LotR -- Book 4 - Chapter 03 - The Black Gate Is Closed

[Estelyn Telcontar]

The beginning of this chapter feels almost anticlimactic, with its announcement that the journey to Mordor was over. However, the difficulties involved with entering the land are only just beginning with the arrival at the Black Gate.

We have descriptive passages in this chapter as well as glimpses of the past history of Gondor and the Dark Lord. Some of this is given by the narrator; some comes, interestingly, from Sméagol. This is a good basis for discussion of background information to this chapter.

Though the situation is serious, the first direct speech comes from Sam and is humorous in nature. His "inner Gaffer" is telling him that he has come to a bad end - and that he needs a wash! I love the statement that "he had not needed hope, as long as despair could be postponed." That tells us much about his nature. We experience some of this part of the story from his point of view - and find that he is more astute in his assessment of Gollum's purpose and their situation than he seemed so far.

We also get a glimpse into Frodo's thoughts. He takes his time making that all-important decision, preceded by a wonderful passage about the strength of his character.

His face was grim and set, but resolute. He was filthy, haggard, and pinched with weariness, but he cowered no longer, and his eyes were clear.

He says "I purpose", and "I shall". He also gives Gollum a severe warning, showing Sam that he is more aware of his treachery than he is thought to be.

The nicknames Sam gives to Gollum's two halves are appropriate and rather amusing - Slinker and Stinker. Gollum is both helpful and deceptive in telling about the other way into Mordor, above all following his own agenda.

There is a tiny glimpse into the other thread of the story, telling about what Gandalf was doing at that time.

Once again a poem is included! The Oliphaunt poem (and Sam's recitation thereof) is a favourite of many fans. How do you like it and how do you see its importance in the story? As I see it, it serves a purpose in the narrative, as laughing over it releases Frodo from his hesitation concerning their next step.

The conversations and glimpses into the three characters give us much to discuss, individually and comparatively. As there is no physical movement in this chapter - it takes place in one location - the concentration is on the characters and their decisions.

[Lalwendë]

This chapter makes good use of some interesting contrasts. In the first view of the Black Gate we are told that the towers were originally built to keep Sauron out of Mordor:

In days long past they were built by the Men of Gondor in their pride and power, after the overthrow of Sauron and his flight, lest he should seek the return to his old realm. But the strength of Gondor failed, and men slept, and for long years the towers stood empty.

So it was not Sauron's pride and power which built them, but the pride and power of Men, while we might assume that such structures would be made by Sauron. This is mirrored in Orthanc, which was also made by Men and used by the enemy when it had long since laid derelict. This not only challenges our assumptions about Middle Earth but also shows us that men are not always good, that they can be incredibly complacent and blinkered.

It is fortunate for men that Sauron for some reason does not or cannot focus on more than one of the entrances to Mordor. At the Black Gate his strength and vigilance is very much evident:

...upon its battlement sentinels paced unceasingly. Beneath the hills on either side the rock was bored into a hundred caves and maggot-holes; there a host of orcs lurked, ready at a signal to issue forth like black ants going to war.

This is an impressive display and contrasts with the initial reticence displayed by Gondorians and the Rohirrim to engage in battle. These Orcs are keen. Does this mean that Sauron is better prepared and hence the better strategist or does it show that being 'prepared' is not necessarily an advantage? Are these particular orcs keener than most, being posted at what is no doubt a prestigious site in Mordor?

I had to say that it seems Sauron does not or cannot focus on all the possible ways into Mordor, as I noticed the following passage:

Hobbits must see, must try to understand. He does not expect attack that way. His Eye is all round, but it attends more to some places than to others. He can't see everything all at once, not yet.

What does this mean? We have been led to believe that Sauron can see everything, but it turns out his perception is not perfect. He must focus on certain things and cannot focus on everything. We learn he has a weak spot, much as Bilbo learned that the seemingly unstoppable Smaug had a weak spot. This is very fortunate to the plot line, but I'm convinced that there has to be something deeper in this. And of course, I'm tempted to think again that this might refer to the Ring, and the powers of osanwe that it possesses.

