The Limitations of the Istari

[Inziladun]

Originally Posted by Nikkolas

However I'm reading The Treason of Isengard right now and I'm wondering why didn't he do anything during the Ents' attack? Even Gandalf the Grey could conjure fire as a minor feat of power that wasn't against the rules. I don't understand why Saruman didn't unleash his full Maia wrath upon them.

Merry, Pippin, and Aragorn discussed that subject in a roundabout way by the Gates of Isengard, with Merry saying:

'I don't know what Saruman thought was happening; but anyway he did not know how to deal with it. His wizardry may have been falling off lately, of course; but anyway I think he has not got much grit, not much plain courage alone in a tight place without a lot of slaves and machines and things, if you know what I mean. Very different from old Gandalf.'

TTT Flotsam and Jetsam

Aragorn responded by stating that Saruman had a "power of the minds of others. The wise he could persuade, and the smaller folk he could daunt".

Looking forward a bit, you see how Saruman's ability rises when he's confronted by Gandalf, a few of the Fellowship, and the Rohirrim. He was able to affect the hearts and minds of many of them. They were listening to him, which allowed him to work on them.

The Ents on the other hand, were not exactly in a listening mood when they arrived at Isengard. And at any rate, Saruman apparently didn't think of trying his voice on them. He had the fire from his forges and furnaces still stoked and ready, and he considered that an adequate defense.

Saruman's main power was obviously his voice, so he simply may not have been able to bring about the exact sort of show of which Gandalf was capable.