How did Saruman become evil?

NOTE: Originally answered on Quora: Sasha Bogdan's answer to "How did Saruman become evil?"

The Lord of the Rings: Rise to War wallpaper

Well, suffice to say, Saruman’s descent into evil did not happen overnight. It was a gradual process:

1. The first signs manifested through his resentment towards Gandalf:

“Saruman soon became jealous of Gandalf, and this rivalry turned at last to a hatred, the deeper for being concealed, and the more bitter in that Saruman knew in his heart that the Grey Wanderer had the greater strength, and the greater influence upon the dwellers in Middle-earth, even though he hid his power and desired neither fear nor reverence. Saruman did not revere him, but he grew to fear him, being ever uncertain how much Gandalf perceived of his inner mind, troubled more by his silences than by his words. So it was that openly he treated Gandalf with less respect than did others of the Wise, and was ever ready to gainsay him or to make little of his counsels; while secretly he noted and pondered all that he said, setting a watch, so far as he was able, upon all his movements.” [1]

“The Istari”, by ExAequo94

Saruman viewed Gandalf as his rival: he genuinely believed that everything Gandalf was doing was part of some secret scheme for self-enhancement and that Gandalf’s goal was to upstage him and to eventually supplant him as Chief of the Order of Istari. The fact that Galadriel had proposed Gandalf to chair the Council of the Wise did not help their relationship either: Saruman interpreted this as a confirmation of his suspicions; it hardly mattered to him that Gandalf, ever humble and also enjoying a certain degree of autonomy, had refused and that Saruman had ultimately been elected leader of the Council.

The White Wizard also envied the fact that the Grey Pilgrim benefited from far more recognition among the Free Peoples and was far more appreciated than he himself was; Saruman fully ignored the fact that he personally lacked the very traits that made Gandalf so appealing: humility, empathy and selflessness. Saruman’s jealousy of Gandalf actually began when he learned that Gandalf had not only received a warmer welcome from Círdan, one of the greatest Elf-lords and master of the Grey Havens, but that he had been granted a special gift:

“But Círdan from their first meeting at the Grey Havens divined in [Gandalf] reverence, and he gave to his keeping the Third Ring, Narya the Red. […] And the Grey Messenger took the Ring, and kept it ever secret; yet the White Messenger (who was skilled to uncover all secrets) after a time became aware of this gift, and begrudged it, and it was the beginning of the hidden ill-will that he bore to the Grey, which afterwards became manifest.” [1]

“Saruman and Gandalf”, by moochuu

Seeking to undermine the Grey Pilgrim, the White Wizard began to behave increasingly more dismissive towards him and his suggestions during the gatherings of the Council. For example, Saruman questioned both Gandalf’s conclusion that the sorcerer living in Dol Guldur (“the Necromancer”) was Sauron and opposed the plan to attack the fortress, instead advocating that the Council should wait. Sure, Saruman never fully let his disdain of Gandalf show: he still presented himself outwardly as a trustworthy friend and ally and masked his opposition as pragmatic thinking. Saruman also secretly watched Gandalf's movements in the western region of Eriador and noticed the latter's fondness of the Hobbits. The White Wizard thus took an interest in the Shire as well, negotiating the purchase of pipeweed and other provisions: Tolkien explicitly tells us that Saruman did this because he "liked to extend his power, especially into Gandalf's province".[1]

What began as mere pettiness soon became early steps on a darker path.

2. Then came the moment when Saruman received Isengard and got his first taste of power within the kingdoms of Men:

After the Long Winter and the War of the Rohirrim, which had left Rohan weakened, Saruman journeyed to the land of the Horse-lords to attend the coronation of Fréaláf. “All thought him a welcome guest”[2], for he spoke with honeyed words, praising the valor of the Rohirrim and promising the newly-crowned king his aid.

