Themes of The Lord of the Rings This is, according to Shippey, a very modern, 20th-century theme, since in earlier, medieval times, power was considered to "reveal character", not alter it. Shippey mentions Lord Acton's famous statement in 1887, that ""Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men..."" He then goes on to point out authors that were dealing in the same themes of power and corruption at around the same time as Tolkien wrote his work. These authors include George Orwell with "Animal Farm" (1945), William Golding with "Lord of the Flies" (1954), and T. H. White with
William Crichton, 1st Lord Crichton Crichton Castle, adding to it and transforming it into an impressive courtyard castle. William, 1st Lord Crichton died before July 1454. Lord Crichton had, by his wife Agnes, three children: Crichton is portrayed as the villain of the story in "Black Douglas", a 1968 novel by Nigel Tranter. William Crichton, 1st Lord Crichton William Crichton, 1st Lord Crichton (died 1454) was an important political figure in the late medieval Kingdom of Scotland. The son of Sir John Crichton of Crichton, William Crichton is first attested to as one of the Scots noblemen and gentry who were given safe passage into