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Do you think Aragorn would have tried to reclaim the throne of Gondor had the Ring not come along?
It's a good thing that I'm not answering this based on the books alone, because my answer would be very brief. Yes. In the books, Elrond makes it clear that he will not surrender his daughter to any man less than the King of Gondor. So even without the Ring, Aragorn had reason to reassert his claim.
I told you my answer would be brief. Fortunately, discussing this in light of the movie is an entirely different story.
It would appear that Elrond's demand that Aragorn reclaim the throne if he wants Arwen's hand is not an issue in the film. Indeed, the scene where Arwen pledges herself to Aragorn would loose much of its power and tension if we accepted that her words and oath could be overridden by her father.
Jumping ahead a bit to the trailer for TTT, when Aragorn and Elrond clash over Arwen, it has nothing to do with Aragorn's heritage. "The Elves time is here is ending," he tells Aragorn, "Arwen's time is ending. Let her go." That doesn't strike me so much as a father who wants to make sure that his daughter is sacrificing for a man who is "worthy" of her as it does a father who is trying to avoid a parting with a beloved child that will be forever, even beyond death.
So Aragorn doesn't need to seek the throne for love. And his own insecurities about his lineage make him even less likely to assert his claim. He sees himself as inheriting "the same blood" as Isildur and with that "the same weakness." Because of that, he tries to distance himself from the throne, not embrace it.
In fact, for most of the film, before and during his quest to destroy the Ring, Aragorn resists the call of his heritage. When Boromir talks to him in Lorien about the possibility of their coming to Gondor together, he says, "And the Tower Guard shall take up the call, 'The Lords of Gondor have returned'." Aragorn doesn't nod, doesn't agree. Doesn't say that he gladly looks forward to the day. No, he looks away from Boromir, shrugs slightly.
It is Boromir's death (coupled with Aragorn's own rejection of the Ring) that sets Aragorn on the road to the claiming the throne. He needs to reject the Ring to truly believe what Arwen told him, "You are Isildur's heir, not Isildur himself. You are not bound to his fate." And it is in Boromir's death, that he is forced to recognize the ties of blood and mutual obligation that bind him and the Steward's son (and by extension him and Gondor). "I do not know what strength is in my blood," he says to Boromir, "but I promise I will not let the White City fall. Or our people fail." It is then that Boromir acknowledges him as "My King."
It's a good thing that I'm not answering this based on the books alone, because my answer would be very brief. Yes. In the books, Elrond makes it clear that he will not surrender his daughter to any man less than the King of Gondor. So even without the Ring, Aragorn had reason to reassert his claim.
I told you my answer would be brief. Fortunately, discussing this in light of the movie is an entirely different story.
It would appear that Elrond's demand that Aragorn reclaim the throne if he wants Arwen's hand is not an issue in the film. Indeed, the scene where Arwen pledges herself to Aragorn would loose much of its power and tension if we accepted that her words and oath could be overridden by her father.
Jumping ahead a bit to the trailer for TTT, when Aragorn and Elrond clash over Arwen, it has nothing to do with Aragorn's heritage. "The Elves time is here is ending," he tells Aragorn, "Arwen's time is ending. Let her go." That doesn't strike me so much as a father who wants to make sure that his daughter is sacrificing for a man who is "worthy" of her as it does a father who is trying to avoid a parting with a beloved child that will be forever, even beyond death.
So Aragorn doesn't need to seek the throne for love. And his own insecurities about his lineage make him even less likely to assert his claim. He sees himself as inheriting "the same blood" as Isildur and with that "the same weakness." Because of that, he tries to distance himself from the throne, not embrace it.
In fact, for most of the film, before and during his quest to destroy the Ring, Aragorn resists the call of his heritage. When Boromir talks to him in Lorien about the possibility of their coming to Gondor together, he says, "And the Tower Guard shall take up the call, 'The Lords of Gondor have returned'." Aragorn doesn't nod, doesn't agree. Doesn't say that he gladly looks forward to the day. No, he looks away from Boromir, shrugs slightly.
It is Boromir's death (coupled with Aragorn's own rejection of the Ring) that sets Aragorn on the road to the claiming the throne. He needs to reject the Ring to truly believe what Arwen told him, "You are Isildur's heir, not Isildur himself. You are not bound to his fate." And it is in Boromir's death, that he is forced to recognize the ties of blood and mutual obligation that bind him and the Steward's son (and by extension him and Gondor). "I do not know what strength is in my blood," he says to Boromir, "but I promise I will not let the White City fall. Or our people fail." It is then that Boromir acknowledges him as "My King."