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim screenshot

He also requested that he be allowed to settle in the tower of Orthanc at Isengard - which had recently been liberated from the Dunlendings - as its warden and to help coordinate the defense of western Middle-earth. Both Fréaláf and Beren, the Steward of Gondor, eagerly accepted the offer and Saruman was granted the keys of Orthanc. This was the White Wizard’s first taste of real power in the world of Men: an entire stronghold, along with the watchtower, had been entrusted to him:

“In this way Saruman began to behave as a lord of Men; for at first he held Isengard as a lieutenant of the Steward and warden of the tower.” [2]

In the beginning, he honored his part of the bargain, repairing Isengard and also lending his counsel to the nearby Kings of Rohan as the war-stricken realm slowly rebuilt itself. So we cannot deny that Saruman’s offer to assume guardianship of Isengard was at least partially done in good faith - since he did help the Rohirrim (for a while!). But Tolkien points out that Saruman’s reasons were not that selfless to begin with either:

“Though afterwards there was little doubt in Men's minds that Saruman went to Isengard in hope to find the Stone still there, and with the purpose of building up a power of his own.” [2]

The Lord of the Rings: Online tapestry: “Saruman the White receives the keys to Orthanc from Beren, Steward of Gondor”

With regards to “the Stone” mentioned, it is, of course, the Orthanc-stone, one of the seven Palantíri that had been concealed in its namesake tower long ago. From his studies in the library of Minas Tirith, Saruman had become acquainted with the concept of the Palantíri and “had become convinced that the Orthanc-stone was still intact in its tower”[1]. What is of note is that, after obtaining the Seeing Stone, he did not share this discovery with the rest of the Council! While he did not make use of it yet, the fact that he was withholding valuable information from the Wise implies that the White Wizard had already started pursuing his own agenda. Not yet as a full-out agent of evil or in league with the Dark Lord, but definitely with the goal of accumulating more power and expanding his sphere of influence over the lands of Men.

3. Saruman truly began to step on a dark path once his fascination with Sauron and the One Ring took root:

For many years, the White Wizard had researched the lore of Middle-earth, particularly works of the Enemy such as the Rings of Power, in the hopes of discovering a means of defeating the Dark Lord once and for all. Through these studies, however, Saruman began to actually admire Sauron, for his achievements and for the power that he wielded, but also perhaps because of a sort of kinship, through their shared desire for order and their sense of superiority over those they perceived as being lesser than themselves.

Sketch by Misselbereth

As his pride and greed swelled over time, a dangerous notion emerged in the White Wizard’s mind: if he could perhaps wield the One Ring, he would become the equal of the Dark Lord himself and rule Middle-earth! Of course, Saruman clinged to the belief that this was for the good of the Free Peoples, rather than admitting it was pure ambition and the beginning of a lust for power. You know the saying: “The road to Hell is paved with good intentions”.

Over the years, the White Wizard sought clues to the One Ring’s whereabouts, hoping that he could find it and claim it for himself. By the time the Council was discussing how to best deal with the growing darkness in Dol Guldur, Saruman was actively combing the Gladden Fields - an area near the Anduin river, where Isildur had perished - for the Ring! In fact, Saruman’s search was actually one of the main reasons why he opposed Gandalf’s proposal to launch an assault against Dol Guldur in the first place:

“It afterwards became clear that Saruman had then begun to desire to possess the One Ring himself, and hoped that it might reveal itself, seeking its master, if Sauron were let be for a time." [1]

So Saruman was basically playing with fire: he himself had considered the possibility that the Necromancer was but another guise of Sauron himself, but he was willing to let the Dark Lord be for the time being, hoping that his growing power might result in the re-emergence of the Ring, which Saruman would then try to lay his hands on. Gandalf grew to suspect that Saruman might hold some undisclosed interest in the Ring, but even he did not glimpse the extent of the White Wizard’s plans for it.

The Lord of the Rings: Rise to War wallpaper

In the end though, Saruman was forced to relent and consented to an attack against Dol Guldur, joining the rest of the Istari and the Elf-lords in driving Sauron and his Nazgûl out of the ruined fortress and back into Mordor. However, this would be the last time the White Wizard would provide help to the Council of the Wise and, ultimately, to the Free Peoples of Middle-earth! During the last meeting of the Council, Saruman allayed the fears of his peers concerning Sauron’s Ring by claiming that it had been washed by the river Anduin into the Great Sea of Belegaer. He then retreated to Isengard, seized the stronghold as his own seat of power "and paid no further attention to Gondor"[1]. Through this action, he effectively ceased all cooperation with the Wise or the kingdoms of Men!  

