Boromir's Death

[Belegorn]

Originally Posted by Zigûr

So that part of him which was "High" was capable of desiring the Ring and recognising its power, but as a "Middle Man" he lacked the wisdom and spiritual stature to perceive its evil, reject it and overcome temptation until the bitter end.

Isildur was not a Middle Man by a long shot and we are all familiar with his story of how he decided to keep the Ring against other counsel [Sil, p. 366]. Also the Numenoreans were High Men all and Sauron corrupted most of the island. They were in the habit of performing human sacrifices, tending to take the Faithful as those sacrifices, and they were against the Valar and the Elves who were always for them.

Boromir may not have been able to perceive its evil, but that would only make him less responsible than a High Man who would, like him, want the Ring, like his father. I'm just saying even the High Men could not all reject it and overcome its temptation and the only two that I know of who did were Faramir and Aragorn. Perhaps Elendil would have destroyed it had he lived, but I'm not sure. However, maybe temperament has a role to play in this as Boromir and Isildur seemed to have a fiery temperament and perhaps Elendil like Aragorn and Faramir would have rejected it.

[Zigûr]

Originally Posted by Belegorn

Boromir may not have been able to perceive its evil, but that would only make him less responsible than a High Man who would, like him, want the Ring, like his father. I'm just saying even the High Men could not all reject it and overcome its temptation and the only two that I know of who did were Faramir and Aragorn. Perhaps Elendil would have destroyed it had he lived, but I'm not sure. However, maybe temperament has a role to play in this as Boromir and Isildur seemed to have a fiery temperament and perhaps Elendil like Aragorn and Faramir would have rejected it.

I don't mean to suggest that Boromir's stature is necessarily responsible, only that it might have limited his understanding. It's worth remembering that Boromir desired the Ring for its power. Isildur's rationale for keeping the Ring was as a weregild for the loss of his father and brother, just as Bilbo argued that he kept it because Gollum would have killed him otherwise. I'm not saying that their corruption was different, but Boromir, unlike people previously interested in the Ring, actively wanted to use it for its "true" purpose, the manufacture and maintenance of Power. This was a very "Middle" attitude to take: as Faramir suggests, they esteemed mastery and martial prowess above other skills, and the Ring was the ultimate weapon in that regard. I personally don't think it's so much a matter of wanting to keep the Ring as it is wanting to use it, and use it for its primary purpose (not just to become invisible and such). The Ringbearers each kept the Ring for a variety of reasons (of diverse validity) but Boromir wished to actually wield it, even though he had been told repeatedly and with emphasis that doing so would only achieve further ruin.
His circumstances were different to Isildur, of course, but Men like Aragorn and Faramir refused to use it. Faramir said "I do not wish for such triumphs." He was in the same situation as his brother, but of greater wisdom and stature.
In this way I don't think that Elendil, or Aragorn, or Faramir, or anyone else could have destroyed the Ring, because I'm fairly sure no one could have destroyed it voluntarily, but perhaps a High Man might at least be less inclined to use it even if they felt compelled (like anyone else) to keep it.

[Inziladun]

Originally Posted by Zigûr

I don't mean to suggest that Boromir's stature is necessarily responsible, only that it might have limited his understanding. It's worth remembering that Boromir desired the Ring for its power. Isildur's rationale for keeping the Ring was as a weregild for the loss of his father and brother, just as Bilbo argued that he kept it because Gollum would have killed him otherwise.

To me, that's merely an illustration of the way in which the Ring attacks the reason and restraint of those who come in contact with it: it calls to the individual, promising power to help them achieve their goals, however good they may seem (or actually be) to them.

Originally Posted by Zigûr

In this way I don't think that Elendil, or Aragorn, or Faramir, or anyone else could have destroyed the Ring, because I'm fairly sure no one could have destroyed it voluntarily, but perhaps a High Man might at least be less inclined to use it even if they felt compelled (like anyone else) to keep it.

Since the three you name all declined the Ring, I think it clear they didn't trust themselves with it, which is pretty telling.