One question always haunts me. What other entrances are there? Could they have got in from the North, or the East? What would have stopped them apart from the urgency of the task?

And also, there is foreshadowing of later events in the book.

Then he knew that the hope that had for one wild moment stirred in his heart was vain. The trumpets had not rung in challenge but in greeting. This was no assault upon the Dark Lord by the men of Gondor, risen like avenging ghosts from the graves of valour long passed away. These were Men of other race, out of the wide Eastlands, gathering to the summons of their Overlord; armies that had encamped before his Gate by night and now marched in to swell his mounting power.

We hear of the later march to the Black Gate after Pelennor. And also of the army of the dead. Interestingly, the image here is of ghosts of brave men, while the reality is that Aragorn called up the ghosts of traitors. Then we also hear some uncanny words from Frodo:

You will never get it back. But the desire of it may betray you to a bitter end. You will never get it back. In the last need, Smeagol, I should put on the Precious; and the Precious mastered you long ago. If I, wearing it, were to command you, you would obey, even if it were to leap from a precipice or to cast yourself into the fire. And such would be my command. So have a care, Smeagol!"

Of course, we would hardly notice such passages until after we had read the books and we came back for more. Were they included deliberately? Maybe at this point Tolkien had become aware of the outcome of the story and so was able to include 'clues'; or were these passages included at a much later stage in the editing process?

Finally I want to include this quote from Gollum which is quite disturbing :

He'll eat us all, if He gets it, eat all the world.

[Aldarion Elf-Friend]

Originally Posted by Lalwendë

This not only challenges our assumptions about Middle Earth but also shows us that men are not always good, that they can be incredibly complacent and blinkered.

While evil and complacent are not necessarily the same thing, this thought reminds me of the old quote "The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing."

Resuming lurk mode...

[davem]

One question that occured to me reading this chapter was: Why does Smeagol think Frodo is going to Mordor?

Or has he even considered this? Certainly he is by now, even if he wasn't during his long sojourn under the Misty Mountains, aware of the nature of the Ring & wath it can offer its possessor:

See, my precious: if we has it, then we can escape, even from Him, eh? Perhaps we grows very strong, stronger than Wraiths. Lord Smeagol? Gollum the Great? The Gollum! Eat fish every day, three times a day, fresh from the Sea. Most Precious Gollum! Must have it. We wants it, we wants it, we wants it!"

He has also experienced the authority it gives to Frodo:

"I did not mean the danger that we all share," said Frodo. "I mean a danger to yourself alone. You swore a promise by what you call the Precious. Remember that! It will hold you to it; but it will seek a way to twist it to your own undoing. Already you are being twisted. You revealed yourself to me just now, foolishly. Give it back to Smeagol you said. Do not say that again! Do not let that thought grow in you! You will never get it back. But the desire of it may betray you to a bitter end. You will never get it back. In the last need, Smeagol, I should put on the Precious; and the Precious mastered you long ago. If I, wearing it, were to command you, you would obey, even if it were to leap from a precipice or to cast yourself into the fire. And such would be my command. So have a care, Smeagol!"
Sam looked at his master with approval, but also with surprise: there was a look in his face and a tone in his voice that he had not known before. It had always been a notion of his that the kindness of dear Mr. Frodo was of such a high degree that it must imply a fair measure of blindness. Of course, he also firmly held the incompatible belief that Mr. Frodo was the wisest person in the world (with the possible exception of Old Mr. Bilbo and of Gandalf). Gollum in his own way, and with much more excuse as his acquaintance was much briefer, may have made a similar mistake, confusing kindness and blindness. At any rate this speech abashed and terrified him. He grovelled on the ground and could speak no clear words but nice master.

Even Sam has experienced something similar:

For a moment it appeared to Sam that his master had grown and Gollum had shrunk: a tall stern shadow, a mighty lord who hid his brightness in grey cloud, and at his feet a little whining dog. Yet the two were in some way akin and not alien: they could reach one another's minds. Gollum raised himself and began pawing at Frodo, fawning at his knees.
'Down! down!" said Frodo. 'Now speak your promise!"
"We promises, yes, I promise!" said Gollum. "I will serve the master of the Precious. Good master, good Smeagol, gollum, gollum!" Suddenly he began to weep and bite at his ankle again.

