Which hobbit is the central protagonist of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings?

Frodo Baggins is the central protagonist of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.

Frodo inherits the One Ring from his uncle Bilbo Baggins and eventually accepts the task of taking it to Mount Doom. The Ring must be destroyed there because it was created in the mountain’s fire and cannot be safely destroyed by ordinary means.

Frodo leaves Hobbiton with Samwise Gamgee and later joins the Fellowship of the Ring in Rivendell. The Fellowship breaks apart after the attempt to cross the Emyn Muil region, but Frodo and Sam continue toward Mordor. Gollum becomes their guide and later betrays them near Cirith Ungol.

Frodo is sometimes described as destroying the Ring himself, but the final destruction results from Gollum’s fall into the fires of Mount Doom while holding it. Tolkien’s ending also emphasizes that Frodo is physically and emotionally changed by his journey.