[radagastly]

Boromir88--Thanks for those quotes about the overthrow of Sauron. From "The Silmarillion" I would add this:

and he wrestled with Gil-galad and Elendil, and they both were slain, and the sword of Elendil broke under him as he fell. But Sauron also was thrown down, and with the hilt-shard of Narsil Isildur cut the Ruling Ring from the hand of Sauron and took it for his own.

This seems to emphasize more clearly that Sauron was already dead.

Evisse the Blue:

But it was too late, because the Ring apparently had other plans. Redemption was thus denied to him, maybe because it was not yet the time for it.

I tend to think that his redemption came when he recognized that the Ring was more powerful than he was, and set out to seek council from Elrond in Imladris. He simply didn't get that far. If he had, he might have become the third character to give the Ring away freely (though I doubt he would have succeeded in actually giving it away.) Compare this to Sam, on the edge of Mordor outside the Tower of Cirith Ungol:

As Sam stood there, even though the Ring was not on him but hanging by its chain about his neck, he felt himself enlarged, as if he were robed in a huge distorted shadow of himself, a vast and ominous threat halted upon the walls of Mordor. He felt that he had from now on only two choices: to forbear the Ring, though it would torment him; or to claim it, and challenge the Power that sat in its dark hold beyond the valley of shadows. Already the Ring tempted him, gnawing at his will and reason. Wild fantasies arose in his mind; and he saw Samwise the Strong, Hero of the Age, striding with a flaming sword across the darkened land, and armies flocking to his call as he marched to the overthrow of Barad-dur. And then all the clouds rolled away, and the white sun shone, and at his command the vale of Gorgoroth became a garden of flowers and trees and brought forth fruit. He had only to put on the Ring and claim it for his own, and all this could be.

In that hour of trial it was the love of his master that helped most to hold him firm; but also deep down in him lived still unconquered his plain hobbit-sense: he knew in the core of his heart that he was not large enough to bear such a burden, even if such visions were not a mere cheat to betray him. The one small garden of a free gardener was all his need and due, not a garden swollen to a realm; his own hands to use, not the hands of others to command.

Sam's realization of his own weakness compared to the Ring certainly comes about more quickly and is spelled out more plainly than it is with Isildur, but the sentiment is the same. It is just too big and powerful for either of them. I realize this does not quite count as redemption in and of itself, but in both cases, it is a step in the right direction.

The difference, I guess between Sam and Isildur in this case, is that Sam actually succeeds in giving the Ring away:

In that hour of trial it was the love of his master that helped most to hold him firm;

I think there lies the faith of which you spoke, Evisse.