The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers

In the final sequence, Gollum leads Frodo and Sam further into the forest. His split personalities secretly devise a plan to reclaim the Ring by taking the hobbits to a mysterious "Her," the venomous spider Shelob at Cirith Ungol. The camera pans up from the thorny forest, rolling upwards past a black, rocky mountainside to twin towers of evil: Barad-dûr, where Sauron's flaming, watchful eye looms, and Mount Doom, where menacing smoke and flames fill the sky with its amber colors. Nazgul fly in circles, hunting for their prey. The apocalyptic image is chilling and hints toward the enormous battles and foes that still lie ahead. The arduous challenges of Helm's Deep and defeating Saruman were just the beginning.

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

On another level one could argue that these towers were indeed The Two Towers because both held Palanti (seeing stones) and it was through their use that much evil came to pass during the later years of the third age of Middle-earth. However, one could also argue that if the palanti determined The Two Towers then the title should be the Three Towers as three palanti were involved, the two from Orthanc and Minas Morgul and the one used by Denethor in Minas Tirith.

Another reason that throws doubt on Cirith Ungol as a contender for one of The Two Towers is in its name, Cirith Ungol - spider's pass (no reference to it being a tower). That there was a tower here is not in doubt, as Chapter 1 of Book VI is called The Tower of Cirith Ungol. What does cause doubt are the facts that Cirith Ungol was, firstly, one of many minor towers built around Mordor by the men of Numenor - others were Narchost and Carchost, fire fort and fang fort respectively or Towers of the Teeth; Durthang, dark opposition and Isenmouthe or Carach Angren, Iron Jaws. These towers / fortifications were built to stop evil from escaping from or to Mordor, but when compared to Orthanc, Minas Morgul or Minas Tirith they are not really in the same class. Secondly, The Tower of Cirith Ungol is not part of The Two Towers, it is a chapter in The Return of the King: it is sundered from The Two Towers by more than two hundred pages, which really does not help to make things clear.Whatever the arguments may be I am content to go along with the author's view, as expressed in his letter referred to above, that The Two Towers are Orthanc and the Tower of Cirith Ungol.

I always wondered which are the two towers that are referred to in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. My memory is a bit hazy right now but there are at least 5 Towers that are mentioned in the book they are:

Tolkien came up with the title under deadline pressure and later expressed dissatisfaction with it. In letters and one sketch he considered several possible sets of towers, including Minas Tirith and the Barad-dûr, and even the possibility of leaving the matter ambiguous. However, he eventually settled on Orthanc and Minas Morgul and wrote a note to this effect which appears at the end of most editions of The Fellowship of the Ring. He also produced a final cover illustration showing these towers, but the publisher decided not to use it in order to save money on the production costs.

In a subsequent letter to Rayner Unwin, Tolkien is more definite that the Two Towers are 'Orthanc and the Tower of Cirith Ungol'. On the other hand, in his original design for the jacket of 'The Two Towers' the Towers are certainly Orthanc and Minas Morgul. Orthanc is shown as a black tower, three-homed (as seen in Pictures no. 27), and with the sign of the White Hand beside it; Minas Morgul is a white tower, with a thin waning moon above it, in reference to its original name. Minas Ithil, the Tower of the Rising Moon ('The Fellowship of the Ring' p. 257). Between the two towers a Nazgûl flies.

I would add to that answer only: when Peter Jackson made the movies he wisely decided to state clearly that the "two towers" of the title were the towers of the main antagonists: Orthanc and Barad-dur. Saruman in the movie has a voiceover monologue where he declares that the world of men cannot withstand an alliance of the two towers, meaning his and Sauron's towers.

Except that when Faramir has Frodo and Sam captured, Sam is scolding Faramir. He asks Faramir if he wants to have 'two towers smiling at each other across the river' referring to Minas Tirith and Minas Morgul.

There's no real argument for it being what the title is referring to, but it's interesting to note that the phrase "two towers" is used to describe the black gate in The Return of the King when Aragorn rides up to it with the host of Gondor.

Cirith Gorgor, the Black Gate, guarded by the two Towers of the Teeth, Carchost and Narchost. See chapter the chapter entitled, "The Black Gate is Closed." As far as I'm can recall, it's the only time the phrase "Two towers" is used in the whole book and I'd argue that's likely what is being referenced.

Gandalf calls his horse, Shadowfax, one of the Mearses. He is the lord of all horses. Treebeard is instructed by Gandalf to keep the hobbits safe. He explains the anger of trees on being mercilessly cut down.

Smeagol and Gollum debate what to do with the Hobbits. The former asks the latter to leave him forever because The Master will protect him. He dances his dance of freedom. He even brings food for Frodo. As Smeagol and Sam debate how to eat it, Frodo follows the squeaking of a bird that leads him to an advancing army of wicked men, servants of Sauron. The dark lord is preparing for the final war to take over Middle Earth.

The epic story of tiny men doing very important things continues.* In this multi-hour installment the two very different towers come into sharp focus. You see, whereas one tower is the domain of a once great but now evil sorcerer who rules over an army of orcs and is bent on destroying man and taking possession of the One Ring, the other tower is the domain of a once great but now evil sorcerer who rules over an army of orcs and is bent on destroying man and taking possession of the One Ring, but - BUT - his name begins with an "S", and also contains the letters "a", "u", "r", "n", whereas the other tower guy's name begins with an "S", contains the letters "a", "u", "r", and "n" HAS NO "m" AND ADDS AN "o"! And the differences don't end there: one of the guy's names is seven letters whereas the other has six! 041b061a72