Quote:
Originally Posted by Galadriel55
Perhaps. I did not say he was a good person, I only insist that he is a Great person - with a capital G. It takes a truly Great person to raise all his people for a not directly necessary cause.
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A great person, or a great orator? Certainly the Noldor, as talented craftsmen and loremasters, are capale of rational and sophisticated thought; as you noted, the cause Fëanor gave them was not directly necessary, and perhaps bordered on foolishness. Fëanor's speeches, in my opinion, have the power to diminish such rationality, and given the circumstances (a paradise that has been marred with blood, lies and death) which affect not only Fëanor but the Noldor generally, the latter would perhaps be easier to manipulate than usual.
That being said, I too find Fëanor to be a fascinating character. I do not think he is evil, though he does evil deeds. I am sympathetic to the fact that he was, initially, the only person in Valinor to be so gravely affected by loss and bitterness, possibly exacerbated by the thought that he might have caused his mother's death. This is, of course, no excuse for mass murder and sedition, and that he could lead his supposedly beloved sons into such great peril is quite startling. At this point I am not sure whether a great desire for revenge and insanity are the same for him.