Quote:
Originally Posted by skip spence
And Boro, I'm still waiting for your explanation of the quote in the op. Edit: Sorry, now I see that you did, though I'm not entirely convinced. Should think before I speak
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I was about to respond to this with a "look above,"
but didn't see the Edit note, so we would have both been guilty.
Anyway, for a more detailed explanation of why this wasn't a "real" vision of Frodos, per se, but why I think it's a delusional (almost day-dreaming) vision caused by the Ring...
Note after the vision, Frodo collapses and tells Sam he can't stop himself from trying to grab for the Ring. When looking at it as a reader, this is one of the most terrifying things we witness to Frodo. He is literally losing complete control over himself, and he is losing control of his own body.
"Help, me, Sam! Hold my hand! I can't stop it!" Morsul's humorous Star Wars reference is not so far off taking Frodo's episode after the vision into account.
Plus Frodo wasn't looking at the top of Barad-dur at all, it was through some great unknown window, that is where Frodo gets the red flicker of a piercing Eye.
Capitalization of "the Eye" being perhaps the most important thing, because capitalizing denotes a specific person or place. Like Saruman referring to Sauron as "that Power." If Saruman was talking about the random idea of accumulating power, it would not be capitalized. Since it is, Saruman is talking about joining Sauron, Sauron being "that Power." Or it is like when Gandalf in The Shire uses "Ring-maker." Yet again the capitalization means Gandalf is referring to a specific person, and yet again this "Ring-maker" is Sauron.
The capitalized Eye, therefor is referring to not a spot-light on-top of a tower, but Sauron himself. Specifically Sauron's will that held his Orcs in thraldom as the
Home X quote shows when Morgoths will is then referred to as his "Eye." (Think of the symbol for Big Brother in George Orwell's
1984...what was it?
)
Whatever the case it is definitely a symbol that Sauron pushed, one to represent himself. There would be no need though for an eye spot-light, because the orcs have the symbol on their helmets, which serves as a pleasant reminder to them of what Grishnakh tells Ugluk:
"Saruman is a fool, and a dirty treacherous fool: but the Great Eye is on him." (The Uruk-hai) Grishnakh isn't saying Sauron's got his spot-light pointed to Isengard, because Sauron had more important things to focus on than Saruman, but it was a message from one Dark Lord's servant to the wannabe Dark Lord's servant...Saruman isn't trusted and he's being watched.