LOTR Rants | Mostly Aralas

a FOTR scene by scene analysis of aralas, ig

However, this is far from the only subtextually charged moment that Aragorn and Legolas share in the Council alone, not to speak of any other parts of the film. After the famed monologue from the character of Boromir ("No, it is a gift... Let us wield it against him! etc.) when Aragorn begins to speak and object to the obvious insanity of those words, you can clearly see Legolas tilt his head and unclench his jaw in the background, releasing the tension that all the elves present adopted when the Black Speech was spoken by the character of Gandalf just moments before. This shows how comforted he is simply hearing Aragorn speak, in the same way that couples are reassured just by the presence of one another, even if they do not interact.

Subsequently, as couples are quick to defend one another, we see Legolas jump up instantly to speak for Aragorn and reveal his ancestry as the Heir of Númenor when Boromir refers to him dismissively as "a ranger." This gives the analytical viewer an insight to Legolas' past and personality, as well as, of course, his relationship with Aragorn: being raised in Mirkwood, the son of the King, truly, the last King of all Elvendom as both Lórien and Rivendell are ruled by a Lady and a Lord respectively, Legolas knows well and respects allegiance and the royal line. His quickness to defend Aragorn in his matter shows that he holds Aragorn to as high a standard as he would his own King and father, Thranduil Oropherion. Being of the Woodland Realm, this is incredibly meaningful, as Legolas is sworn, technically, to only King Thranduil his father, and the fact that he considers himself as owing as much allegiance to Aragorn says much. This is only proven when Aragorn tells Legolas "havo daad" (sit down) and the former immediately and without question obeys, as one would answer the order of a King. Even Boromir seems to recognize this, on some level, glancing between the two of them, symbolizing that he understands that they are in some way bonded and connected to one another. Again, this could be interpreted in many ways.

Continuing to hinge onto the ongoing theme of kingship and allegiance in Aralas, notice how Legolas only offers his bow to the quest after Aragorn's declaration of "you have my sword", symbolizing that though, at the time, the quest might mean virtually nothing to him, he would still follow Aragorn without question, to whatever end. If Aragorn is joining the quest, of course he will too, there is no question of it. He even thinks of Aragorn already as leader of the company, shown in that he and Aragorn are standing next to each other in the final group shot of the Fellowship, in which Elrond surveys them and declares "you shall be the Fellowship of the Ring." Only Gandalf, at the time the true leader of the Company, separates the two of them, showing that Legolas is not yet second in command, only third, as Aragorn does not lead yet. He is here the (physical) barrier to their bond and relationship—but put a pin in that.

It goes without saying, of course, that the straight context for all of this is the Council.

Throughout the rest of Peter Jackson's Fellowship of the Ring, the characters of Aragorn and Legolas become a 101 not of the SCQS Theory, that comes later, but of Peter Jackson's subconscious directing style. He subtly shows how close Aragorn and Legolas are and how much closer they become throughout the film by juxtaposing their scenes, their zoomed-in shots, and each gradually being placed physically closer and closer to the other as the films go on. For example, the iconic Extended Cut-exclusive scene of Aragorn visiting the grave of his mother, Gilraen, is immediately followed by a shot of Legolas running down a stone set of stairs to reach the Fellowship's departing area. Immediately after this, it cuts to the straight context of Aragorn's iconic gazebo scene with Arwen, his love interest.

The next gold mine of Aralas moments is the Mines of Moria sequence. Immediately after the attack of the Watcher in the Water, Legolas and Aragorn can be spotted running out of the mines very close to one another, with the notable (as coined by me) "Aralas shoulder touch" about two hours and four minutes into the film's Extended Cut, just as they see the hobbits being attacked by the Watcher, of which I have spoken before. However, upon reviewing, one notices that the queer subtext of that seemingly passing touch is increased by its juxtaposition with the same shoulder touch from Sam and Frodo's characters a second before, subconsciously showing the audience that these two pairs, Legolas and Aragorn and Sam and Frodo, share arguably the closest duo-bonds in the entire Fellowship, in a romantic sense, thus not including cousins Merry Brandybuck and Pippin Took. Following this, once the Fellowship first truly enters the Mines, after being trapped within by fallen rock, Legolas can be spotted glancing behind him, checking for Aragorn, subconsciously conveying the concern he bears for the member of the Fellowship that he is closest to, and the bond between them. This is also a subtle nod to Legolas' role in the Lord of the Ring's books as rearguard of the company, whose role would then subsequently be, of course, to check to make sure that all members of the Company are present and safe, having the best vantage point of them all.