Great start to the Symposium.
I was wondering whether their use of, and attitudes to their Rings also set Elrond and Galadriel apart?

"the most powerful being in Middle-Earth at this time [of The Hobbit]"

And a brilliant essay to start with. Galadriel has, and always will be, one of my favourite Tolkien characters (and not just because of her pretty dresses.)

This is more of a film-oriented question, but I'd still be interested in your opinion/s. Boyens (infamously) said of Galadriel:

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What do you think of this? Is she right, and in what aspects is she both right (and wrong)?

And another quite random thought is that Galadriel was simply keeping Gimli happy (3 strands of hair) - she's politically driven, and so she's just buttering him up. Is there any sincerity behind it?

The hairs are Gimli's idea, after the elves have (somewhat unrealistically?) not thought of a gift for him.

Galadriel's contribution is to praise Gimli for his courtliness - a skill that dwarves aren't popularly supposed to have.

Galadriel vs. Feanor: equally proud and ambitious. Interesting how you question Galadriel's scruples, since they are questionable. When Feanor was drawn to her beauty (specifically, her radiant hair) in a way that repelled her (reminds me of Melkor and Varda), her gut instinct was that there was something fundamentally wrong inside of Feanor. Was there something a little bit wrong in her too, just not to the same extent? If you think of it, her equals (Gandalf and Elrond) weren't tempted by the Ring to the same extent that she was. She also admitted to Frodo: "For many long years I had pondered what I might do, should the Great Ring come into my hands." Can you picture Elrond spending the centuries wondering what he'd do with the One? Or Cirdan? Certainly not Gandalf. The others are more humble in comparison to her, and I think her pride was what drove her greatness but was also the nick in her moral armor which the Ring was able to worm into. Oh that's a nice point CG. The words themselves, "many long years..." are a subtle little hint aren't they? Because I can see Gandalf and Elrond pondering for many long years on how to destroy it, yet without perhaps a second thought as to possessing it. Gandalf indicates in his words to Frodo in bag End that he is aware of its danger...but it doesn't give quite the same feel as JRRT wrote Galadriel saying that bit, does it? Indeed the element of pride is a decisive difference between Gandalf and Galadriel...Elrond, whether for less pride, more wisdom or less invested in ruling (? -open to debate) sees destruction as the clear choice. A big point of departure between Galadriel and Feanor is her ability to grow wiser over time. Had Feanor survived, I don't see him getting wiser. He'd be either more bitter in defeat or more vain in victory. She, by contrast, is on a path of learning and seems self-conscious about it with "I pass the test." Well...sigh...I suppose that is true. I have that sneaking fondness for Feanor, but no, I don't see him becoming tempered or wiser with time. Perhaps the very responsibilities of realizing her dream of ruling is a change in spirit for Galadriel, something Feanor never experienced (or seemed to want to.) The politics of the author are of interest here: he seemed to feel that those seeking power are thus, based on that desire, rather unqualified for the job.

Back to Demo's great essay: I think it says a lot about Galadriel's political acumen that she was able to get a Valinor pass for Gimli, who didn't have a very strong claim for a tourist visa since he wasn't a Ring-bearer. Mandos openly talked of killing Earendil, a Man who dared set foot in Aman, even though he was on a peaceful mission--these were not hospitable hosts. For Galadriel to persuade the Valar to let in a mortal Dwarf was quite a coup.
If you compare Galadriel to ALL the other Elven leaders, she's the boldest geopolitical activist against Sauron, isn't she? The others just stayed put: Gil-Galad and Cirdan never established an eastern kingdom to thwart Sauron's power. Rivendell was established as a refuge after the collapse of Hollin, but that was a reaction to disaster, not Elrond waking up on a Monday and saying, "I'm heading east to build a city to thwart Sauron's advance." Thranduil just happened to be in Sauron's way when they had conflict in Mirkwood. Galadriel was the only one who seemed to take out a map of Middle-earth and say, "This is where we are, that's where Sauron is, and this is where we need to be to counter him." I suppose Gandalf thought in geopolitical terms too, but not being the ruler-type, it was up to Galadriel to do the nation-building. I can see the nation-building in this context as potentially and (in a global sense) a very female role, albeit a strong one, in JRRT's view. The growth of alliances, the quiet summoning of resources...versus the warrior-king-prince motif. Gandalf being something else entirely - the wandering guide, the teacher, the court mage? Can extend and interesting parallel here between Eowyn and Galadriel: both start off rather brash and a bit on the side (Eowyn more so) of the warrior-prince motif, but both mature (as it were) into the nation-builder.

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Bravo!

Now, would you like a cappuccino as a reward, or fried horse liver? We might even let you sit on the sofa.