Sauron and Saruman

Sauron and Saruman is a relationship of alliance and betrayal that forms a dark counterpoint to the Fellowship of the Ring. Saruman, the head of the White Council and the wisest of the Istari, secretly allies with Sauron, the Dark Lord of Mordor, hoping to use the One Ring to become its master. The relationship traces a trajectory from Saruman's initial deception of Gandalf to his final humiliation and abandonment, revealing the self-destructive nature of evil. Their alliance is not one of equals but of a master and a would-be usurper, and its collapse mirrors the larger defeat of Sauron's forces in the War of the Ring.

The Alliance and Its Deception

The relationship begins in deception. When Gandalf comes to Saruman's dwelling in Isengard, seeking aid against the Nine Ringwraiths who have crossed the River, Saruman reveals his true allegiance. He laughs at Gandalf's mention of Radagast the Brown, calling him "Radagast the Bird-tamer! Radagast the Simple! Radagast the Fool!" and boasts that he had used Radagast to lure Gandalf to Isengard. Saruman declares himself "Saruman the Wise, Saruman Ring-maker, Saruman of Many Colours," and his robes, which had seemed white, are revealed to be woven of all colours, shimmering and changing hue as he moves. Gandalf's reply, "I liked white better," marks the first open break between the two wizards. Saruman's claim to be a Ring-maker signals his ambition to forge a ring of his own power, a direct challenge to Sauron's supremacy.

The Betrayal and Its Consequences

The betrayal has immediate consequences for the quest. Saruman's alliance with Sauron leads him to send the Uruk-hai to capture the hobbits Merry and Pippin, an act that sets in motion the events at the Battle of Helm's Deep and the destruction of Isengard. The relationship between Sauron and Saruman is one of mutual suspicion and self-interest. Saruman believes he can use Sauron's power for his own ends, but he is ultimately a servant, not a partner. When Gandalf, now returned as Gandalf the White, confronts Saruman at Orthanc, he offers him a chance to repent, but Saruman refuses, choosing to "stay and gnaw the ends of your old plots." Gandalf then casts him from the order and from the Council, declaring, "You have no colour now." This act strips Saruman of his identity as a wizard, leaving him a broken and diminished figure.

The Downfall and Abandonment

The final stage of the relationship is Saruman's complete abandonment by Sauron. After the Dark Tower falls and the King returns to Gondor, Saruman is reduced to a beggar in the wilderness. Frodo, encountering one of Saruman's ruffians in the Shire, tells him, "Isengard has been destroyed, and your precious master is a beggar in the wilderness. I passed him on the road." The ruffian's mocking response, "A beggar in the wilderness! Oh, is he indeed?" reveals that even Saruman's own servants no longer believe in his power. The relationship ends not with a dramatic confrontation but with a quiet, ignominious decline. Saruman, who once sought to rival Sauron, is left with nothing, his alliance having brought him only ruin. The relationship between Sauron and Saruman thus serves as a cautionary tale about the corrupting nature of power and the futility of trying to outwit evil.