“I bow not yet before the Iron Crown” : Ideals and Critique of Monarchy in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth Legendarium

Abstract

This thesis studies the ideal nature of monarchy as an institution in J.R.R. Tolkien’s so-called Middle-earth legendarium. While Tolkien’s fantasy novels (written mostly in the first half of the twentieth century) strive not to be allegorical, they provide insight into the era of World Wars and the fall of most European monarchies, and show the author’s clear preference for the monarchical system over other forms of government. The subject is approached from the perspective of Royal Studies, an interdisciplinary field of research that focuses on aspects of monarchy as a system across different periods and that can be applied to the analysis of literary fiction. The monarchies of Tolkien’s Middle-earth are also analysed through a universal framework of structural elements as developed by Elena Woodacre. By adopting this framework, it becomes possible to identify the goals and role of the ideal monarchies in Tolkien’s work; by extension, the criticisms of the ideal monarchies of Middle-earth and their connections to real twentieth-century monarchies become apparent. Tolkien’s narratives show a disdain for the ongoing desacralisation of twentieth-century monarchies, while presenting the hierarchical structure that monarchies bring to the society as a positive. He criticises imperialism and authoritarian rule in his texts, but still favours a strong ruler who will leave their subjects to a more autonomous existence when no threat from the outside exists to the realm. While Tolkien critiques the monarchical system in his texts, he also shows the reason for this criticism: the monarchies of both Middle-earth and the real world are failing in their attempts to reach the ideal nature of monarchy.