If Denethor hadn't committed suicide

[Kitanna]

Originally Posted by alatar

What if, after Aragorn claims the Kingship and Faramir the Stewardship, Denethor has an epiphany, eats some humble pie, and decides that he's glad to be quit of these times, and lets go of his desires and goes off to wander the world (or visit the places his dead son last walked), now that he's more free of care.

Or, instead of committing suicide, he could go mad before the coronation and run off into the night, and people could leave food out for him, and Denethor could vanish into myth.

Maybe the humble pie drove him to insanity. Someone always poisons the pie, I swear.

Seriously though I have to agree with alatar here that perhaps going off to travel Boromir's last road would be a possibility. Though I think it's more likely he'd just have to hand the Stewardship over to Faramir and resign himself to private life, probably disappearing entirely from the public's eye, brooding in his own anger/frustration.

Though think of all the politics and extra detail that could be needed in ROTK if Denethor had lived. Tying up the loose ends in a novel can be tedious enough, just imagine how the end would go if Tolkien left Denethor alive for Aragorn to fight (verbally not physically) after all that he'd already been though.

[Eönwë]

Originally Posted by Kitanna

imagine how the end would go if Tolkien left Denethor alive for Aragorn to fight (verbally not physically) after all that he'd already been though.

A sort of Scouring of Gondor?

[Kitanna]

Originally Posted by Eönwë

A sort of Scouring of Gondor?

Not in so violent of terms though.

[Faramir Jones]

It's too bad that Faramir and Éoywn haven't married and had children yet, and that Denethor is not a 'modern' politician, otherwise he might be tempted to use his grandchildren.

There's an interesting list called the Evil Overlord List, which sets out the steps a person should take to set up a successful evil empire:

http://www.eviloverlord.com/lists/overlord.html

I had a good laugh imagining Denethor doing something like this:

142. If I have children and subsequently grandchildren, I will keep my three-year-old granddaughter near me at all times. When the hero enters to kill me, I will ask him to first explain to her why it is necessary to kill her beloved grandpa. When the hero launches into an explanation of morality way over her head, that will be her cue to pull the lever and send him into the pit of crocodiles. After all, small children like crocodiles almost as much as Evil Overlords and it's important to spend quality time with the grandkids.

[The Mouth of Sauron]

If Denethor had lived after the Battle of the Pelennor Fields and been introduced to Aragorn, he would have remembered him as Thorongil. And he might legitimately have asked Aragorn why, if his claim to the Kingship was genuine, he didn't press that claim when he served Denethor's father under the guise of Thorongil.

[Inziladun]

Originally Posted by The Mouth of Sauron

If Denethor had lived after the Battle of the Pelennor Fields and been introduced to Aragorn, he would have remembered him as Thorongil. And he might legitimately have asked Aragorn why, if his claim to the Kingship was genuine, he didn't press that claim when he served Denethor's father under the guise of Thorongil.

Interesting. I think the knowledge that 'Thorongil' was truthfully Aragorn probably did belong to Denethor, and that would have played a part in his contesting Aragorn's claim, since Denethor had been jealous of Thorongil's fame and influence with Denethor's father, Ecthelion II.
What would Aragorn's response to Denethor pressing him on that have been? Perhaps something like 'The time was not yet right, Lord Steward. I myself was not ready for the burden, nor had I yet earned it'. I suspect though, that no fair words or deeds on Aragorn's part would have reconciled Denethor to the idea of relinquishing his power and watching Aragorn rule.

[alatar]

Why so negative on Denethor? He was a man at the end of his rope. His eldest son, whom maybe he had invested much hope, had failed and had fallen. His realm, whether he was King or Steward, was about to be swept away. He was estranged from his other son, the son that may have reminded him of the days spent with Finduilas, the son that he's sent to a needless (seemingly) death. Atop this, should some miracle occur and Gondor withstand the coming storm, a challenge to Denethor's leadership had appeared, and Denethor wasn't one to not get his way.

So he despairs at the end. What if, instead of suicide, someone, like Gandalf, knocks the Steward off of the pyre with a spear (hmm...now where have I seen that?) and he lives, though is mortally injured.

Assume the rest of the events play out as they do in RotK. Aragorn then could meet with Denethor, who, now that his realm as been saved, his son alive and installed as Steward, could die in peace after making some conciliatory remarks to Aragorn, showing that, at the end, he upholds the office of the Steward, giving up command as the King has returned. He asks for forgiveness, it's granted, and Denethor dies at peace, after murmuring some line about joining Finduilas and Boromir and Aragorn says something about the nobility of it all (or something).

Too much like Theoden's end?

Then how about Denethor, like his first son, decides to take Gandalf's advice and lead his people in the defense of Minas Tirith. He can then mutter a few lines and die after some duel with something interesting.