[William Cloud Hicklin]

Shippey I do recall points up the hypocritical contrast between "just left him lying- typical Elvish trick", wityh the fate of old Ufthak, whom his 'lads' did just that to. What Shippey is on about is that the Orcs are evil precisely because they *do* at some level know better- but never act on that better impulse. If they had no moral sense to disregard they would be mere animals, and blameless.

I really dislike the notion that this 'rebellious streak' is some sort of impulse to freedom. It reminds me uncomfortably of those who regard Milton's Satan as some sort of proto-democratic Hero. And, after all, Melkor *is* Lucifer, taking the same role in the cosmological drama, the Prime Rebel: which Tolkien defines as the root of all evil.

I would suggest that to Tolkien the essence of evil is *selfishness.* He goes so far as to claim Sauron in the First Age was less evil than his master because he at least served something other than himself, even if only from self-interested motives. Shagrat and Gorbag and Orcs generally are constantly fighting one another because selfishness is deeply ingrained in them. And, again, these two lovelies aren't 'rebelling' in any sense of repentance; they just want to plunder for their own benefit rather than the 'big bosses.' Nor, of course, is their 'friendship' any more than skin deep, as we see in the next chapter of the Frodo-narrative.