In search of

[Garaelb]

Greetings

I'm looking for essays and discussions on the personalities and motivations on the principle characters of the books. I thought this might be a good place to ask around.

[Ñólendil]

Welcome. I don't think there is much to find.

In Morgoth's Ring, which is Part 1 of The History of The Silmarillion and Volume X of the History of Middle-earth, is an essay called Notes on motives in the Silmarillion, it's in the Myths Transformed section. Contained therein is an essay entitled "Melkor/Morgoth" and you will find a fascinating read all about the personalities and motivations, as you said, of Morgoth and Sauron.

But Tolkien didn't seem to write many personal essays. In War of the Jewels (P1 of History of Silmarillion and Vol. XI of HoMe), there is a very short essay on the motives of Maeglin, Eöl and Celegorm in their story, which was published in The Silmarillion as Of Maeglin. In WotJ what's printed is I think called Maeglin.

Other sorts of things you'll have to find within larger essays. Some Gandalf/Denethor motives are revealed in The PalantÃ*ri chapter of Unfinished Tales, for example.