A fantasy is an imaginary world where all things imaginable can be brought to life. J.R.R Tolkien portrayed fantasy through his use of skilled craftsmanship and a vivid imagination, which was presented in each piece of literature he wrote. In Tolkien's two stories The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings we see the theme of fantasy brought to life through three essential elements, heroism, magic and retribution. Heroism is shown through the character's courage and bravery in situations where conflict arises and this enables them to be seen in a new light. Magic is a form of extraordinary power seemingly through a supernatural force; it is used in a combination of combat and mystical items to aid the companions on their journey. Retribution is paid to the evil forces for the wrongs society had to endure while they were allowed to dominate. This system allows opportunity for physical and mental development in the characters and the aspect of fantasy to come to life.

During the character's quest, weather they were headed to the Lonely Mountains or to the Cracks of Doom, they always experienced a form of heroism. In the story The Hobbit, we see heroic deeds being accomplished

After a long journey, through forests and mountains, the characters put all the hardships aside and engage their enemies in an attempt to pay retribution for society. In The Hobbit, the companions first encounter the need for retribution when they come across a group of trolls roasting mutton. They are captured by these dark monsters and are forced to listen to the grotesque descriptions the trolls use in an argument on how to prepare them. However, Gandalf comes to their rescue and distracts the trolls till morning, at which point they are turned to stone by the sun. " 'Dawn take you all, and be stone to you!' ... For trolls, as you probably know, must be underground before dawn." (38 - 39) Retribution can be found in most of the charters experiences, in The Hobbit this proves true near the end of their quest. Tragedy almost occurred when men, elves and dwarves were near battle over the dragons cache; suddenly out of the depths of the mountains darkness peered its ugly head. Goblins, Warg wolves and fearful bats attacked the group and they were all forced into a fight, The Battle of Five Armies had begun. With the battle almost lost they gave up faith in glory, as all hope dwindled a great shadow of light coved the sky; the Great Eagles of the North had arrived to aid all that was good. The tide was turned and evil was shown its weakness; they began to flee. " ' The Eagles! The Eagles!' Bilbo cried, dancing and weaving his arms." (262)

All through the characters journeys in Middle-earth we see the elements of fantasy play a major role, not only in the development of the plot but also in the growth in the characters. Acts of heroism build the structure of the book, creating suspense and intrigue, this hooks the readers to the plot forcing them to continue to read till stories end. Magic is essential to the storyline, without it the characters would be perceived as immortal, it adds flavor and a sense of danger to the novel. This extinguishes the immortal image and allows opportunity for the writers creative skill to be exposed. Every fantasy requires retribution in order to depict to the reader the moral that evil is wrong. It also allows the people of the story to be ensured that their hardships don't go unnoticed and to be content in knowing that punishment was induced upon their oppressors. Through this system the author allows the reader to fully understand the characters, as well as the major changes both physically and mentally which allow the characters to successfully complete their task to dominate over the forces of evil.

by the main character Bilbo. This occurs when the companions do battle with giant venomous spiders in Mirkwood forest. Bilbo finds depth and strength in his nature that he was surprised was there and smote these villainous creatures all on his own, saving his friends and adding to his stature among those in the group. "Somehow the killing of the giant spider, all alone by himself in the dark without the help of the wizard or the Dwarves or anyone else, made a great difference to Mr. Baggins." (144) There are numerous other opportunities to experience heroism in The Ho

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Approximate Word count = 2111
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)