It is difficult to find a person who has not read, not watched, or at least not heard of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. This monumental work of the internationally recognized English writer John Tolkien is rightfully considered one of the best works of world literature for many years and remains one of the most read to this day. One of the key characters of this unusually fabulous story is presented to your attention - Samwise Gamgee the Brave.
Character Biography
Samwise was born in the Third Age, April 6, 2980, in the Shire. He can be safely called a hereditary gardener, because his father, Hamfast Gamgee, was also a gardener. In addition to Sam, Hamfast and Belle Goodchild had five more children.
Samwise stayed with Bilbo Baggins for a long time , who taught him to write, read, and talked a lot about his adventures. And despite all his father’s worries that he was “too passionate about these elves,” he dreamed of seeing them live ...
The eldest of the brothers, named Hamson, began to work with his uncle. It was from Advice Roper (that was the name of his uncle) that Sam learned to knit so famously. His younger sister became the wife of Tom Cotton, who had a sister, Rosie, who very much liked Sam ...
But his quiet and calm life suddenly ended on the day of the celebration of the one hundred and eleventh birthday of Bilbo Beggins, when he disappeared during his grateful and, as it turned out, farewell speech, having previously transferred his property to Frodo. It was then that Samway Gamgee became his gardener, replacing his father in this post.
Unexpected trip
And then one evening, cutting the grass by the window, he overheard the story that Gandalf told Frodo, the secret of the Ring of Power, and that Frodo had to go on a secret campaign. In punishment for eavesdropping, Gandalf “forces” Samois to join Beggins Jr., and they go on a dangerous journey. However, over time it turns out that he was eavesdropping on purpose and would go anyway.
After some time, two more hobbits - Meriadoc Brandyback and Peregrine Tuk, who were Frodo's cousins - joined the company. A small detachment headed to Rivendell - the home of the elves, where Sam's dream came true, and he finally met them.
The Fellowship of the Ring
On the advice of Lord Elrond (the king of the elves), it was decided to create a detachment - the Brotherhood of the Ring, which will go to Mordor in order to destroy the Ring once and for all. Samwise Gamgee (photo of the actor who embodied the image can be seen below), despite the fact that he was not invited, secretly made his way to the council and said that "Mr. Frodo will not go anywhere without him." The hobbits, people, elf, gnome and wizard also joined their company ...
And so, when the Brotherhood ceased to exist at the Rauros waterfall, and Frodo decided to go to Mordor himself, Samwise Gamgee persuaded Beggins not to give up his fellow traveler. He even had to rush into the river in order to catch the boat, although he did not know how to swim.
Personal qualities
Frodo, due to the strength of the Ring, began to weaken, and Sam had to carry most of the luggage, cook, and also tried to remain as a sentry as often as he could. He distributed the products so that Frodo got the bulk, and in general did his best to facilitate the trip.
Later, when in the spider's den Shelob (where the escort Gollum led them) it seemed that Frodo was dead, Sam carried the Ring further. However, when he overheard the conversation of the orcs and found out that his friend was alive, Samwise Gamgee immediately rushed to his rescue, not afraid of the guards. Freeing his companion, Sam returned the Ring to him, and the bold hobbits moved on.
It is worth noting separately that of all the characters, the previous owners of the Ring, Samwise Gamgee (the image of this hobbit has its real basis, but more on that later) is the only one who gave it of his own free will. It is also interesting that during the possession of the Ring, Sam, like the others, was also tempted to become Lord of the Ring, but with only one purpose - to destroy Mordor, and in his place to build a wonderful garden, which is nowhere else in the world.
Friends finally completed their journey to Mount Doom. But at the crucial moment, Frodo was attacked by Gollum. However, he immediately fell with the Ring into the abyss with boiling lava, thereby completing such a dangerous mission entrusted to the hobbits.
End of travel
Upon returning home, friends had to raise the hobbits to revolt in order to free their native land from enemies. After the victory, Sam went around the entire Shire, planting territory with new trees to replace those that were destroyed by order of the dark sorcerer Saruman. The seedlings of these trees were presented to him by the Elven Lady Galadriel. These trees grew much faster than usual and were of extraordinary beauty. After sowing, he had a little fruitful soil, which he scattered over one of the areas, which caused the most rapid growth in the history of the Shire.
Returning from the War for Middle-earth, Sam decided to marry. His soulmate was Rosie Cotton, with whom, as said earlier, he had been in love for a long time. They had thirteen children. When the first-born appeared, Sam found out that Frodo would forever leave the Shire and Middle-earth, and his path now lies in the Immortal Lands. As a keepsake, the hobbit left him his manuscript of their adventures.
In the Samire Shire, they were elected mayor for seven consecutive terms. Having survived his wife, Sam left the Shire at the age of 102 and sailed to the Gray Havens. As the last Keeper of the Ring, he was given the right to live next to Frodo in the Undying Lands.
Character Creation
Many fans of the writer are sure that it is Sam who is the main character in this story, and not least because of his simple origin. Tolkien himself partly agreed with this, calling him “the most elaborate character,” and also saying that Sam is very similar in character to the English soldier, personal assistant and adjutant, with whom he was familiar during the 1914 war (here it’s worth to clarify, that the author wrote his famous epic after participating in the First World War).
Samway Gamgee: actor
The Lord of the Rings is not the first role in the career of an American actor. But let's not get ahead of ourselves and tell you more about him and his career. Sean Astin was born in the city of Santa Monica on February 25, 1971. His mother, Patty Duke, was an actress. Until adulthood, Sean did not know his father. And only after a series of genetic tests it became clear that on the maternal side it contains German-Irish genes, and on the paternal side - Austrian-Jewish.
He studied at a Catholic school, but later became a Protestant and attended the Presbyterian church in Bel Air. He was also a student at the Crossroads School of Art and a student at the University of California (major in American Literature and Culture).
Career and interesting facts
The first role went to Sean in the 1981 film Please Don`t Hit Me, Mom. Astin played a boy who was beaten by his mother (she was played by Sean's mother, Patty Duke). Then he played in many films unknown in Russia for twenty years. And so 2000 gave a truly stellar role - Samway Gamgee. The Lord of the Rings is an entire event in the cinema world. He even received the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Role.
Four years later, Sean published the book “There and Back” - his own memories and impressions of the filming process. He also made a tattoo on his wrist (like the other members of the Fellowship of the Ring) in the form of the word “nine” knocked out by the runes. By the way, in the final scene of the movie trilogy, where Sam returns home, and his daughter runs out to meet him, it was the real daughter of Sean Astin, Alexander. In addition to her, Sean (he is married to Louis Herrell, "Miss Indiana 1984") has two more daughters: Elizabeth and Isabella.
Despite the fact that the most significant character of those that he played was Samwise Gamgee, the actor (“Lord of the Rings”, unfortunately, the only world blockbuster in Sean’s career) continues to act in films and television, as well as voice acting. He is also a producer and director. And his loyal fans are looking forward to meeting him in any form.