The Return of the King
Introduction + Context
Plot Summary
Detailed Summary & Analysis
Book 5, Chapter 1
Book 5, Chapter 2
Book 5, Chapter 3
Book 5, Chapter 4
Book 5, Chapter 5
Book 5, Chapter 6
Book 5, Chapter 7
Book 5, Chapter 8
Book 5, Chapter 9
Book 5, Chapter 10
Book 6, Chapter 1
Book 6, Chapter 2
Book 6, Chapter 3
Book 6, Chapter 4
Book 6, Chapter 5
Book 6, Chapter 6
Book 6, Chapter 7
Book 6, Chapter 8
Book 6, Chapter 9
Themes
All Themes
Hope vs. Despair
Expectation vs. Ability
Loyalty, Love, and Sacrifice
Power, Wisdom, and Mercy
War, Greed, and Nature
Quotes
Characters
All Characters
Frodo Baggins
Samwise Gamgee (Sam)
Aragorn/Strider
Gandalf
Sauron
Peregrin Took (Pippin)
Meriadoc Brandybuck (Merry)
Gollum
Faramir
Denethor
Théoden
Éowyn/Dernhelm
Éomer
Legolas
Gimli
Lord of the Nazgûl
Prince Imrahil
Beregond
Saruman/Sharkey
Galadriel
Elrond
Bilbo Baggins
Halbarad Dúnadan
Boromir
Ghân-buri-Ghân
The Mouth of Sauron
The Chief/Lotho Sackville-Baggins
Ioreth
Bergil
Butterbur
Elrohir
Rosie Cotton
Farmer Cotton
Shadowfax
Shagrat
Snaga
Tree-beard
The Mayor of Hobbiton
Lobelia Sackville-Baggins
Robin Smallburrow
Bill
Hirgon
Symbols
All Symbols
The Ring
The Shadow
The Seeing Stones
The White Tree
Literary Devices
All Literary Devices
Alliteration
Foreshadowing
Genre
Hyperbole
Imagery
Irony
Metaphors
Mood
Pathos
Personification
Setting
Similes
Situational Irony
Style
Tone
Download PDF
Download Teacher Edition
AI Tools
Ask LitCharts AI
Discussion Question Generator
Essay Prompt Generator
Quiz Question Generator
Guides
Literature Guides
Poetry Guides
Shakespeare Translations
Literary Terms
Sign In
Sign up for A
+
Sign up
The Return of the King
by
J. R. R. Tolkien
PDF
Upgrade to A
+
Introduction
Intro
Plot Summary
Plot
Summary & Analysis
Book 5, Chapter 1
Book 5, Chapter 2
Book 5, Chapter 3
Book 5, Chapter 4
Book 5, Chapter 5
Book 5, Chapter 6
Book 5, Chapter 7
Book 5, Chapter 8
Book 5, Chapter 9
Book 5, Chapter 10
Book 6, Chapter 1
Book 6, Chapter 2
Book 6, Chapter 3
Book 6, Chapter 4
Book 6, Chapter 5
Book 6, Chapter 6
Book 6, Chapter 7
Book 6, Chapter 8
Book 6, Chapter 9
Themes
All Themes
Hope vs. Despair
Expectation vs. Ability
Loyalty, Love, and Sacrifice
Power, Wisdom, and Mercy
War, Greed, and Nature
Quotes
Characters
All Characters
Frodo Baggins
Samwise Gamgee (Sam)
Aragorn/Strider
Gandalf
Sauron
Peregrin Took (Pippin)
Meriadoc Brandybuck (Merry)
Gollum
Faramir
Denethor
Théoden
Éowyn/Dernhelm
Éomer
Legolas
Gimli
Lord of the Nazgûl
Prince Imrahil
Beregond
Saruman/Sharkey
Galadriel
Elrond
Bilbo Baggins
Halbarad Dúnadan
Boromir
Ghân-buri-Ghân
The Mouth of Sauron
The Chief/Lotho Sackville-Baggins
Ioreth
Bergil
Butterbur
Elrohir
Rosie Cotton
Farmer Cotton
Shadowfax
Shagrat
Snaga
Tree-beard
The Mayor of Hobbiton
Lobelia Sackville-Baggins
Robin Smallburrow
Bill
Hirgon
Symbols
All Symbols
The Ring
The Shadow
The Seeing Stones
The White Tree
Lit Devices
All Literary Devices
Alliteration
Foreshadowing
Genre
Hyperbole
Imagery
Irony
Metaphors
Mood
Pathos
Personification
Setting
Similes
Situational Irony
Style
Tone
Theme Wheel
Theme Viz
Download this Chart (PDF)
Download the Teacher Edition
Download this Chart (PDF)
Previous
The White Tree
The Return of the King Literary Devices
Next
Alliteration
Previous
The White Tree
Previous
The White Tree
Next
Alliteration
Next
Alliteration
Cite This Page
Company
About Us
Our Story
Jobs
Support
Help Center
Contact Us
Connect
Facebook
Twitter
Legal
Terms of Service
Privacy Policy
Privacy Request
Home
About
Contact
Help
Copyright © 2025 All Rights Reserved
Terms
Privacy
Privacy Request
Save time. Stress less.
Sign up!
AI Tools
for on-demand study help and teaching prep.
Quote explanations,
with page numbers, for over 49,393 quotes.
PDF downloads
of all 2,217 LitCharts guides.
Expert analysis
to take your reading to the next level.
Advanced search
to help you find exactly what you're looking for.
Quizzes, saving guides, requests,
plus so much more.
Expert analysis
to take your reading to the next level.
Advanced search
to help you find exactly what you're looking for.
Quizzes, saving guides, requests,
plus so much more.
Requesting a new guide requires a free LitCharts account
You'll also get updates on new titles we publish and the ability to save highlights and notes.
or
Complete your free account to request a guide
Get your answer with a free account
You’ll also get tons of other helpful features, including free quizzes and saving guides.
or
Last step: complete your free account
Creating notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account.
You'll be able to access your notes and highlights, make requests, and get updates on new titles.
or
Complete your free account to access notes and highlights
Saving guides requires a free LitCharts account
Easily access your saved guides anytime.
or
Complete your free account to save guides