Elrond's Council | Lord of The Rings | Fellowship of the Ring | Extended Edition

In the meeting where Elrond brings people from each race to discuss the need to go to Mount Doom to destroy the ring, there are a few key interactions that foreshadow both interpersonal relationships and future plot points. Starting with each character and how they reacted to the ring in order of the appearance on screen. As soon as Frodo places the ring down in front of the gathering, the camera switches to Boromir. For he is the weakest of the party to the will of Sauron and most likely to jeopardize the quest. Following Boromir, Aragorn is shown to have an almost worried expression, but not towards the ring, to the people gathered around. He is the wisest when it comes to understanding how the ring influences people. Aragorn immediately looked to see the reactions of his peers to the ring. He will be important as a peacekeeper and moderator of any in possession of the ring during the quest. Legolos’s shot is harder to interpret when it comes to the long run. It is clear that as an elf he is mesmerized by the ring's power. Though it appears to be leaning more towards curiosity then pure desire as Boromir is. Regardless, curiosity is dangerous and creates a baseline for building internal conflict. The wish to help compared to the thirst for knowledge. Gimili appears to be disgusted after gazing at the ring. He feels the dark energy emanating from it and it stirs a feeling of mistrust inside him. Later in the scene it is shown that Gimli is impulsive as he strikes down on the ring upon hearing that it must be destroyed. There are two main interpersonal conflicts portrayed in this scene. The first is between Boromir and Aragorn. Boromir wants to use the ring to aid Gondor in the fight against Mordor but Aragorn believes that the only way to beat Sauron is to destroy the ring. This causes tension between them which will undoubtedly increase. Especially since Aragorn is technically Boromir’s King despite Boromir not acknowledging his rightful title. Though Aragorn has Legolos on his side whom he respects and regards as a friend. The second is between Gimli and Legolas which is displayed when Gimili relays that he would rather die than let an elf deliver the ring to Mount Doom. They hate each other because Legolas’s father imprisoned Gimli’s father. They seem to be racist now because of that. All of this hate appears to be amplified by the presence of the ring. When Gimili hit the ring, that pain seemed to be projected onto Frodo. Frodo’s increasing connection to the ring is gradual but will eventually lead to trouble. On the other hand, Frodo’s attachment to the ring may be why he sees that when everyone else is fighting that this problem is bigger than any petty grudge. That is why he selflessly takes the burden upon himself. This act makes people respect him greatly. The members of the fellowship will have conflict, though Frodo seems to be a good reason for everyone to power on.