Why didn't Aragorn go after Frodo?

why didn't Aragorn go after Frodo when the fellowship split up he had the choice so why didn't he go to help the person carrying the One Ring who was walking into massive Danger let's take a look hi everyone this is Robert welcome to indeep geek on this channel we cover the best fantasy worlds ever created including the Lord of the Rings A Song of Ice and Fire and much more welcome at the breaking of The Fellowship of the Ring Aragon is faced with a choice should he try to save Mar and Pippen who had been

captured by Orcs And were being taken to orank or go after Frodo and Sam who had crossed the anduin and were heading to Mordor with the one ring for the purposes of this video we can probably assume that Legolas and gimle would follow Aragon's lead in the absence of gandal Aragon has become de facto leader of the fellowship and the fellowship has split Mary and Pippen were being carried forcibly West and a bit north and Fredo and Sam were headed east and a bit South opposite directions tolken didn't leave them with a way to go

after both sets of Hobbits without splitting the three members remaining at their Camp even further as we know the decision they made was to go after Mary and Pippen but why well we should acknowledge the immediate danger and confusion please don't get me wrong I think that boromir's sacrificial death in the film was one of the emotional high points or low points depending on your perspective but in order to keep things simple for a cinema audience it missed the confusion of that moment in the book Aragon gimly and Legolas rushed into the scene after the

Orcs had had left they didn't know what had happened Aragon arrives for boromir's final words which again were changed they have gone the halflings the Orcs have taken them I think they are not dead Orcs bound them he paused and his eyes closed wearily after a moment he spoke again farewell Aragon go to mines tith and save my people I have failed Aragon asks if Roo was one of those Hobbits but it is too late Boromir had died so in the immediate aftermath of that attack Aragon didn't know where Frodo was he didn't know that

he had left the rest of the fellowship and headed to Mordor his best guess was probably originally that Frodo was still on the west side of the river and being Carried Away by those Orcs still boromir's death was a valiant one in the book as well as the film he killed perhaps 20 Orcs trying to protect the hobbits and he was heir to the steward of Gondor not an insignificant person in Middle Earth and Aragorn and Co felt he deserved something of an honorable sendoff perhaps not all they would do in other times but dispatching

his body down the anduin while they sang laments was the least they could do and botes to them that decision had an impact later in the story as his body is seen floating down the river but for us it also meant that the ranger Aragon got to look at the prince left on the Riverside and the other Clues there he surveyed the green lawn quickly but thoroughly stooping often to the Earth no Orcs have been on this ground he said otherwise nothing can be made out for certain all our Footprints are here Crossing and recrossing

I cannot tell whether any of the hobbits have come back since the search for Frodo began he returned to the bank close to where the real from the spring trickled out into the river there are some clear prints here he said a hobbit wed out into the water and back but I cannot say how long ago he then went back to the camp for further Clues two packs are missing he said and one is certainly Sam's it was rather large and heavy this then is the answer Frodo has gone by boat and his servant has

gone with him Frodo must have returned while we were all away I met Sam going up the hill and told him to follow me but plainly he did not do so he guessed his master's mind and came back here before Frodo had gone he did not find it easy to leave Sam behind Kudos obviously here to Sam for understanding Frodo's heart and refusing to be parted from him but as far as Aragon is concerned it takes him to the decision we always knew he had should he follow Frodo and Sam or marry and Pippen as

a skilled Ranger and with an elf and an indomitable dwarf by his side he surely wouldn't have had a problem tracking either of them yes giving Boromir a proper sendoff meant both potential quaries had a few hours Head Start this wasn't like in the film where they saw Frodo and Sam on the other side of the river but but the practicalities of following them were not an issue if Aragon were to do a simple cost benefit analysis at that point personally I suspect that Frodo comes out on top he has the one ring and destroying

that is the most important thing going on in the plot at that moment in time or at any moment in time surely Aragorn would have been useful there well yes he would but we shouldn't pretend that he had an obligation to be there as a part of the fellowship this is what elrond said back in Rivendell this is my last word he said in a low voice the ring bearer is setting out on the quest of Mount Doom on him alone is any charge laid neither to Cast Away the ring nor to deliver it to

any servant of the enemy nor indeed to let any handle it save members of the company and the council and only then in gravest need the others go with him as free companions to help him on his way you may trry or come back or turn aside onto other paths as chance allows so Aragon hadn't sworn any oath to go with Frodo to the end but he had promised to go to mines tith at the Council of Elon he promised to boromir's face that he would come to minth with naril the sword that was broken

and reforged and with his dying words his literal Last Words Boromir said this to Aragon farewell Aragon go to minth and save my people I have failed Aragorn reassures him that minister will not fall Boromir smiles and breathes his last Aragon considered himself the rightful king of Gondor and here was the heir to the stewardship of Gondor using his last breath to beg him to save his people and Aragon gave him that reassurance so Aragon hadn't promised to follow Frodo all the way to Mordor he had a people he viewed as his to protect and

