However, a shocking new theory has risen to light about exactly why Denethor is the way he is. Perhaps his delusions, paranoia and terror are not down to him being too proud to ask for help, but rather because he is suffering a terrible fate that caused many to go mad in human history: Lead poisoning.
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To delve into this theory further, it is important to understand the context of lead poisoning, how it affects the body and mind, and how it brought down an entire civilization on earth in real-life history. Many archeologists believe that a contributing factor in why the Roman Empire failed, despite being one of the most advanced societies of its time, was due to the physiological and neurological effects of lead poisoning. The Romans used lead in everything, from their plates to their pipes, to incorporating it into their medicine, and eventually it took a toll on their population, especially their children who were unable to grow and develop properly under the effects of the terrible deficits it caused.
First of all, lead poisoning causes havoc in the homeostasis systems of the human body. It has been associated with several serious and sometimes even fatal illnesses and conditions, that are degenerative and gradually weaken the body to the point of imminent demise. Many patients who have been exposed to extreme lead poisoning across several months or years (like the romans were) experience convulsions, comas, and ultimately death.
Aside from the physical risks of the toxin, the toll it takes on the mental wellbeing of the individual is arguably even more horrifying. It has been associated with extreme anxiety, impulsiveness without sense or reason, aggression, and even psychopathy. Denethor arguably demonstrates every single one of these characteristics, from the physical attributes of him seeming aged and thin and sickly before his time, to the paranoia at thinking Theoden has betrayed him and abandoned the kingdom of Gondor to Sauron’s clutches, to the impulse to kill himself and Faramir on the pyre to escape a worse, fate, and finally the aggression he shows towards both Gandalf and Pippin when they try to stop him.
This theory of Denethor’s lead poisoning came about when certain audience members noticed Denethor’s eating utensils. In the famous scene in which Pippin sings ‘Edge of Night’, which is beautifully contrasted with Faramir and his men riding into deadly orc enemies to try to reclaim the hopeless stronghold of Osgiliath, Denethor is depicted eating lunch from a pewter plate.
Although this is of course simply a sign of his regality and decadence, the chilling and masterfully executed scene has raised more questions than simply why Denethor is sitting in his hall of kings when his people are outside suffering and dying. Pewter has been known to contain lead, as has the goblet that Denethor drinks from, and possibly even the tomatoes that he bursts disgustingly and spills everywhere. In times of Ancient Rome, tomatoes were often soaked in water in lead containers, so if this is the case in Minas Tirith, Denethor has been slowly consuming lead for a number of months and years, in the plates, cups, and even food he is being served.
When Gandalf then states “Since when did Denethor, son of Ecthellion, abandon reason for madness?” it may be that Denethor has no control over his actions of thoughts at this point, because he has actually gone mad from the effects of the lead slowly poisoning his brain and body.
There are many dangers facing those involved in the War of the Ring, and those dangers come from all directions, whether it’s in the form of the creatures lurking around in the background of Tolkien’s world, or the One Ring of power that can twist itself into the heart and the minds of even the strongest warriors, but in Denethor’s case, his greatest danger might not even be anything out there in the wider world of battle and evil and death as he fears, but very small and simple things that exist within his own halls, his own foods, and his own pride and paranoia giving him such a capacity for madness in the first place.
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