4. Saruman’s descent into evil was complete when he was ensnared by Sauron, becoming his vassal, while still coveting the Ring for himself:

Not long after the last gathering of the Council, Saruman decided to use the Orthanc-stone and established contact with Sauron, who was in possession of the Ithil-stone. Tempted with promises of power and convinced that the triumph of Mordor was inevitable, the White Wizard betrayed the Free Peoples and swore fealty to the Dark Lord, becoming his vassal. For a long while, he acted as a double agent for the Enemy within the Council of the Wise, who remained oblivious to the full extent of his treachery up until the War of the Ring:

“Though (warned by Gandalf) the Council may have begun to doubt Saruman's designs as regarded the Ring, not even Gandalf knew that he had become an ally or servant of Sauron. This Gandalf only discovered in July 3018.” [1]

“Sauron, to Saruman, Lord of the Rings: ‘Build me an army worthy of Mordor’”, by Nathan Hyggert

In the following years, Saruman was one of Sauron’s chief servants and he proved to be one of his most valuable minions in fact, particularly during the War of the Ring. But he also proved to be the least trustworthy as well! As actor Christopher Lee - who perfectly portrayed the character in Peter Jackson’s film series - pointed out, besides doing Sauron’s bidding, Saruman had his own private schemes concerning the Ring

“He became an obsessed servant of Sauron. But also – which is equally important – I think he suddenly decides ’I want to be the Lord of the Rings.’”[3]

So Saruman’s allegiance to Sauron was hardly genuine: it was admiration of strength combined with opportunism. Even as he did his new master’s bidding, the corrupted Wizard was plotting to eventually usurp the Dark Lord! Saruman still wanted to obtain the Ring first, if possible, and try to use it in order to take Sauron’s crown for himself. But he was aware that this plan was not 100% foolproof: it was a gamble. Pretending to be a faithful servant of Sauron not only bought Saruman time to search for the Ring, but it also presented him with a secondary opportunity, almost as good: if he failed to acquire the Ring, Saruman could at the very least use the favor he had curried with Sauron to become his right-hand and thus govern Middle-earth at the side of "the Ruler"[2]. He then began "mustering a great force for the service of his new master"[4], but also in the hopes that he would one day be able to overthrow the Dark Lord, and surrounded himself with what Treebeard would call “foul folk”[2]:

“Sauron’s Army (Lord of the Rings)”, by mati-figueroa97

“His friends and servants he drew then from all who hated Gondor and Rohan, whether Men or other .creatures more evil.” [2]

As a bonus fact: it was probably around this time that the corrupted Wizard also fashioned his own ring: we are not told whether he accomplished this with knowledge imparted by his master, or merely based on the bits and pieces of Ring-lore he had uncovered through his long years of research. It is mentioned only once in passing by Gandalf and it was likely no more than a copy of the lesser magic rings forged initially by the Elven smiths of Eregion under Sauron's tutelage. Nevertheless, the White Wizard was extremely pleased with his craft and went as far as to call himself a "Ring-maker"[2], ostensibly following in the footsteps of the Dark Lord. In a way, it was also a means of competing with Gandalf, who had Narya - the Elven-ring of Fire - in his possession. It just goes on to show how exaggerated Saruman's perception of himself was after his fall and how he fancied himself both Sauron's successor and Gandalf's better.

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From the moment Saruman joined the forces of Sauron and coveted the Ring, his commitment to the side of evil was sealed! And so was his fate! (That’s what you get when you sign a pact with the Devil!) His defection to the service of the Dark Lord and his desire for the One Ring represented "the point of no return" in his character journey. 

“Saruman-Doubt”, by Donato Giancola

Christopher Lee also issued another statement which I think sums up the motivations behind Saruman’s descent into evil perfectly:

“Saruman's whole character becomes perverted and distorted and he lusts for power and gradually, as it very often does, the old famous quote 'power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely'.”[5]

Ultimately, it was Saruman’s thirst for power, fuelled by delusions of grandeur and later encouraged by Sauron, that brought him low!

Hope that the answer wasn’t too long. But I think you now have the full picture on “how Saruman became evil”.

References

1. Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth, J.R.R. Tolkien
2. The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien
3. Christopher Lee Interview on ‘Troldspejlet’, Lord of the Rings & Tolkien News - TheOneRing.net Fan Community
4. The Treason of Isengard, J.R.R. Tolkien
5. Quest for the Ring, Fox Broacasting Company

Artists

• ExAequo94
• moochuu
• Misselbereth
• Nathan Hyggert
• mati-figueroa97
• Donato Giancola