Frodo Baggins

Throughout the trilogy, Frodo Baggins has been the protagonist of the story. However, his role in The Return of the King seems to be more as a supporting character. Frodo is a Hobbit who has been charged with taking the Ring to Mordor and destroying it. This quest is key to the story in the novel, as well as the entire trilogy, but in the overall action of the story appears to be simply one small aspect of a larger plan. Over the course of The Return of the King, Frodo becomes more worn, exhausted, and wounded. He is greatly affected physically by the Ring. The power of the Ring manifests as a physical weight around his neck. This burden becomes so great that at the end of the quest, Sam must literally carry Frodo up the mount to the Cracks of Doom.

Samwise (Sam) Gamgee

In...