What caused Frodo to finally give in to the power of the Ring and claim it?

[Aratlithiel]

Oooh, H.C., don't encourage me!

I wholeheartedly agree with your point that anyone in that position would have failed and also with akhtene's view that everyone around Frodo was pessimistic about his chances of success. It makes it all the more heartbreaking that he tortured himself so afterwards.

And actually, H.C., since you put it that way (the determination required to carry the Ring so far) I'm rethinking the terms 'success' and 'failure' in terms of the final task itself. Was Frodo's only REAL task to get the Ring there? Surely, knowing the nature of the thing, the 'wise' couldn't possibly have expected that he'd actually throw it in at the moment of truth? To actually destroy that thing which others couldn't even bear to let go of? I hate to think of them as unkind, but how could they not have known that it would be impossible and thus horribly cruel to send Frodo to do that which they knew in their own great wisdom could not be done? Surely they were leaving the actual 'throwing in' part up to some higher purpose or fate? Don't you think it would have been kind of them to let poor Frodo in on that little detail so he didn't have to beat himself up for years after? Because if that's the case, then Frodo actually succeeded and his self-recrimination was pointless.