: : I've been mulling this Arwen thing over in my mind for some time. One day I'm okay with having her be more "active" in the film and then I lean the other way. I'm afraid my current stance is to let Peter Jackson do as he feels best. I can certainly invent a logical argument that would allow Arwen to use some formidable Elvish powers if she chose to do so. And it wouldn't be entirely out of place for the Elven females in general to be a bit more active at this particular time. After all Sauron is pressing the battle on every front and the outcome is uncertain. The whole thing hangs on an almost futile attempt by two lone Hobbits to destroy the One Ring. Wouldn't the whole population be engaged in some defensive or offensive activity? I only hope that Jackson does not combine the Arwen/Eowyn characters into one person. I believe that there's plenty of room for several women in the film. To have Arwen stuck at home with the knitting is hardly a display of Qeenly character. Does anyone recall how many times Arwen is actually seen in the main part of the book? I don't have time to look right now, but it seems to me we would hardly even know that Arwen was alive if Jackson follows the book verbatum (and doesn't use the Appendices).

***Rest assured. Arwen and Eowyn will be two distinct characters in PJ's film. The New Line casting breakdown listed two separate characters, and actresses were considered "right" for one but not the other during the auditions that followed.

: I am okay with a bigger role for Arwën, but not one as a heroine. That is simply out of context with the role of elvish women, how many of them played an active and offensive role? I can think of one; Luthien, and that is it (well there was Turgon's siter whose name eludes me for the moment). But Luthien had a very special mission ending in Eärendil's journey.
: I percieve the elvish women as playing a "victorian" or roman role in Tolkien's perception, while the shieldmaidens of germanic fame stands out among the edain and northmen.
: :-( Palle

***Again referring to the casting breakdown, we might as well get used to the idea that in the film Arwen will have a "larger" role than in the book. I still believe she will not be made to do anything out of line with the lady Tolkien wrote, but PJ seems to want to stress the romantic story between Arwen and Aragorn for its obvious dramatic tension and payoff.