only times this is not true are when he puts the Ring on at Tom Bombadil's House, and in The Prancing Pony, where he is drunk both on beer and pride at his own song. So yes, maybe it works on his pride too (this could also be half of the case at Mount Doom), but mostly it seems to work on his wish to hide and not face danger.

Is this true of everyone who bears the Ring? They all have the need to be invisible but do they all want to hide?

When Sam wears the Ring he sees himself as a great leader. Gollum wears it to catch food. Bilbo to avoid the neighbours. Isildur to get glory for Gondor. When Frodo wears the Ring he sees into 'another world'.

It's as though the Ring says 'what do you want?' when it's put on. Frodo wants to hide, so that's what he gets.

Then at the end of he wants that ability to hide more than anything and won't give up the Ring. He goes back to The Shire broken and eventually takes the ultimate step into hiding and goes to Valinor.

[Child of the 7th Age]

Interesting question. I've thought about this question before.

Just a brief comment first on what Lalwende said about Bilbo:

.....Bilbo to avoid the neighbours.

With Bilbo, wasn't it really a question of "tricking" his neighbors? There is, I think, one aspect of Bilbo that qualified him as a "trickster", and I've often thought the Ring encouraged this trait in him. Is it a coincidence that the first thing Bilbo does after picking up the Ring is to engage in a Riddle game? Riddling is bright, witty, humorous, and also deceptive. At what point does the humor of sharp wit, which so many of us enjoy, go beyond the kind hearted to become a weapon?

I don't sense this trickster in Frodo; I do sense it in Bilbo. Frodo seems to be a different case (more later, I hope).

I've spoken with some readers who absolutely can not stand Bilbo for this reason. My own feelings on this are different, but I think the trickster element is definitely there.

[lathspell]

The Ring works on those aspects of it's bearer, which can make the bearer powerful in specific areas, which are already developed by the bearer him- or herself. Another area that plays a part in this is what the bearer desires. The combination of a desire and a specifically developed area seems to be what the Ring looks for in people. The will of (most of) the bearers would be to use this power to do good. Somehow however the Ring corrupts. An interesting question is how it corrupts. We see around us, and in LotR (Saruman), that power corrupts. So... does the Ring directly corrupt peoples minds, or does it indirectly corrupt it's bearers by giving them great powers so that it's really the power that does the corrupting. I think it is the last one, which ofcourse doesn't make the Ring any less dangerous.

For examples I will use two of the people Bethberry names in her opening post.
Gandalf doesn't even want to keep the Ring safe, because the Ring would give him far greater power, and it would apply to his 'pity'. Pity, which he learned long ago from one of the Valiër. Gandalf would, if he did have the Ring, want to do good to the world (out of pity). However, more power brings greater corruption. Gandalf fears himself with the Ring for this reason.
Galadriel admits she wants power, presumably to keep evil at bay and Lothlorien everlasting. Both things she already does with Nenya, but the powers of Nenya aren't great enough anymore. Frodo offers her the Ring. She does not take it. Why? She gives the answer. The power given to her would corrupt her. It would make her a Dark Queen.

It is hard to see in what area it could get to Frodo in that way. Frodo's only desire is to see the Ring destroyed. And he seems to have developed the right areas for it as well, since no one else could have brought the Ring to Mount Doom. The Ring knew this too, ofcourse, and did not try to persuade him to wear It. Except on those occasions that Frodo's first desire was not to destroy the Ring, but to stay hidden for enemies. The Ring took the chances to persuade Frodo to put it on, because Frodo would be better hidden. He would gain power to stay hidden. It was a moment to try to corrupt Frodo, by giving him power.

Secondly the Ring did this at moments that Frodo's enemies were near him. So, Frodo would be corrupted and his enemies had greater chance of finding him. Two strokes in one on those rare occasions. Either the enemy would retreive It an It would go back to Sauron, or Frodo would be corrupted and the Ring would have a job well done.

Ofcourse, this creates the question wether the Ring really wanted to get back to Sauron, or did It only want an evil, corrupted Master?

Greetings,
lathspell