LotR -- Book 4 - Chapter 09 - Shelob’s Lair

[Lalwendë]

And sometimes as a man may cast a dainty to his cat (his cat he calls her, but she owns him not)...

Originally Posted by davem

I think 'owns' in this context is 'archaic' & means 'owns up to'/acknowleges - ie, he calls her his cat, but she doesn't acknowledge his ownership of her.

The play on words could go even further and mean that while he calls her his cat in terms of ownership, not only does he not belong to her, but she also does not even acknowledge his existence. A familiar thing with moggies.

[Firefoot]

Expanding on what Hilde said here:

But another curious thing to me was that Tolkien writes that Sméagol/Gollum had bowed down and worshipped Shelob. I understand why Gollum might be mentioned but why is Sméagol named here? Is this a hint about his basic nature?

It seems to me that what this is saying is that Gollum beheld her and bowed down and worshipped her, whereas Sméagol was the part who rooted around in the dark tunnels and such. The commas would seem to indicate that the "Smeagol...dark holes" part of the sentence is separate. I would take this further and say that this would imply that it is Gollum, not Smeagol per se, who is involved with Shelob, and this would make sense bearing in mind Smeagol's almost-redemption after coming back from Shelob. Also of interest: the use of the name Smeagol here would seem to be important. The only time Tolkien uses Smeagol in the narrative is when it is essential to distinguish between Gollum and Smeagol, such as when they are talking to each other. "Smeagol" is used almost wholly in diaglogue.

Also posted by Hilde:

Another facet that adds to the disturbing mood of the chapter is the “fey mood” Sam feels his master is in, after freeing himself of the tunnel. Sam does seem the only grounded thing in the whole surreal episode, and by the end he also seems so dreadfully alone.

I found this very odd. Frodo tends to be a clear-headed character, especially as the book progresses. Even when he does 'lose it,' it tends to be more along the lines of panic (cf. The Shadow of the Past). This fey mood seems very out of character for Frodo, and feels very ominous and disturbing - especially after his excellent display of courage in facing Shelob in the tunnel. I suppose this would be the release of the tension of Torech Ungol, but it still feels very disturbing.

The final point I would like to make concerns Gollum's plan. Compare these two quotes, only a paragraph apart from each other:

Everything had gone wrong with his beautiful plan, since that horrible light had so unexpectedly appeared in the darkness. And now he was face to face with a furious enemy, little less than his own size. This fight was not for him.

...the thought of Frodo and the monster smote upon Sam's mind. He spun round, and rushed wildly up the path, calling and calling his master's name. He was too late. So far Gollum's plot had succeeded.

Now, these would seem to contradict each other: first everything had gone wrong, but suddenly it is succeeding? I think the difference may be in the perspective. As far as Gollum can tell, nothing is going right. He had not accounted for the Phial, and he made the mistake of underestimating Sam. However, if the whole picture is looked at, Gollum's plot really was working, if not in the way he intended. Even if not inside the tunnel, he had managed to keep Frodo separate from Sam (and Frodo from the Phial), allowing Shelob to have her way with Frodo, which was really Gollum's hope, because Frodo had the Ring. He wanted Sam dead, of course, if more for personal reasons, but the Ring was his real goal here. Perhaps also the difference is in the wording: his plan failed, but his plot was succeeding. If all continued as was going, his ultimate goal would be achieved even if it hadn't gone according to his plan.

Oh, yes, and what a lovely note to end the chapter on: "He was too late. So far Gollum's plot had succeeded."

[Formendacil]

Rereading this chapter, the thing that struck me that hadn't struck ne before was the fact that the spawn of Ungoliant facing off against a remnant of the Light of the Trees can hardly have been a coincidence, but how much was it planned? This FEELS like the whole purpose of including the Phial in the story, but which story element came first? Memory is fallible and I haven't looked it up, but I want to say the Phial came first.

[Inziladun]

Originally Posted by Formendacil

Rereading this chapter, the thing that struck me that hadn't struck ne before was the fact that the spawn of Ungoliant facing off against a remnant of the Light of the Trees can hardly have been a coincidence, but how much was it planned? This FEELS like the whole purpose of including the Phial in the story, but which story element came first? Memory is fallible and I haven't looked it up, but I want to say the Phial came first.

Would this have been due to the foresight of Galadriel?

She was certainly around while the Trees were alive, and I don't think it's implausible that she could have thought the pass of Cirith Ungol was the route Frodo would be obliged to take into Mordor, and also have known about Shelob.
After all, it seems Shelob had once been in Mirkwood, as the book mentions that the Spiders encountered by Bilbo and the Dwarves were her spawn.
A lesser light of the Trees to fight a diminished version of Ungoliant. How apt!