So what does Smeagol think Frodo is going to do once he gets to Mordor with the 'Precious'? One thing that did occur was that Gollum is rather like Sauron, in that he seems uable to contemplate the possibility that anyone could wish to destroy the Ring. Gollum has fantasised about taking the Ring back & becoming all powerful - is this what he thinks Frodo is up to? Does he believe that Frodo is going to Mordor to challenge & throw down Sauron & set himself up in his place? This would account for his desires - as Smeagol, to help 'Master' (ie, to keep in with the new Dark Lord, so as not to find himself on the recieving end of his wrath) & as Gollum, to keep in with Frodo so as to be in position to take the Ring for himself if & when the opportunity arises.

We've seen Frodo succumbing to the seduction of the Ring. Two confrontations so far with Gollum, & both times (there will be a third at the Forbidden Pool) he uses the (threat of) the power of the Ring to dominate & subjugate him - using terrible threats, which he knows Gollum will believe. Aren't we seeing Frodo's ultimate failure at the Sammath Naur foreshadowed right here? If so, why do we continue with any hope? Do we share Sam's blind faith in Frodo, or is our faith, whether we realise it or not, in something (Someone) else?

[Boromir88]

A brilliant post Lalwende, and you draw comparisons to Orthanc and Mordor, it makes me think whether Saruman and Sauron were so different.

1. They both wanted the same thing, the ring and total domination.

2. They are both beaten the same way. Sauron sends his forces to meet Aragorn as Frodo and Sam sneak in the back. Saruman sends his forces to Helm's Deep, forgets about the Ents and is destroyed. Above that both quests are shone as unlikely and will be unsuccessful.

"It is likely that we go to our doom!"

3. They both don't know everything, even though they think they might have a watch on everything.

4. They even have the same thinking. Gandalf mentions something about how Sauron has no idea that they plan on practically taking the ring right to him. Literally taking it into Mordor. All Sauron can think is that someone would use it to overthrow him, because that's what he would do.

Saruman when he has his chance of repentance can only think that Gandalf wishes to replace him, is it because that's what he would do?

"That sound well," sneered Saruman. "Very much the manner of Gandalf the Grey: so condescending, and so very kind. I do not doubt you would find Orthanc commodious, and my departure convenient. But why should I leave? And what do you mean by "free"? There are conditions I presume."

It's like they are mirror images of eachother.

[Essex]

Originally Posted by Lalwendë

One question always haunts me. What other entrances are there? Could they have got in from the North, or the East? What would have stopped them apart from the urgency of the task?

This has always intrigued me as well. Why not walk diagonally across the marshes and come around to Mount Doom from the North East? (or even go further south and approach from the South East?)

Do you think Gollum already had a notion in the back of his mind that he would lead the hobbits to Shelob, therefore he did not raise the possibility of another entrance?

Did Gollum know the black gate would be guarded as a stronghold and therefore impossible to pass?

Did Gollum actually know where the eastwards passage of the mountains ended anyway, and that there was an 'easy' entrance to mordor from the East?

As you can see, I'm raising more questions than answers here. Perhaps someone has the answer.....

[Lalwendë]

Originally Posted by Essex

This has always intrigued me as well. Why not walk diagonally across the marshes and come around to Mount Doom from the North East? (or even go further south and approach from the South East?)

Do you think Gollum already had a notion in the back of his mind that he would lead the hobbits to Shelob, therefore he did not raise the possibility of another entrance?

Did Gollum know the black gate would be guarded as a stronghold and therefore impossible to pass?

I have always put it down to the simple logistics of the mission that Frodo and Sam chose to follow Gollum's way into Mordor. It could have been that they had not seen a map of the place, as simple as that. Or it could have been due to time constraints that they had to get there as quickly as possible. This could be due to a lack of food or flagging energy, or possibly due to Frodo's awareness that the Ring was becoming an impossible burden and he had to get rid of it as quickly as possible.

