Haven’t read the book(s), have only seen the movies. Denethor is portrayed as a total bastard from the moment Gandalf and Pippin arrive until he takes a flaming swan dive off of the pulpit. Why? Was he just totally depressed over the death of Boromir? Or something else?
Well, in the book he’d been spending years staring into a Palantir, and seeing mostly what Sauron Wanted Him To See, so he was pretty much on the brink of despair at the idea of what to him seemed Sauron’s all-but-certain victory and the destruction of everything he held dear.
Also, apparently the death of his wife a long time ago screwed him up a bit.
None of this is clear from the movie however.
Plus he was pissed that Gandalf was apparently plotting to put Isildur’s Heir back on the top step of the throne room.
Just in case it’s not obvious, that would be a demotion for Denethor, from regent steward to just steward.
I never did like that guy.
I loved the movies, and generally shied away from criticisms along the lines of: that wasn’t in the books!! but I remember thinking that of all the deviations, the treatment of Denethor was about the worst. He’s kind of a caricature in the movie, but not like that in the books.
Denethor is a proud, masterful man that has watched what he considers the inevitable decline of his realm, and the possible usurpation (in his view) of his rule by the heir of Isildur (Aragorn).
Couple that with bitterness from his wife’s death while giving birth to Faramir and Boromir’s death and you can see where the the madness could begin.
Check out page 241 in “Letters of JRR Tolkien” for some of the author’s insights into Denethor:
Well done.
The answer to this is that we don’t know, because Peter Jackson doesn’t give us any valid reason for turning Denethor into a complete bastard. So your guess is as good as anyone’s.
In the books, to be quite plain, he’s not such a bastard. He is a much more nuanced person, and not really “evil”, but rather tragically flawed. He’s one of the last of a long line of Very Important People, a “race” (if you will) of men who have been favored by the “gods” for over 6000 years. He is of the opinion that his country is the most important political entity in Middle Earth, because it’s the last country that is ruled by his Very Important People (the Dúnedain, “Men of the West”). He’s also got a chip on his shoulder that is about 1000 years old, having to do with the fact that he’s not really the “King” of his country, but rather the “ruling Steward”, because when the last king of Gondor disappeared, no one knew whether he lived or died (he disappeared into Minas Morgul and was never seen again), so the king’s Steward at the time simply took over running things unless and until the rightful King returns. Denethor doesn’t like that; he feels that, after 1000 years of running Gondor, his line of the Very Important People should be considered kings.
Life’s been hard on Denethor. He marries a very lovely woman (Finduilas), daughter of a Prince (don’t ask; it’s complicated), who dies shortly after giving birth to two sons (Boromir and Faramir). Denethor grieves her loss. During Denethor’s time as ruling Steward, Sauron has been flexing his muscles, and Gondor has been hard pressed to hold back the increasing might of Mordor. And, as if this weren’t enough to weigh on him, when his father was running things, a complete stranger showed up and, through his valor and puissance won the allegiance and love of much of the population of Minas Tirith, as opposed to Denethor. It turns out that Denethor probably manages to figure out that this “stranger”, named Thorongil, was actually Aragorn, son of Arathorn, the putative heir to both Arnor and Gondor.
By the time of the War of the Ring, Denethor’s viewpoint is becoming increasingly warped, due to his arrogance in trying to use the palantir of Minas Tirith. Despite the fact he can guess that Sauron has the palantir of Minas Morgul (formerly Minas Ithil), the considers himself strong enough to use the stone without peril of being subverted in will. As it turns out, he is correct in this; Sauron never manages to convert Denethor to an ally (see for comparison Saruman, who had the Orthanc palantir). But Sauron does have the ability to cause Denethor to see things in a slanted way, by controlling what the stone Denethor is using can see. Thus, Denethor sees the massive buildup of troops and weapons and engines of siege by Mordor, sees the battles that go poorly, etc. This slowly causes Denethor to despair of victory.
Finally, Denethor is pretty certain that Gandalf has as his intention the Return of the King to Minas Tirith. Thus, he does not trust Gandalf, even though Gandalf could help Gondor resist Mordor. Denethor has no intention of becoming a steward to a new king of Gondor. So he tries to hinder Gandalf, and rejects his counsel.
To sum it up, he’s a proud man, burdened by trying to overcome the coming apocalypse, beaten down by the loss of his lovely wife, and jealous of the ongoing attempts to put the King back on the throne. He places too much reliance on the importance of the might of men (meaning, of course, men of Gondor, aided by their allies in Rohan; he would totally reject with contempt the help of the pukel men), and doesn’t think that the elves, or the istari, or the gods themselves, will be of much value. Into this situation, add the fact that he learns JUST before Gandalf and Pippen arrive that his eldest son has been killed somewhere to the north. Then, in walks Gandalf, with a “halfling” at his side, who was with Boromir on the journey south. Denethor well comprehends the meaning of “Isildur’s Bane” from the dream Boromir and Faramir had, and he also is not so stupid as to fail to understand who would have the “sword that was broken.” So when Gandalf walks in with Peregrin Took, Denethor will totally understand that the jig is up, Aragorn is on his way, and Denethor’s attempt to defeat Sauron will only lead to him having to give up power.
