The doom of the Ring

[Leaf]

Originally Posted by Mithadan

It is clear that Frodo did not have the will to destroy the Ring himself, particularly after the grueling journey to and into Mordor. By the time he stood at Sammath Naur, he had possessed the Ring for 17 years. Isildur, who possessed it for perhaps a matter of hours, could not be convinced to destroy it. What is remarkable is that Frodo had the will to even travel to Mount Doom with the intent to do away with the Ring. I have often wondered what Gandalf, who feared contact with the Ring himself, intended to do if he came to Mount Doom with Frodo. Surely he at least suspected that Frodo would have to be coerced or "assisted" to destroy the Ring.

That's a good question. We can say for certain that Gandalf must have known that Frodo would have a very hard time to fulfill his duty. Gandalf witnessed how Frodo was unable to throw the Ring into his fireplace back home at Bag-End. How could he reasonably expect that Frodo would be able to do so at the cracks of doom, in the heart of Sauron's domain.