But there must be more to it than this, and I think it ties into this:

Originally Posted by davem

So what does Smeagol think Frodo is going to do once he gets to Mordor with the 'Precious'?

It is strange that Gollum seems to be taking the Hobbits to the very place you would expect him not to want them to go to. And why does he take them to the Black Gate, interpreting Frodo's request so literally? We know Gollum is anything but slow on the uptake, and would have known that the Hobbits wanted to enter Mordor if they had asked to go to the Gate. It is incredibly tricksy of him to do this, possibly as a delaying tactic? Or to dishearten them so much that they accepted the perilous pass of Cirith Ungol? It brings to mind the dilemma Gandalf faced when having to choose between Caradhras and Moria.

What's Gollum up to here?

[tar-ancalime]

originally posted by davem:

So what does Smeagol think Frodo is going to do once he gets to Mordor with the 'Precious'? One thing that did occur was that Gollum is rather like Sauron, in that he seems uable to contemplate the possibility that anyone could wish to destroy the Ring. Gollum has fantasised about taking the Ring back & becoming all powerful - is this what he thinks Frodo is up to? Does he believe that Frodo is going to Mordor to challenge & throw down Sauron & set himself up in his place?

I have always been puzzled by this--I've never been able to reconcile satisfactorily Smeagol's helping Frodo get into Mordor with his desire for the Ring, since I've only considered two possible reasons for entering Mordor with the Ring: handing it over to Sauron, and destroying it, neither of which is favorable to Smeagol in the end (do I win a prize for convoluted sentence structure? ) . It never occurred to me that Frodo could try to supplant Sauron. The only (rather feeble) theory I had come up with to explain his willingness to enter Mordor was that Smeagol was going to try to steal the Ring at the last possible moment, and was perhaps biding his time till Frodo was assailed by orcs, or indeed by Shelob. I think that you, as usual, are closer to the mark.

[lord of dor-lomin]

We have been led to believe that Sauron can see everything

Well sure, but not all at once. Is it possible for anyone other than Eru to be omnipresent, or at least for their will and perception to be omnipresent? That doesn't seem possible. So naturally there are always going to be places that Sauron is not looking at.

What other entrances are there?

Well, they could've gone around to that sea, Nurnen I think, and entered that way, but it would've taken forever and they probably would've gotten caught. Then again, they logically should've been caught on the path they did take.

Aren't we seeing Frodo's ultimate failure at the Sammath Naur foreshadowed right here? If so, why do we continue with any hope? Do we share Sam's blind faith in Frodo, or is our faith, whether we realise it or not, in something (Someone) else?

I think that's it. The first time I read the book I didn't have an ounce of faith in Frodo. I mean, he couldn't willingly toss the Ring into his fireplace back in the Shire. That stuck with me and for the rest of the book I knew that Frodo couldn't possibly toss the Ring into the cracks. But I did think the Ring would get destroyed somehow. I suppose that I was counting on a hefty dose of luck or divine intervention.

Why does Smeagol think Frodo is going to Mordor?

Hmm... now I have to go back and read and see if I can't find something. I've never really thought about that. Any reason for going to Mordor is bad for Gollum. You know, I think Gollum helped as much as he did because of his oath and the fear of breaking it. If Frodo had tried to walk in the Black Gate, which would mean certain capture, I imagine that Gollum would've tried to take the Ring since it would've been his last chance.

Gollum was going to try to take the Ring, no doubt about that, but he put off taking it because of fear.

[Formendacil]

Originally Posted by Lalwendë

I have always put it down to the simple logistics of the mission that Frodo and Sam chose to follow Gollum's way into Mordor. It could have been that they had not seen a map of the place, as simple as that. Or it could have been due to time constraints that they had to get there as quickly as possible. This could be due to a lack of food or flagging energy, or possibly due to Frodo's awareness that the Ring was becoming an impossible burden and he had to get rid of it as quickly as possible.

Well, WE have all seen the maps, and other than the big hole at the rear end of Mordor, what entrances do we know of? And if they hadn't gone that way in the Books, would we even know about Cirith Ungol? As far as I can tell, the Morannon is the only obvious entrance on the north, west, or south sides of Mordor.