Then, of course, his other son gets wounded, and appears to be dying. It’s just a bit much for our good Steward. 
Pride and despair! Didst thou think that the eyes of the White Tower were blind? Nay, I have seen more than thou knowest, Grey Fool. For thy hope is but ignorance. Go then and labour in healing! Go forth and fight! Vanity. For a little space you may triumph on the field, for a day. But against the Power that now arises there is no victory. To this City only the first finger of its hand has yet been stretched. All the East is moving. And even now the wind of thy hope cheats thee and wafts up Anduin a fleet with black sails. The West has failed. It is time for all to depart who would not be slaves.
Obligatory nitpick- it’s mentioned that Faramir can remember his mother, if dimly. Given that he’s not Princess Leia, she presumably didn’t die giving birth to him.
DsYoungEsq, great writeup, but I don’t think Denethor thought the stewards should become kings. He still revered the memory and power of the old kings, even if he thought Aragorn was not a qualified replacement. Letting the stewards declare themselves kings would be an insult to Gondor. From Faramir’s conversation with Frodo:
Indeed!
The only thing I’d add is that when Denethor questions Pippin about his journey, one thing apparent to Denethor (per Gandalf in conversation with Pippin afterwards) is that Boromir was not the one who led the company after Gandalf fell in Moria. And together with the other things DSY lists in his summary of what Denethor knows, it’s pretty clear to Denethor who that person must be, and that he can’t be very far away right now.
The Stewards of Gondor have spent centuries faithfully waiting for what is basically humanity’s messiah, and when he shows up he’s this scruffy ranger. Oh, and Gandalf (who has spent those same centuries making a general scruffy nuisance of himself) is also there, being exactly as scruffy and irritating as always.
It’s a tale as old as time. Boy, who is the scion of a noble line, is meant to save humanity. Boy makes himself known to the leaders of those he is meant to save. Boy is rejected by those in power. Boy makes great sacrifices despite being rejected by his people. Boy becomes King of all Men. Boy leads humanity into a glorious new age.
And that’s only one of the Christ figures in the trilogy!
Since we’re on the topic, the movie changed what Gondor knew about Aragorn. In the books, Boromir had no idea that such a person as Aragorn or Isildur’s heir even existed. But in the movie, he clearly had heard of Aragorn and knew had at least a potential claim on Gondor’s throne, but was surprised to find he was just a “scruffy ranger”.
And to be fair, Denethor is absolutely correct. The West is doomed, because Sauron’s forces are overwhelmingly stronger. The best to hope for is to delay them for a short while.
The only reason the good guys did win was a lucky decapitation strike that neutralized Sauron himself.
Recall, too, that Denethor being a dick is necessary. It’s his contrast with Faramir - Boromir being off-camera and dead by this time - that saves the race of men.
Behold!
Boromir - Fatally arrogant and susceptible to corruption by merely being near the ring. In the end, he doesn’t even realize he’s been corrupted until he’s dying. He’s clearly unworthy of leading the world of men.
Denethor - Also arrogant, the sort of arrogance that only generations of rule - stewardship, I know, but king in all but name - can bring to a man. But he despairs of his line and his own ability to keep it together. That insecurity leads him to the palantir and his eventual corruption by Sauron. He’s never near the ring but he’s primed to fall long before he ever uses the seeing stone.
Faramir - Is, by Tolkein’s writing, the only reason to show that the race of man - not the dunedain, but the rest - and worthy of saving. He is a white, marble hero. Because he’s so filled with nobility - “by some chance the blood of the old race ran nearly pure in him” (quote approx.) - he is able to overcome the temptation of power of the ring, even promising Frodo - sight unseen - that he wouldn’t use it if he found it in the road. And he sticks to that promise - in the book, at least - when he discovers what Frodo’s carrying.
Faramir’s strength is what earns the race of man the ability to be held worthy of redemption and survival. The contrast between the three men of the line of stewards sets up the problem for Aragorn as he moves to take the throne back.
Good points (by you and others). I just want to point out that we’re also meant to compare/contrast Denethor with Theoden.
It also provides a very keen contrast with the OTHER deranged old king in the south: King Theoden (who DID take Gandalf up on his offer of assistance), AND allows for Aragorn to ascend the throne without having to look like the entitled dick who is stealing the power from a loyal public servant whose family have kept things running for literally thousands of years.
If Denethor WASN’T depressed and suicidal, he’d either have to be offed in battle (boooring, and Tolkien really wasn’t into the whole “glorifying death in battle” nonsense after his personal experiences), or somehow maneuvered into accepting Aragorn as king (which was already done so beautifully with Boromir, so it wouldn’t be narratively satisfying).
lol - ninjaed on the Theoden contrast! the perils of posting at work. 