Should Thranduil be portrayed as evil and greedy as in the book?

He was shown as being rather less than nice at points and a touch acquisitive and a great deal more fallible than the Elves were shown to be in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films. I would hope that the production would chose to depict the character of Thranduil exactly as he was written by J.R.R. Tolkien.
 
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Fair point but he was definately greedy as Tolkien stated when introducing the character, and he was certainly evil in passages of the book (trying to claim a treasure that had nothing to do with him and bringing his whole army there, capturing innocent travelers for entering a forest which he claims was "his" forest etc etc)
 
I don't see Thranduil to be evil but very greedy. I'm curious how they will make Legolas react to his father's behavior and manners since Legolas is portrayed as a good boy and I can't imagine him to agree with his father and go to the battle just for the treasure and gold.
 
He does give aid to the people of Esgaroth so I can't see him as evil, just simply greedy and very mistrustful of dwarves. No doubt having them in his cave stronghold would conjure up bitter memories for him leading to his grim persona.
 
and I might add that there is a long history of bad dealings between the Dwarves & Elves. Also Thorin, driven by his desire to reclaim his home and Kingdom and wealth, was not acting humble as any trespassing vagrant captured by the King's men should. Everything about the Dwarve's behavior was suspicious. So there was some justification for Thranduil's treatment of them.
 
.... certainly not evil. A touch acquisitive, maybe, he likes gold and if there's an unclaimed treasure lying around he'll claim it. But he turns aside from that as soon as he sees that the Lake men have a real need. As for imprisoning the dwarves, that corner of Mirkwood is kept safe only through his power and the vigilance of his people and as an elf of the First Age he has good reason to mistrust dwarves - isn't he said elsewhere to have witnessed the fall of Doriath? The elves are rather insular - I daresay any dwarf blundering into Lorien alone would have been imprisoned also.

So, I think they should portray him as in the book - not evil (or greedy, really) - but aloof, proud, rather mistrustful, but quick to respond to genuine need - and to recognise genuine heroism - wherever he sees them.
 
His people had suffered under Smaug, if not as much as had the Dwarves and Men of the region. His expectations in light of his treatment of Thorin and Company may not have been very realistic, but they were not outrageous. Even his questioning and imprisonment of the Dwarves was reasonable from his point of view. The Wood-elves had been living under the threat of the Necromancer for quite some time and Thranduil had to have suspected the Dwarves of being spies or worse (especially as he had little cause to love Dwarves in light of past hostilities).
 
He was wary, distrustful, and guarded, and not without greed, but he did not come across as wicked at all. Indeed, he even states that he would tarry long before beginning any war for gold, and he is seen to be very friendly with Gandalf at various points, and not inhospitable to Bilbo, so I do not think evil is a proper assesment. Less lofty and beatific than the likes of Elrond, Galadriel, Glorfindel, Celeborn and Gildor? Sure. But not so much more than Haldir with his snappy comments and blindfolds. Less wise than The Wise, but not wicked.
He was shown as being rather less than nice at points and a touch acquisitive and a great deal more fallible than the Elves were shown to be in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films. I would hope that the production would chose to depict the character of Thranduil exactly as he was written by J.R.R. Tolkien.
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has made everyone sumWhat weird? How would YOU act? if on your Doorstep, a Dragon Lurks? It's a Daily-threath, like Stalking. You lose your interest in other people's hopes and dreams..since It's pretty "Tricksey Business living nextDoor to Un-Certain DEATH!" xoxoxOldBombadil
 
Yes he could seem severous and angry but he is not more than a kind man, dwarves disturbed they banquets and since they didn't talk they rightly were closed in 'prisons' but they were also well-treated and respected
 
I've made this point in another thread, but one could argue that Thranduil showed restraint, 'Long will I tarry ere I start this war for gold!' he might well have had the resources to storm the Lonely mountain with only 14 defenders but showed kingship in not doing so despite a history of some anomsity between the races! Maybe some of his Captains urged him to do so (Legolas possibly?)
 
...is an echo of Thingol from Tolkien's earlier "Silmarillion" writings, and each character shares many of the same proclivities (avarice or greed being one of the more disagreeable features of each).
Therefore, to have a fully rounded character and not some insufferable sainted Elf, it would do well for PJ to mirror Tolkien's subtle shading, and not have some one-dimensional character cut-out.
 
Greedy, maybe, or at least, he doesn't turn his back on the opportunity for gain.

I see him more as self-interested, at least until they get to the Lake and find that Laketown has been sacked and the people are in need. Reason seems to hold him back later on, but he does start out rather opportunistic.

and of course, if Thorin had been more forthcoming and communicative, their whole relationship could have been very different.


I actually see Thorin as being much more avaricious and selfish and greedy, his drive to reclaim the treasure and the hall has always been the driving force and he always seemed willing to risk other's lives to achieve his goal.
 
Thranduil is not a particularly sympathetic character but he is not by any stretch a villain. His actions concerning Thorin and his company upon their capture in Mirkwood are entirely understandable, and although he does have a nerve demanding treasure from Thorin at Erebor having locked him up a couple of weeks before (and with comparitively little damage done to his people) he is not avaricious enough to mobilise the rather hefty army he brings along to back up his claim. He is 'flawed' (though that sounds a bit too much like some romantic tragic hero for someone who is basically a bit of a pain in the arse) but he is not malicious, or evil and that should be reflected in the film.

Dr Death
 
Thorin and company did nothing to justify getting locked up for weeks in a basement. He even dares to lock up Thorin a particular dark and isolated cave, and then he has the nerve to claim somebody else's treasure which is 100% not his business, and does so with the intention of violence (bringing his whole army there). As Tolkien stated, Thranduil's weakness is his greed for jewels and precious stones - and he went to the Lonely Mountain with the intention of theivery and assault.
 
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He imprisons the dwarves because they're on his land, he thinks they've attacked his people and they won't explain what they're doing there - and remember that he remembers the sack of Doriath and the killing of Thingol; he has good reason not to like dwarves but even so, Tolkien does stress that he and his people had standards enough to make sure that their prisoners were properly fed and cared for - he's not an orc.

And yes, he does set out to claim some of what he believes to be an unguarded treasure, thinking the dwarves dead as well as Smaug, and that is a tad aquisitive of him (though on the other hand, who's to say, given the long history of the dwarves and elves, that some of the treasure might have been elvish in the first place, or he might think it is?)

But no moral standards? He turns aside from the march willingly to help the people of Laketown when he realises their plight and he's unwilling to begin a war over the gold alone (the implication, I think, is that he went armed because he was expecting orcs to be staking a claim on the treasure, or simply to turn up at some point, not because he was intending to fight Thorin's company.) I don't think you can say he has no moral standards - seems to me that Tolkien goes out of his way to show both the light and shadow in his character.
 
- from Peter Jackson and company.

Perhaps his dislike (and that of his kinsman Celeborn) could be explained - a little - indirectly - because of the sacking of Doriath by the Dwarves ??
 
It's a common misconception of Tolkien that his elves are morally perfect. The Silmarillion busts that myth, but a good portrayal of Thranduil will also help correct it.
 
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