[Essex]

This has also given me another reason to re-read the books re how EARLY did Gollum's plan enter his head to kill the hobbits? Why on earth would he lead them to mordor? I suppose the oath has something to do with it, but gollum's not stupid, I think we can be fairly sure of that. Why on earth would he think the hobbits wanted to venture into mordor with the ring? to either fight or give up the ring.

Just thinking on my feet about the last sentence. I began to write "or destroy it" at the end. But thinking about it, how would Gollum know you COULD destroy the ring by throwing it in to the cracks of doom?

(come to think of it, how do gandalf and elrond know this - or was it an educated guess?)

[lord of dor-lomin]

But thinking about it, how would Gollum know you COULD destroy the ring by throwing it in to the cracks of doom?

(come to think of it, how do gandalf and elrond know this - or was it an educated guess?)

I've always wondered this, too. Did Elrond take a sample from the Ring and toss it into the cracks? "Yep, it disolved, just like we thought."

How could they have possibly known for certain that Mt Doom would destroy it? Since Sauron can stoke Mt Doom's fire, isn't it possible that he got it hotter than it had ever been for the creation of the Ring, and that it would take his purposeful tinkering to get it that hot again, and that the Ring could only be destroyed in that way- Sauron doing it on purpose by turning the knob on Mt Doom to the "Ring-creation/destruction" temperature setting?

[Lalwendë]

Originally Posted by Essex

But thinking about it, how would Gollum know you COULD destroy the ring by throwing it in to the cracks of doom?

To add to that, would Gollum even consider the fact that anyone would want to destroy his precious? He's probably very much like Sauron in that respect.

Another possibility of what he was up to might be that he knew the Hobbits were likely to be caught and so he could hope to get the ring under such circumstances. That he won't allow them through the Black Gate still allows for this possibility as he would be unlikely to want the Hobbits caught in such visible circumstances; a more chaotic capture in some hidden corner of Mordor would be more to his advantage.

Originally Posted by Essex

(come to think of it, how do gandalf and elrond know this - or was it an educated guess?)

I think that as ringbearers themselves, Gandalf and Elrond would know something of the history of how all the rings were made. Whether passed on by lore or through some sense conferred by the rings they bore, I'm not sure, though the latter would be the more attractive proposition given that the One now has power over all the rings.

[davem]

Originally Posted by Essex

come to think of it, how do gandalf and elrond know this - or was it an educated guess?)

I still stick to the idea that it was the fact that the fires of Orodruin welled up from the heart of the earth - the very place where Eru had sent the Secret Fire to 'dwell'. therefore it was actually a 'Holy' place, misused by Sauron, but that its 'holiness' could overcome the power put into it, therefore it had to be brought to that one particular place.

This seems to me to tie in with what we've been discussing on the 'Morgoth' thread, about the way Eru incorporated Melkor's themes into the Ainulindale, yet could state that those themes still 'had their uttermost source' in Him...

[Firefoot]

As far as other routes go: even if Frodo and Sam had seen a map and known about the open entrance to Mordor in the east, it would have been entirely impractical. As near as I can tell, just from the Dead Marshes to the eastern end of the Ash Mountains is about 450 miles - and that's just one way. So they're looking at about a total of 900 miles (not even taking into considerations the mountains that extend southward into Mordor). Not only would this take an excessive amount of time, but they are also on limited food supplies - I think Sam estimates in the Emyn Muil that they have about enough lembas to last for three weeks - not nearly enough for a 900 mile trek. And of course there is time - which is certainly an issue. Much of the hope in destroying the Ring was in speed. Sauron was moving; they had to make their move now. Gandalf says about following the sea south as opposed to Moria: "As for the longer road: we cannot afford the time. We might spend a year in such a journey, and we should pass through many lands that are empty and harbourless." Isn't this basically the same scenario?

Why does Smeagol think Frodo is going to Mordor?

