I must confess that until this discussion I had not really given the state of Aragorn and Arwen's relationship much thought. On re-reading Appendix A, it's interesting to note that Tolkien gave it the title; 'Here Follows a Part of the Tale of Aragorn and Arwen'. Was this a deliberate device? Are we invited to 'fill in the gaps' each according to his/her experience, as it were?
With regard to the scenes mentioned earlier. On the bridge we see them alone together for the first time. It is highly romantic, the two pairs of hands clasped, he strong and she demure. A clear image of courtly love, especially when accompanied by the lilting theme music.
In the later scene, Arwen's negligee type gown and Aragorn's open necked tunic, with his bootless feet on the couch/bed, seemed to suggest to me that it was 'afterwards'. It is a very peaceful scene and Arwen's speech and body language towards Aragorn are very tender and 'wife-like'. I thought that it was beautiful and showed that the two characters were very comfortable and at ease with one another. It was a refreshing change to see lovers portrayed in that way, without the usual gymnastics that seem to count as romance in films these days!
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"Remember, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things. And no good thing ever dies."
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