Sense of humour

[Peregrin Took]

There is plenty of humor to be found in The Lord of the Rings! Humor comes in many different forms. In LotR we get direct "slapstick" humor, sarcasm, dry humor, etc. All are funny!

I can recall lines from all the races in Middle-earth that were funny. Tolkien does not leave humor out of any race in M-e...again, it depends what you find funny, mind you, but it's all humor. I'll give some examples used by each race-

For Hobbits, there are obvious answers, for we know they were very humorous folk. One example that comes to my mind is when Pippin made a joke about Frodo getting a little flabby before they set out from Bag End.

For Men, we have the humor of Aragorn and of Boromir. Aragorn uses humor in Bree - "a fat innkeeper...", leaving Bree "foul and fair", in Minas Tirith when he makes fun of Ioreth and the "herb master", etc. Boromir uses sarcasm on more than one occasion. During The Great River, I believe it is, he asks Aragorn what they will do after a certain point - "Leap down the falls?"

For Elves, Legolas talks to Gandalf about chasing the sun while on Caradhras. "I go to find the sun!" I'm sure there are more instances.

Gandalf uses humor all the time. Angry humor, you might call it. As has been mentioned "knock your head against these walls, Peregrin Took!", as well as plenty of humor about Hobbits throughout the Quest, chiming in with Aragorn making fun of Ioreth in Minas Tirith, etc.

Unforuntely for Dwarves, I can't think of a specific time of humor, besides when, and this part always cracks me up, after the victory at Helm's Deep the Company passes through the Huorns and Legolas turns back and sees eyes and starts galloping towards them in curiosity. Gimli, who is helpless behind Legolas on the horse cries out in freight, "I wish to see no eyes!" Gets me every time!

Anyway, you get the point! There is a lot of humor in The Lord of the Rings. With such an amazing and intense story, Tolkien knew just the right places to put humor in.