As other people have said, I find this a fascinating question, one I had not thought of before. The destruction of the Ring has not crossed his mind (Mount Doom: "Wicked masster cheats us, cheats Smeagol. ... He mussn't hurt Preciouss!"). He understands that their mission is secret, and that they do not aim to hand the Ring over to Sauron, hence the secret way through the Marshes and his persuasion not to go through the Black Gate. We know that Gollum was previously "drawn to" Mordor; perhaps Gollum thinks Frodo is in the same position? Most likely, though, is that Gollum thinks Frodo intends to claim the Ring as his own and challenge Sauron.

We know Gollum is anything but slow on the uptake, and would have known that the Hobbits wanted to enter Mordor if they had asked to go to the Gate. It is incredibly tricksy of him to do this, possibly as a delaying tactic? Or to dishearten them so much that they accepted the perilous pass of Cirith Ungol?

I think perhaps a bit of both. Certainly Gollum would want to keep Frodo with him for as long as possible. And also, by taking them to the Black Gate as Frodo asked, the hobbits will see how well guarded the place is, as Smeagol already knows. It will force the hobbits to trust him that there is a less guarded way. Otherwise, the hobbits would simply have to take his word that the Black Gate was impossible to pass.

I think this chapter really shows the reader the reality of the incredibly hopeless task Frodo has been given. In sight of the forbidding descriptions of the mountains and the Teeth of Mordor, this hopelessness is certainly understandable! We see how little hope Frodo and Sam have in the mission (and like Esty, the "he had never had any real hope in the whole affair from the beginning, but being a cheerful hobbit he had not needed hope, so long as despair had been postponed" quote is among my favorites), but also their determination to see it through shines through. Even in light of the foreshadowing that Frodo would not be able to finish, we can see his strength of character, both by the description Tolkien gives us and by the way he speaks to Gollum. The hobbits are down but not out, and throughout the despair in the chapter, there are enough gleams of hope that it encourages us that the hobbits may still make it.

On the whole, this is one of my favorite chapters. The action scenes are great - many of them number among my favorites - but I think that it's really the passages in chapters like this one that keeps me coming back to the book.

[Formendacil]

Originally Posted by Essex

This has also given me another reason to re-read the books re how EARLY did Gollum's plan enter his head to kill the hobbits? Why on earth would he lead them to mordor? I suppose the oath has something to do with it, but gollum's not stupid, I think we can be fairly sure of that. Why on earth would he think the hobbits wanted to venture into mordor with the ring? to either fight or give up the ring.

Well, Gollum may even have suspected it. Surely he suspected SOMETHING, and I doubt if he thought about that something without misgivings, but he was surely smart enough to see that he couldn't dissuade Frodo, but at the same time he didn't dare leave the Ring once he had finally found it. He HAD to go with Frodo to stay near it.

Originally Posted by davem

I still stick to the idea that it was the fact that the fires of Orodruin welled up from the heart of the earth - the very place where Eru had sent the Secret Fire to 'dwell'. therefore it was actually a 'Holy' place, misused by Sauron, but that its 'holiness' could overcome the power put into it, therefore it had to be brought to that one particular place.

Another possibility is foresight. Elrond, Gandalf, Galadriel, every other Dunadan, they all seem to be gifted with this. Perhaps it was a revelation of Iluvatar. Perhaps it was a part of the lore that Saruman and Gandalf brought out of the West. Perhaps they remembered a small part of the Ainulindale. Who knows?

[Lalwendë]

I have to get this one in before we go on to the next chapter. I noticed something interesting about how Sam's recitation of the Oliphaunt verse is presented:

Sam stood up, putting his hands behind his back (as he always did when 'speaking poetry'), and began:
Grey as a mouse,
Big as a house,
Nose like a snake,
I make the earth shake,
As I tramp through the grass;
Trees crack as I pass.
With horns in my mouth
I walk in the South,
Flapping big ears.
Beyond count of years
I stump round and round,
Never lie on the ground,
Not even to die.
Oliphaunt am I,
Biggest of all,
Huge, old, and tall.
If ever you'd met me
You wouldn't forget me.
If you never do,
You won't think I'm true;
But old Oliphaunt am I,
And I never lie.

