This is one of my favorite chapters.
Following up on the discussion of Shelob's fear of the Phial as opposed to Ungoliant's hunger for the Silmarils, I wonder if this reflects the continued fall of Middle Earth; even evil beings sought light in the beginning. Now they have fallen further and no longer seek it. I also find it interesting that she is vulnerable through the eye, aka the window of the soul - not sure how to follow up on this just yet.
Sam's reactions make some of the most moving portions in the book. I still find myself growing misty-eyed when I read this passage:
Quote:
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And for a moment he lifted up the Phial and looked down at his master, and the light burned gently now with the soft radiance of the evening-star in summer, and in that light Frodo's face was fair of hue again, pale but beautiful with an elvish beauty, as of one who has long passed the shadows. And with the bitter comfort of that last sight Sam turned and hid the light and stumbled on into the growing dark.
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Gorbag and Shagrat certainly don't seem to be mindless orcs. The fact that they question the actions of the Tower would suggest to me that they are more than simply extensions of Sauron's will. I also find it interesting that while they seem to have a code of "moral" behavior, deriding the "regular elvish trick" of leaving Frodo in the pass, they don't show loyalty to Ufthak. It's as if they have an idea of right and wrong, but disregard it.
Finally, I had the cliffhanger experience when I first read this chapter. I had to take the books out of the library one at a time and The Return of the King was checked out when I was ready to pick it up! The few days I had to wait before finding out what happened next were indeed torturous.
I can't imagine waiting longer.
I hope this is coherent. I'm running on sleep-deprivation mode with lots of caffeine right now. That's never a good thing...