[Tinuviel of Denton]

This is the first time I've had the nerve to post on this thread, but I have to say that I didn't really see any indication that Arwen and Aragorn had 'done it' in what PJ gave us, onscreen. (Then again, that might just be because I'm coming from a background where I'm expected to wait and I'm like anyone else; I assume, unconsciously, that everyone else does things my way. It's a different story when I think about it consciously.)

I did think that Arwen's dress in that dream sequence or whatever it was in TTT looked like a nightgown, though. And I did wonder why Aragorn and she were lounging around on her bed... But anyway. That's not the point of this post.

Originally Posted by alatar

Doesn't the concept of delayed gratification exist?

Not in this society. Microwave and instant messenger raised, that's us.

What does it say about the character of a person who succumbs (or not) to passion?

Succumbing says that he isn't the noble king that I remember from the books and that she's not got enough respect for herself and for her father to wait until they have reached the goal in mind.

I never got the feeling from the film that Aragorn or Arwen were saying, "Look...I'd really like to carry this further, but I got a job to do first."

I didn't either. Truthfully, they reminded me of me and my boyfriend. That's something I don't want to see from a high, noble couple in Rivendell; there's plenty of that right here, everyday, in the mundane world and it's not what Arwen and Aragorn have always been to me; I always imagined Arwen as being pure and clean and waiting for Aragorn to finish what he started before he even considered taking her to bed. I don't know, maybe I'm an idealist who's read too many stories where eros and immediate gratification is superseded by something higher, but maybe Tolkien was too.

Doesn' t the story seem a bit better if these two really really want to enjoy the moment but abstain in order to fix Middle Earth first?

Yes.

Middle-earth over personal pleasure all the way. Middle-earth lasts a whole lot longer than a few nights of stolen passion.