'A Man, lean, dark, tall': Aragorn Seen Through Different Media

The release of the Peter Jackson film trilogy has renewed interest in both the original Lord of the Rings by Tolkien and in old and new adaptations of the book. Because of the film the character of Aragorn has, at least for the present day film going audience, become a prominent figure in Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. In this article I will illustrate how Aragorn is portrayed in the original work and how his character is shown in other versions across several media. As every medium has its own narrative techniques and technical limitations I will use theories by Wendy Doniger and Northrop Frye to establish the fundamental elements of Aragorn’s character. These will then be used to examine how well every adaptation has succeeded in portraying the essence of the character.