Preview of The Return of the King Summary:

In The Return of the King, Tolkien examines leadership, particularly that of kings and similar political figures. Denethor, for example, has used his power to foresee the coming of a vast army, and thereby loses hope, for he does not realize that the coming army is an ally and not an enemy. With that hope lost, Denethor consequently abandons his duty to care for his family and the city of Minas Tirith in its time of greatest need by committing suicide and attempting to put his son and heir Faramir to death as well. Just as Denethor is not a "real king," but a steward of Gondor, so his actions do not, to Tolkien's mind, befit a king. The true king, Aragorn, rather than seeking death as an end to his struggle passes through the Paths of the Dead (and thus symbolically through death itself) to take his...