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The
Hobbit Characters: Who's Who
Bilbo Baggins
Bilbo (played by
Martin Freeman in the movie trilogy)
is the main character in The Hobbit, and himself a hobbit. He takes an
unexpected journey that transforms him
utterly, from an unassuming gentleman
to a courageous hero.Hobbits are distant relatives of men, small in stature, with large hairy feet. They live off the land and wear clothes the color of nature, mainly green and yellow. Most hobbits enjoy nothing more than a hearty meal, a pipe full of tobacco and good company, and are happiest at home, living quiet, predictable, unobtrusive lives.
Until the wise wizard Gandalf enters Bilbo’s life, he is a typical hobbit, concerned mainly with home comforts and the food in his larder, which has to stretch across six meals a day. Gandalf, however, cajoles him into accompanying a Company of Dwarves on a journey to the Lonely Mountain so they can retrieve their treasure from the treacherous dragon Smaug.
As Bilbo and his comrades face one danger after another, he often regrets leaving the safety and coziness of his home in The Shire. Modest and gentle, he feels ill-equipped to handle the many threats they encounter. But then he runs into Gollum, finds the One Ring, and outwits the miserable creature – and his confidence begins to grow.
In time Bilbo becomes the group’s unlikely hero. He saves them from a group of giant spiders and rescues them from the dungeons of the Silvan Elves. And when the party reaches the doorway to the Lonely Mountain, he ventures forth to face the dragon alone.
Thorin Oakenshield
Thorin (Richard
Armitage)
is another of the main Hobbit characters and the leader of the Company
of Dwarves. Thorin’s grandfather Thor was actually a resident and king
of
the Lonely Mountain when Smaug attacked him and his people a century
and a half earlier and drove
them out of their homes. Now Thorin is seeking vengeance on behalf of
his ancestors and is determined to slay their greatest foe and reclaim
their treasure at last.Although he is a brave and mighty warrior, Thorin shows himself to be selfish and greedy. He often makes poor decisions on behalf of his fellow dwarves and inadvertently leads them into danger, only to be rescued time and again by Bilbo. And when he retrieves the treasure, he refuses to share any portion of it, even if it means going to war. However, he does redeem himself on his deathbed by expressing regret at his behavior and paying tribute to Bilbo's loyalty, bravery, and goodness.
Smaug
Smaug
(voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch),
sometimes called Smaug the Golden or Smaug the Magnificent, is one of
the last great dragons of Middle Earth, the main antagonist in The
Hobbit, and one of Tolkien's most memorable Middle-Earth characters.
Like most dragons, he is consumed by a desire for treasure and
can account for every ounce of gold in his massive hoard.About 150 years before the events that take place in The Hobbit, Smaug destroyed the town of Dale and took over the nearby Lonely Mountain. He claimed the gold that lay within and drove out its rightful owners, which included a dwarf king and his kin. And for all these years, he has sat upon it, guarding it with his life and defeating any who have challenged him for its possession.
The dragon has many defenses, including the fiery breath associated with his species and a powerful sense of sight and smell. He can use his tale as a battering ram, hypnotize people with his eyes, fly great distances, and sleep with one eye open, so he can watch over his treasure even while he rests. He also has a sharp mind, a strong personality and a cruel sense of humor, all of which he uses to bully and manipulate his enemies.
It is Smaug’s sense of invulnerability that is his greatest vulnerability. His belly is covered with gems and gold for protection, but he is unaware of the bare patch on his left breast. Bilbo notices the patch and passes on the information to Smaug’s enemies, thus bringing about the dragon’s demise.
Gandalf
Hobbits are, by and
large, unconcerned with worldly affairs, and distrusting of the
adventurous kind. And Gandalf (Ian
McKellen) is a wizard with a
reputation for leading young hobbits astray. A friend of Bilbo's
mother, he cajoles the young Mr
Baggins into setting out on an adventure that will earn him
nothing but disapproval from his fellow folk. Gandalf is an archetypal wizard – old, grey-haired, bearded, wise, and skilled in magic. He acts in accordance with some deeper purpose and always seems to know more than he reveals. While he doesn’t accompany Bilbo and the dwarves on their journey, he does set them on their path and turns up several times along the way just in time to save the day.
Gandalf is one of the key characters involved in an epic battle between good and evil in the sequel to The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings (LOTR).
