Bound by Elven rope, Gollum attempts to strike a bargain with the hobbits. Back in his subservient guise, pleading for lenience, Gollum is rejoined with his aching Pity theme. He is still both characters, needy Sméagol and nasty Gollum. Alto flute and cor anglais again pick up the Pity theme until Gollum offers to swear upon the Ring to help. Solo oboe segues into the History of the Ring—conjoining Gollum’s Pity and the Ring’s History for the first time in the story.

Sam is suspicious. He rushes the captive as low strings recoil with an extension of the Pity of Gollum. Frodo, however, is more sympathetic to Gollum’s plight. He sees in Gollum his own suffering and strife—and possibly his future. He asks Gollum to guide them to Mordor and Shore introduces a new member of Sauron’s musical menagerie, The Way to Mordor, in solo French horn over expectant tremolo strings. Gollum agrees to lead the journey to Sauron’s domain.

Freed, Gollum lopes though Emyn Muil’s blades of rock while a grotesque twist on his Menace theme provides a bit of traveling music, first in cimbalom, then in stopped French horn. As he leads the hobbits on, winds and strings pick up the first three notes of the Pity of Gollum, flinging them through a harmonic gamut as the trio passes out of sight.

© The Annotated Score (The Music of The Lord of the Rings Films)