he just promised a dying man that minth wouldn't fall when you add in the fact that although Frodo and Sam were definitely heading into danger Mary and Pippin were definitely already in danger you can start to understand why Aragon didn't immediately just go after Frodo and there's one more thing the fellowship was probably always going to break apart at that point anyway and Aragorn had told Frodo that it was for him to choose what happened next they had paddled down the anduin as far as they could and enemies were close Boromir clearly wanted to stay

on the west of the anduin and Aragon had publicly offered his sword in the defensive minth though he was a little vague on timings there taking the ring to Mordor meant crossing the river though this is what we read when they had eaten Aragon called the company together the day has come at last he said the day of choice which we have long delayed what shall now become of our company that has traveled so far in Fellowship shall we turn west with Boromir and go to the wars of Gondor or turn East to the fear

and Shadow or shall we break our fellowship and go this way and that as each may choose whatever we do must be done soon we cannot long halt here the enemy is on the Eastern Shore we know but I fear that the Orcs may already be on this side of the water there was a long silence in which no one spoke or moved well Frodo said Aragorn At Last I fear that the burden is laid upon you you are the bearer appointed by the council your own way you alone can choose in this matter I

cannot advise you I am not Gandalf and though I have tried to bear his part I do not know what design or hope he had for this hour if indeed he had any most likely it seems that if he were here now the choice would still wait on you such is your fate rodo did not answer at once then he spoke slowly I know that haste is needed yet I cannot choose the burden is heavy give me an hour longer and I will speak let me be alone so Aragon gives him an hour and Frodo

wanders off but the key thing here is that Aragon has given Frodo the choice about which direction he wants to go in and implicitly who he wants to take with him and Frodo made a decision that he wanted to go east on his own though of course he found it rather harder to leave Sam behind it's easily missed but while Frodo was away and Boromir had gone after him the rest of the fellowship had actually started to have a conversation about what to do there's talk of a vote Legolas and gimly both say they would

go east with Frodo but personally think minus tith is the better option Aragon suggests perhaps breaking up the fellowship even further him Sam and gimle could go with Frodo and the others could head to minth Sam ends all that by stating that no Frodo had already decided that he was going to Mordor and was just working up the courage to do it and he would probably think himself around in circles and decide he should go alone Sam really did know much better than the rest of them Pippin obviously says that he wouldn't allow it but

Aragorn takes a more pensive approach I wonder said Aragon he is the bearer and the fate of the burden is on him I do not think that it is our part to drive him one way or the other nor do I think that we should succeed if we tried there are other powers at work far stronger this may sound like a surprisingly lay Fair approach by Aragon but it actually fits with how Gand always LED I did a whole other video on that if you're interested but basically his default position was to give all the

facts to Frodo and let him make the decision then Provide support and guidance along the way Gandalf the gy never actually LED except in a very collaborative way and we see that in Aragon's ultimate decision to go after Mary and Pippen once they have given Boromir his sendoff and worked out that Fredo and Sam have crossed the river we get this Sam was right I think said Aragon Frodo did not wish to lead any friends to death with him in Mordor but he knew that he must go himself something happened after he left us that

overcame his fear and doubt he knew and we know what that something was Boromir but Aragorn didn't want to spell it out then we read on our choice then said gimly is either to take the remaining boat and follow Frodo or else to follow the Orcs on foot there is little hope either way we have already lost precious hours let me think said Aragon and now may I make a right choice and change the evil fate of this unhappy day he stood silent for a moment I will follow the Orcs he said at last I

would have guided Frodo to Mordor and gone with him to the end but if I seek him now in the wilderness I must abandon the captives to torment and death my heart speaks clearly at last the fate of the bearer is in my hands no longer the company has played its part yet we that remain cannot forsake our companions while we have strength left come we will go now leave all that can be spared behind we will Press On by day and dark Aragorn had been beating himself up for making bad decisions all day and

he knew this was a big one he decided to follow his heart and his heart said that Frodo had made his decision and Aragon's own role was now not with him it wasn't a clinical cost benefit analysis it was about care for marry and Pippen as well as trying to sense what his own role in all this was and it was the right decision for reasons he could not have fully foreseen we may not know what would have happened if Aragorn had gone with Frodo but we do know what wouldn't have happened he wouldn't have

stared Sauron down through the pener convincing Saron that he was the enemy to focus on he wouldn't have gone through the paths of the dead and arrived in time with reinforcements at the Battle of the pelenor fields and he wouldn't have been in minth to heal Awin and Mary and gain the acclamation that led to him being recognized as the returning King a very different story Aragorn went after Mary and Pippen rather than Fredo and Sam because he had an obligation to minister tith and Boromir because he cared for Mary and Pippen because he respected

Frodo's choice and because he discerned in his heart that was the right thing to do his heart guided him well if you'd like to see more videos like this breaking down the details of tolkin legendarium there's a playlist appearing now on the left of your screen or to support this channel thank you there's a link to my patreon page now on the right of your screen that's all for this time thanks for watching I'll see you again soon