Denethor II, son of Ecthelion II, is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's novel The Lord of the Rings. He was the 26th ruling Steward of Gondor, dying by suicide in the besieged city of Minas Tirith during the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.
Denethor is depicted as embittered and despairing as the forces of Mordor close in on Gondor. Critics have noted the contrast between Denethor and both Théoden, the good king of Rohan, and Aragorn, the true king of Gondor. Others have likened Denethor to Shakespeare's King Lear, as both rulers fall into dangerous despair.<!--summarizes cited text in article body-->
In The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, Peter Jackson chose to depict Denethor, played by John Noble, as greedy and self-indulgent, quite unlike Tolkien's powerful leader.
Other characters called Denethor in Tolkien's legendarium are Denethor I, a previous Steward (reigning from 2435 to 2477) and Denethor, son of Lenwë, a king of the Nandor.
Fictional biography
thumb|upright|right|Flag of the [[Stewards of Gondor]]
In Tolkien's Middle-earth, Denethor is the first son and third child of Ecthelion II, a Steward of Gondor. He marries Finduilas, daughter of Prince Adrahil of Dol Amroth. She gives birth to two sons, Boromir and Faramir, but dies when they are ten and five years old, respectively. Denethor never remarries, and becomes grimmer and more silent than before. He is a man of great will, foresight, and strength, but also overconfident.
Unlike Saruman, Denethor is too strong to be corrupted directly by Sauron. He begins secretly using a palantír to probe Sauron's strength, incorrectly insisting he can control it. The effort ages him quickly, and the impression of Sauron's overwhelming force that he gains from the palantír depresses him greatly, as Sauron biases what Denethor sees.<!--Shippey has plenty on this also--> Boromir's death depresses Denethor further. Nonetheless he continues to fight Sauron until the forces of Mordor arrive at the gates of Minas Tirith, at which point he loses all hope. In the published essay on the palantíri, Tolkien wrote:
As invasion becomes certain, Denethor orders the warning beacons of Gondor to be lit, and summons forces from Gondor's provinces while the people of Minas Tirith are sent away to safety.