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Definition of Tone
The tone of a piece of writing is its general character or attitude, which might be cheerful or depressive, sarcastic or sincere, comical or mournful, praising or critical, and so on. For instance... read full definition
The tone of a piece of writing is its general character or attitude, which might be cheerful or depressive, sarcastic or sincere, comical or mournful, praising or critical... read full definition
The tone of a piece of writing is its general character or attitude, which might be cheerful or depressive, sarcastic or sincere, comical... read full definition
Book 5, Chapter 6
Explanation and Analysis:
In The Return of the King, tone alternates constantly between despair and hope, often in rapid succession. Tolkien adapts tone to circumstance: battle scenes and speeches adopt an elevated, formal register to emphasize epic stakes, while moments of friendship, healing, and farewell are conveyed in an intimate, plainspoken voice. The ending tone blends triumph with loss, producing an elegiac resonance that frames the story as both victory and farewell:
But lo! suddenly in the midst of the glory of the king his golden shield was dimmed. The new morning was blotted from the sky. Dark fell about him.
Here, the tone shifts with startling speed. At first, the language is exalted—“the glory of the king,” “the new morning”—as Théoden’s charge reaches its height. But immediately, the tone collapses into despair: “blotted from the sky,” “dark fell about him.” This abrupt tonal reversal dramatizes the instability of war, where triumph and ruin exist side by side.
The elevated, mythic tone of the passage signals the gravity of the contest between light and shadow. Darkness blotting out morning symbolizes not just a tactical setback but a thematic confrontation: evil threatening to eclipse renewal. Yet even in despair, the sustained grandeur of tone conveys that the struggle itself bears heroic significance.
Throughout the novel, tonal shifts like this sustain tension. By moving between intimacy and elevation, despair and hope, Tolkien ensures the narrative feels both personal and monumental. The final effect is bittersweet: victory is real but tempered by grief, and the tone of the ending elegy affirms that every triumph comes shadowed by loss.
Related Themes:
