Hmm.. Saruman at least appears to be making choices. I didn't pick Sauron because he's more like a situation than a character. Also because he's the most enslaved to the ring. Saruman seemed... Allied, but not whammied. He tried to sell Gandalf on alliance now, betray later.
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It's not a great plan. But <fight a conventional war against Sauron's armies> is also a terrible plan. Saruman made his bet for the best option he could foresee. Ring found + king returned + ring destroyed is just so unlikely.
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yes yes! this is why I'm saying Saruman was constrained and that his actions were all ultimately in the service of Sauron. He had no road to success, only various modes of failure all of which benefited the true lord of the rings one way or another.
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I guess the freedom to fight a losing war against an overwhelmingly superior foe is not a super great amount of freedom. But maybe more than any other character? Most LOTR characters have limited ability to change their situation. Saruman had a lot and used it.
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Sam, Merry, and Pippin have the most personal agency of any of the main characters of the story.
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their own personal involvement ends up being the critical difference-maker in all of those pivotal situations. Sam carries Frodo. Pippin mobilizes the Ents. Merry is critical in restoring Aragorn's regency in Gondor.
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amazing discussion guys, the things you find on Twitter
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