Gollum
“My
precious!” This phrase is synonymous with only one character, the
miserable creature Gollum (Andy Serkis). Gollum is one of the most
memorable
characters in The Hobbit and plays a major role in the LOTR, in
which we find out that he was a carefree hobbit called Smeagol before
he found the One Ring and became corrupted by its power.Bilbo encounters Gollum on an island under the Misty Mountain, where he lives alone surviving on a diet of raw fish and stray goblin. He finds the creature’s stolen ring and defeats him in a battle of riddles. When Gollum discovers that Bilbo has the ring, he tries to kill him, but Bilbo slips the ring on his finger and becomes invisible, enabling him to escape.
Tolkien had to rewrite this scene to bring it into line with the LOTR. In the original version of The Hobbit, Gollum willingly offers up the One Ring as a prize in a battle of riddles and he and Bilbo part on good terms. In later editions however, published from 1951 onwards, he is distraught at losing the ring and tries to kill and eat Bilbo instead of leading him to safety.
These and other updates were included to reflect the ring’s corruptive nature and establish Gollum as a creature utterly lost to its power.
> The main Lord of the Rings Characters.
Here are some of the less prominent Hobbit characters:
Elrond
This is another character to feature in both The Hobbit and the LOTR. Elrond (Hugo Weaving) is the master of the Elven city of Rivendell and an old friend of Gandalf. He welcomes Bilbo and the dwarves into his home on their way to the Lonely Mountain and helps them by deciphering the moon runes on their map and giving them essential supplies.
Thranduil
Not to be confused with Elrond, the Elvenking Thranduil (Lee Pace) rules the Silvan Elves, also called wood elves, and proves a foe instead of a friend to the Company of Dwarves. He holds the dwarves captive in his dungeon, where he tries to discover their purpose, until Bilbo comes to the rescue. The Elvenking is the father of Legolas, who is featured in the LOTR. Although Legolas (Orlando Bloom) is not in the book The Hobbit, he does appear in the movie trilogy.
Beorn
Beorn (Mikael Persbrandt) is a shape-shifter who can turn from a man into a great black bear at will. He helps Gandalf, Bilbo, and the dwarves after they escape from goblins, offers them food and shelter, and protects them from the treacherous wargs (see below).
Bard the Bowman
Bard (Luke Evans) is another of the story’s great heroes. A skilled archer and mighty warrior, he kills the dragon Smaug by shooting the vulnerable spot in his belly, as discovered by Bilbo, with the black arrow that belonged to his ancestors. Bard later becomes the king of the re-founded town of Dale.
Roäc
This wise and ancient raven has a small but vital role in The Hobbit. He acts as a messenger for Thorin and delivers the news that Bard has killed Smaug and that humans and elves are coming to claim a share of the treasure. Roäc advises Thorin to come to some agreement with Bard over the riches but Thorin asks the bird to summon an army of dwarves to fight by his side, thus inciting a great battle.
Dwarves
The Company of Dwarves is made up of 13 dwarves, namely Thorin, Fili, Kili, Dwalin, Balin, Oin, Gloin, Ori, Dori, Nori, Bifur, Bofur, and Bombur. Tolkien said of them: “Dwarves are not heroes, but calculating folk with a great idea of the value of money; some are tricky and treacherous and pretty bad lots; some are not, but are decent enough people like Thorin and Company, if you don’t expect too much.”
Elves
Ancient, fair and beautiful, the elves are the first people of Middle Earth. Considered to be immortal, they do not die of natural causes, though they can die from injury or a broken heart. They have a strong connection with nature and are skilled craftsmen. Elrond is a high elf, noble and wise, whereas Thranduil is a Silvan or wood elf, and therefore suspicious and distrustful, less enlightened than his grander counterpart.
Trolls
Tolkien's mythology includes several types of trolls, including Mountain-trolls, Cave-trolls, and the Olog-hai bred by the dark lord Sauron in the LOTR. The trolls in The Hobbit are called Stone-trolls, crude but dumb nocturnal giants with cockney accents. They capture the dwarves and plan to roast and eat them. But then Gandalf and Bilbo trick them into staying outside until dawn, at which time the sun turns them to stone.
Goblins
What are known as goblins in The Hobbit are more commonly called Orcs in the LOTR. They are hateful and destructive creatures who take pleasure in torturing their victims. When they discover Bilbo and the dwarves trespassing through their territory in the Misty Mountain, they take them captive, but then Gandalf kills their leader and once again saves the day.
Wargs
Wargs are evil wolves and allies of the goblins, who they align with in an attempt to kill Bilbo and the dwarves by setting fire to a forest. The two treacherous species fight together in the final battle over Thorin's reclaimed gold.
The Hobbit trilogy also features characters that are not in the book but do appear in the LOTR. These include the Elven ruler Galadriel (Cate Blanchett) and the wizard leader Saruman the White (Christopher Lee). And it introduces a brand new character, a female Silvan Elf called Tauriel (Evangeline Lilly).
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