Guide to The Lord of the Rings/Characters/Saruman
Saruman the White is a major antagonist in the Lord of the Rings book series.
Origin of Name
[edit | edit source]The name Saruman means "man of skill" in the Mercian dialect of Anglo-Saxon language.
Chracteristics
[edit | edit source]Saruman appears as an old man with white hair. He is tall, has a long face, and has eyes that are deep and dark. He would appear in a white cloak, a habit he later changed into a cloak that changed colours as he moved.
Powers
[edit | edit source]He loved to gain knowledge.
Saruman has a powerful voice that can easily convince people. When he focused this power on a person or a group of people, he could sway their hearts, plant fears and sow lies as he pleased. Saruman's voice is persuasive and can make the listener can easily agree with it.
Saruman can travel very fast.
He also knows a ton of chemistry as well as machinery.
Saruman is strong and very proficient in magic.
Personality
[edit | edit source]Saruman can be confused with Gandalf. They both are similar in appearance and in personality.
Role
[edit | edit source]Books
[edit | edit source]He first appears in this book. He was on a quest to find the One Ring.
Saruman turns into the bad guy in the Two Towers. Saruman gathers a huge army and sends Orcs to attack Frodo and his companions, and carry off two of Frodo's closest friends, Merry and Pippin. The two escape into Fangorn Forest, where they meet the Ents, protectors of the trees, who are outraged at the widespread felling of trees by Saruman's Orcs. Meanwhile, Saruman prepares to invade the kingdom of Rohan, which has lain invitingly exposed ever since he had his servant Gríma Wormtongue render Théoden, Rohan's king, weak and defenseless with "subtle poisons". Gandalf frees Théoden from Wormtongue's spell, however, just as Saruman's army is about to invade. His army is destroyed by the Riders of Rohan. Merry and Pippin destroy Isengard. Saruman himself is not directly involved, and only appears again in chapter 10, "The Voice of Saruman", by which time he is trapped in Orthanc. He fails in his attempt to negotiate with with Gandalf, and rejects Gandalf's conditional offer to let him go free. Gandalf casts him out of the White Council and the order of the wizards, and breaks Saruman's staff.
The Return of the King
[edit | edit source]Saruman appears at the end of the book after the defeat of Sauron. He convinces the Ents to release him from Orthanc and travels on foot. he apparently is reduced to begging. He is accompanied by Wormtongue.
When they reach the Shire, Saruman's agents—both Hobbits and Men—have already taken it over and started a destructive process of industrialization. Saruman governs the Shire in secret under the name of Sharkey until the events of chapter 8 ("The Scouring of the Shire") in which Frodo and his companions return and lead a rebellion, defeating the intruders and exposing Saruman's role. Even after Saruman attempts to stab Frodo, Frodo lets him go. When Saruman blames Wormtongue for the damage done to the Shire and curses him, Wormtongue finally snaps and attacks his master.
Saruman dies on the door step of Bag End.
Films
[edit | edit source]Saruman appears actively in the first two films, and a little more than the books. Thus, he appears in several scenes not present in the books. Saruman was portrayed by Christopher Lee.
The Fellowship of the Ring
[edit | edit source]He was very strong. Gandalf meets with the Saruman. Gandal realizes he is in cohorts with Sauran and battles him. Saruman overpowers Gandalf and imprisons him. This does not last long as Gandalf escapes. Annoyed, Saruman creates an army of Uruk-hai
The Two Towers
[edit | edit source]Saruman appears only in the Extended Edition. Saruman drops the palantír when he is attacked.
The Return of the King
[edit | edit source]Due to constraints of the film, Saruman does not make an appearance.
Other media
[edit | edit source]Saruman appeared in the 1978 adaptation. It appears in one scene where he ties to convince Gandalf to join him. Then he appears again to convince him to join in fight at Helm's Deep.
Accounts of his early life appears in The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales.
In the 2014 video game Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor the protagonist, Talion, finds various artifacts that reveal that Saruman's spies are active within the borders of Mordor in the years between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Saruman is later revealed to be controlling Queen Marwen of the Nurnen in order to hinder Sauron while also bringing about the destruction of the men of Nurn. He is voiced by Roger Jackson in the game.
Saruman also appears as a minor villain in Lego Dimensions, in which he allies himself with main antagonist Lord Vortech.
Themes
[edit | edit source]Saruman has been identified by critics as demonstrating the fall of an originally good character.
Analysis
[edit | edit source]Saruman is one of several characters in the book illustrating the corruption of power; his desire for knowledge and order leads to his fall, and he rejects the chance of redemption when it is offered.