Concerning "A Conspiracy Unmasked", Book 1, Chapter 5 of The Lord of the Rings, in which our heroes decide to take a bath and the road less travelled...
On this episode, we continue our discussion of The Lord of the Rings with Book1, Chapter 5 of Fellowship, "A Conspiracy Unmasked", in which Frodo, Sam, and Pippin enjoy a warm bath and decide to make their way to Bree via the ominous Old Forest. Chapter 5 stands out as the last “Shire” chapter, the deep breath before the hobbits plunge into epic danger and adventure. As such, it establishes the good things that the hobbits must leave behind in order to carry the Ring to safety. Chapter 5 ends with an account of Frodo’s numinous tower dream, which, although quite enigmatic, seems to hold a great deal of significance for Tolkien based upon its similarities to a pre-Hobbit work of his. Though not a lot of advancing action happens in Chapter 5, there’s still plenty to talk about, as is always the case with Tolkien.
Come get lost in Middle-earth and explore the history and background of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. The Tolkien Road is the podcast of the website TrueMyths.org. You can learn more by following @tolkienwisdom on Twitter and following TrueMyths.org on Facebook at Facebook.com/TrueMyths.