Did Frodo REALLY volunteer to Bear the Ring?

[Pervinca Took]

Originally Posted by Ivriniel

Really Frodo? You reckon you can march on into Mordor, and chuck the thing away, when you couldn't keep it off your finger on Amon Sul, and look at you with Bilbo, ready to gore the guy who took you in, for asking just to look at your pretty 'Precious'. You reckon you can just blare out at Council and stomp your foot and stake your claim--even amongst The Last High King (ish) of the Noldor in Middle Earth!

No, I don't think he reckons anything of the kind. And the Ring tempts people to do horrible things and gives distorted visions. Good people, not yet under serious duress, don't act upon those influences. Frodo doesn't.

Seriously, Frodo. You're "...lying even unto himself...". Very quick was he to 'spot' avarice in others, such as in Boromir. Very much the 'who wants My Precious' don't you think.

There are the beginnings of this, perhaps. But it isn't the whole story. Not by a very long shot. He is under oath - the only member of the Fellowship who is - not to give the Ring up, nor indeed to let any other handle it, save in gravest need. And Boromir *was* getting Ring-crazed - Frodo's instincts were exactly right! I remember someone once posting (on another board, I think) - that at Parth Galen they were virtually shouting Get out of there, Frodo! He's obviously completely lost it! (or words to that effect).

And poor Sam in Cirith Ungol. Seriously Frodo, that was beyond mean, beyond creepy, and cruel. Sauronically cruel, indeed.

There's a reason Frodo is described as *aghast* just after he does this. He's utterly appalled with himself for what he's just said to Sam, and as shocked as I think I can safely say a lot of readers are. But cruelty implies malice of forethought. I don't think that is present.

He has been bearing the increasing weight of the Ring for days, virtually without complaint, and it has been wearing him down, mentally and physically. He's exhausted. He's almost crushed by the responsibility he is carrying. He's walking into enemy territory, most likely terrified of capture and torture - and then, lo and behold - after facing the terror of the eyes in the tunnel and losing consciousness, he wakes up not knowing where the hell he is - he's stripped, humiliated and interrogated by orcs who tell him all the delightful torment he's in for when he gets to Lugburz. And the Ring is gone. And he's sick and still half-bemused from spider-venom. And the Ring gives him a hideously real vision of Sam as an orc.

I think all that might make the gentlest of souls just a trifle edgy.

From Pitchwife:

It's also pretty obvious that his incipient 'fading' hadn't been completely undone by Elrond's healing powers - not undone, but transformed, which may have been the only way to heal him, by diverting its tendency from wraithishness to, shall we say, faerishness?

I've often wondered about the relationship between the 'fading' from the Morgul splinter and the 'elvish' light in Frodo. This is an interesting theory.