One of the posters for “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” (2003) featuring Aragorn.

“Courage, Merry. Courage for our friends.”

c. 1300, corage, "heart (as the seat of emotions)," hence "spirit, temperament, state or frame of mind," from Old French corage "heart, innermost feelings; temper" (12c., Modern French courage), from Vulgar Latin *coraticum (source of Italian coraggio, Spanish coraje), from Latin cor "heart" (from PIE root *kerd- "heart")

Courage, meaning strength of heart: that is what these films are about; that is what this story is about. Courage in the face of fear, as true courage cannot exist without fear. These characters face, feel, and overcome tremendous fear, even as the threat of despair closes in around them from every possible angle: vast armies; enormous and terrible foes; unspeakable acts of evil. Still, they do not give into it. Only Denethor fails at this noble, near impossible task, and, if we can be empathetic, we understand his failure. Hope seemed lost to him. But remember what Tolkien wrote (as Gandalf): “Despair is only for those who see the end beyond all doubt. We do not.” And remember what Sam said at Osgiliath:

It’s like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were, and sometimes you didn’t want to know the end, because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was after so much bad had happened? But in the end, it’s only a passing thing. This darkness, even shadow, must pass. And when a new day comes it’ll shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back only they didn’t. Because they were holding onto something.

And finally, Aragorn, to his army, before the black gates of Mordor, before the Eye of Sauron himself: “I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me. There may come a day when the courage of men fails, but it is not this day. This day we fight.” For Frodo.

People joke that this movie has five endings and it does. It needs and deserves them: an ending to the Ring; an ending for the Fellowship; an ending of an age; an ending to a life; and a hopeful ending for all of us, but mostly for Sam. The last frame: a sunny door of a hobbit hole closing on a loving home. These films are a masterpiece and a treasure for the ages. They did Tolkien’s story justice.