Shelob is interesting, I think it's the only name that was translated freely. Shelob in English, Hutula in Norwegian, Kankra in German...
Smeagol was definitly not 100% evil, but I don't think he could have recovered. He was completly under the command of the ring, and THAT (together with his vow on the precious) was what held his bad side from overtaking the good side and killing Frodo. He would have had the chance when Sam was sleeping.
I think the ending is perfect. Smeagol did not deserve death (I don't think anyone in the book except Sauron and the ring wraithes deserve death), but it was kinda inevitable for him. No one could have willingly thrown the ring into the fire. Frodo could not throw it into his small fire in Hobbiton, and that was a long time before, with the morgul blade, Shelob's poison, tireness, longer ring-wearing and a much stronger ring (it was near Mt. Doom) now making the real destruction of the ring impossible. The ending as JRRT wrote is solved several problems: the one of Smeagol (kill him? let him live?) and the one of destroying the ring (as I said, impossible otherwise).
And it wouldn't have been appropriate for Sam to die. It would IMO been unfair.
That said I will sit back and listen to your responses.
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