Stance on the Crimes of Fëanor and his sons

     Portraying the prosecutor in the trial of the Sons of Fëanor led me to dig deeper into the moral and spiritual consequences of their deeds throughout The Silmarillion. At first, when I initially read about their oath and the subsequent tragic circumstances, I saw them as chiefly victims of fate — cursed by their father's pride and caught up in forces beyond their control. But taking the prosecutorial role turned that perspective right on its head. Through developing the charges and arguments, I recognized how much personal control each of the sons continued to have in spite of the so-called "oath" or "curse."


Arguing for the Sons of Fëanor's prosecution for their pride, treachery, and habitual slayings of kin made me notice just how deliberate much of their behavior was. They were not puppets of destiny; they chose to act savagely even on notice by the Prophecy of the North. I couldn't resist referring to the biblical precept that temptation or deception doesn't absolve one of guilt — just as Adam and Eve were punished for disobedience even when they had been misled. That comparison helped me form my argument that the oath of the Sons of Fëanor wasn't enough as an excuse for their transgressions.


Collectively, the prosecution's argument was as follows: the Sons of Fëanor were guilty on nearly every charge. We believed their ongoing violence — even after notice and seeing the devastation that they caused — constituted a callous disregard for morality and the divine law. We believed that labeling their actions as "tragic but doomed" would abrogate their personal responsibility. While tragedy was indeed present, it did not eliminate guilt.


When the jury delivered their verdict, I tended to agree with them. From what I had gathered, they viewed the Sons of Fëanor as guilty and tragic — acknowledging the power of the curse yet nonetheless holding them accountable for what they had done. I think that was a fair balance, even though, as the prosecutor, I would have wanted more emphasis on justice and punishment than compassion. Sons of Fëanor's tale is certainly tragic, yet tragedy does not imply innocence.


Overall, the reading caused me to look deeper into the characters. What had initially seemed to me an epic tale of heroism and fate now reads like a moralistic fable of pride, obstinacy, and the danger of blind loyalty. Reading from the prosecution's perspective caused me to recognize that even in myth there needs to be justice — lest otherwise, tragedy is used as an excuse rather than as a lesson.

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