Couple this with his description of his assumptions about the 'Swertings' and he reminds me of a schoolboy, uncertainly reciting from memory a simple verse to 'explain' something far away and foreign. It brought to mind an older time, maybe schools of the 1920's/1930's, when such recitation would be common, and also often used to describe or explain 'foreign things', maybe things from far flung corners of the British Empire.

I wonder if anyone else notices this as somehow reminiscent of old traditional schools? Maybe we could see into this that Sam is like the ordinary schoolboy while Frodo is almost like a 'prefect', the older and more intelligent boy, or maybe he is like the 'scholar', protected by his more down to earth friend. Frodo's recitation of verse often seems to be of the more complex Elven variety, while Sam seems to remember the simpler verses. Could there be anything in this comparison of the two Hobbits?

[davem]

I wonder if the Oliphaunt song is one of Sam's own compositions, like the troll song. As an aside, I seem to remember Bob Stewart mentioning (possibly in 'The UnderWorld Initiation' or 'Where is St George: Pagan Imagery in English Folksong') that certain folk songs & ballads, or particular variants of them, were handed down in families, & it was considered very bad form for non family members to sing them. Tolkien seems to make reference to this in The Hobbit, where Bilbo returns to Bag End to find his goods & chattels being auctioned off for prices 'from next to nothing to old songs'. The implication being that these 'old songs' were a valuable commodity & could be exchanged for goods & services...

(edit: Lalwende points out the old saying 'going for a song' referring to something obtained cheaply, which Brewers Dictionary of Phrase & Fable suggests dates back to a time when ballad sheets were sold for a few pennies, or perhaps to the few coins tossed to street performers. Having said that, Tolkien does seem to imply that 'next to nothing' is at one extreme of the payment scale, while 'old songs' are at the other.)

[Lathriel]

I like the Oliphaunt rhyme because it is a bit of light in the middle of the chapter after the terrible experience at the Black Gate. Also Oliphaunt is really close to the dutch word for Elephant which is Olifant.

During this chapter there is also a feeling of Exposure. In the marshes there was the cover of the fog but before the black Gate there is almost no cover.

I think Frodo and Sam take Gollum's advise of going to the other entrance of Mordor because they are desperate to get there. Time is running out and Frodo feels that the ring is getting heavier. Sam of course shows suspicion but there is no other choice. They are now more dependent on Gollum than ever and Sam doesn't like that at all. I think that Sam's suspicion of Gollum grows rapidly throughout this chapter.

[Formendacil]

If "The Passage of the Marshes" was a travel chapter, "The Black Gate is Closed" is the opposite: a chapter taking place mostly in a single spot, usually for a shorter duration of time.

This is the point in the book where Gandalf's plan for the journey that started in Rivendell comes to its last gasp. The ways and means were always a bit murky after Lorien, but the overall plan held as far as reaching Mordor. There isn't even a clue how to get in, though. Hence the fact that the meat of this chapter is in Gollum's revelation of another way, and hence a bulk of this thread is spent on discussing how else Frodo might have crossed into Mordor.

For myself, I think it plain that Gandalf did not mean to take either the Morannon or Cirith Ungol, nor the very long road east to the "back door," nor to use the eagles (the circling Nazgul here should be a reminder for book fans just what a poor idea that would be--the eagles can't get involved until the Ring has already slipped right up to Orodruin). Does this leave any options?

I think (similar, I hope, to what 2005-me meant all those years ago) that we simply don't have enough information to say that both the Ephel Duath and the Ered Lithui were COMPLETELY insurmountable. Crossing them without guide or equipment, though would as like have been deadly for Frodo and Sam as the Morannon, especially on their limited rations. I incline to think the Ered Lithui more likely: crossing it closer to Mount Doom saves them a lot of the way across Gorgoroth and since it faces the empty plains of Rhovannion rather than Sauron's archenemies in Gondor, it seems to have an advantage on the Ephel Duath-Gollum's assertion that Cirith Ungol is better than the Morannon because Sauron can't watch everywhere seems to be borne out by events.