Characters
Bilbo :
Bilbo Baggins is a Hobbit from the shire. He is a short human like person with hairy feet. Bilbo lives a comfortable life in his Hobbit Hole at Bag end, until the day the wizard Gandalf turns up and takes him on a quest with the company of dwarves who want to reclaim their homeland form the evil dragon Smaug. Bilbo plays an important role as the company's burglar and gets them out of many difficult situations. Bilbo's courage grows as his journey continues. His game with Gollum is a crucial part of his journey and introduces us to the ring of power which is to change Middle Earth forever. Bilbo decides to return to Hobbiton at the end of his journey.
Gandalf:
Gandalf The Grey is a wise and powerful wizard who always seems to know more about what is happening in Middle Earth then he reveals to the other characters. He is very mysterious. Gandalf often leaves the company to become involved in other matters, for example when he goes to fight the necromancer. He always seems to appear on the journey when he is needed the most. He helps the dwarves on their quest, but does not have any interest in their treasures unlike other characters in the novel. Gandalf always knows more about what is happening then the reader and other characters in the novel do.
Thorin:
Thorin Oakenshield is the leader of the dwarves who are on a quest to reclaim their homeland and treasure. Thorin is brave, stubborn, proud and like most dwarves greedy for gold. Thorin in the beginning of the novel appears to be a brave and heroic dwarf but as the novel goes on Thorin's true character is revealed. He is not a true leader and makes quick and poor decisions. He also relies more and more on Bilbo who he most of the time he sees as unimportant. When Thorin gets into the mountain and with the treasure he becomes greedy and goes mad. He would rather fight the People of Lake town then share the treasure. As he dies he apologises to Bilbo and his role in the novel is to show us that Bilbo is the true hero.
Smaug:
Smaug is the Great Dragon who lives in the Lonely Mountain. Many years ago Smaug drove the dwarves away from the mountain and took their gold. He can breath fire and his huge wings can make him fly long distances. HIs armour like skin makes it almost impossible to kill him. Smaug can speak and is very evil.
Gollum:
Gollum is a strange, twisted creature who lives deep in the caves of Moria beneath the Misty Mountains. Gollum sits in his cave talking to his "precious" a magic golden ring until he accidently loses it and Bilbo finds it. The ring and Gollum play important roles in The Lord of The Rings Trilogy.
Bard:
Bard is a human who is the captain of the Guard in Lake Town, The human city close to the Lonely Mountain. Bard finds Smaugs weak spot with information given to him by Bilbo and kills him.
Other Characters:
Other characters include the remaining company of dwarves Fili, KIli, Dwalin, Balin, Oin, Gloin, Ori, Dori, Nori, Bifur, Bofur and Bombur. The Elves such as Elrond of Rivendell, The Elves of Mirkwood and Thranduil their king. Beorn the skin changer, The humans of Lake Town and evil creatures such as Trolls, Goblins and Wargs.