Two Dark Lords?

[Lastande Took]

Originally Posted by Inziladun

Are you suggesting that the Ring knew what Frodo was trying to do? I really don't see that. Surely if it had known, it would have 'left' Frodo at some opportune moment, as it had Isildur and Gollum long before.

I see your point, but it seems to me that the Ring didn't 'know' Frodo's full purpose. Correct me if I'm wrong in the following surmises.

Frodo was somewhat tied to the Ring, but he fought it every step of the way. That kept the Ring from really getting inside his head, so to speak. It could tell Frodo was going to Mordor, but not WHERE in Modor. That kept it from leaving the Ringbearer.

[Ibrîniðilpathânezel]

Originally Posted by Lastande Took

Frodo was somewhat tied to the Ring, but he fought it every step of the way. That kept the Ring from really getting inside his head, so to speak. It could tell Frodo was going to Mordor, but not WHERE in Modor. That kept it from leaving the Ringbearer.

One might speculate that the Ring, "aware" of Frodo's resistance was also "aware" that Frodo was no match for it, so to speak. Sauron almost surely would have disdained Frodo as a real threat, and thus so would the Ring, the repository of his might and malice. He would have known that halflings were tough nuts to break -- having had Gollum in his dungeons -- but ultimately, he, as a Maia, would prevail. So long as Frodo kept moving in the right direction, toward Mordor, there was no need for the Ring to abandon him. It could keep trying to undermine his will so as to reveal himself to Sauron and his minions, a situation that would be made easier once Frodo was within Mordor itself. We see evidence of this in the way Frodo's condition deteriorated rapidly, after they passed into Mordor.

But the Ring was still Sauron's, and if it had "thoughts," they would have been Sauron's. And as he could not conceive of anyone wanting to destroy it, the Ring would not have "thought" it possible until it was about to happen. At which point, it put everything it had into breaking Frodo's will so that he would make the mistake of claiming it, thus revealing himself to Sauron. It seems clear to me that the Ring needed a bearer to act as a sort of "antenna" through which its presence could be broadcast to Sauron, and that bearer needed to claim it to activate that potential. If mere proximity were enough, Sauron should have known the Ring was in Mordor once Frodo carried it past the Watchers. But he didn't.

Whoa, it feels like that train of thought went wandering off the track...

[Lastande Took]

It could have been a situation similar to something brought up a bit earlier in this thread - Sauron anticipated Frodo's activities and let him come through Mordor, but underestimated the Hobbit and expected him to claim the Ring before reaching the Cracks of Doom. Then Sauron would know exactly where the Ringbearer was, send a Nazgul, and get the ring back. He knew Frodo's will wasn't strong enough to master the Ring. Frodo's resitance and Gollum's unexpected role messed up Sauron's plans.