The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has portrayed a different interpretation of Sauron than the other adaptations of J. R. R. Tolkien’s lore. The Prime Video series retained the Dark Lord’s ruthless and evil persona but also presented his vulnerable side, as Sauron was seen crying in the show.
The Maiar sheds tears not once but twice in the second season of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. He is first seen sobbing before surrendering to Adar. The second and more startling scene, in which Sauron weeps, is featured in the season finale when he kills Celebrimbor, and tears run down his cheeks.
These events gave Sauron's personality more complexity and nuance, elevating him above the status of a villain who wants to destroy everything just for the sake of it. At the same time, the scenes also left the audience wondering why Sauron cried in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.
Sauron cried in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power due to rejection of his self-beliefs
Sauron’s emotional moments in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power stemmed from the combination of his beliefs about himself and his rejection at the hands of Celebrimbor and Galadriel. As we stated, the show version of Sauron is not a conventional villain. He believes he can heal Middle-earth. The Dark Lord’s delusion that he is some sort of savior leads him to destruction.
Sauron is so firm in his belief that when Galadriel and Celebrimbor learn about his real identity, he expects them to support him in his plans. However, his motives convince neither of the Elves, and they refuse to accept him as a lord. In the initial episodes of the second season, Galadriel rejects the Dark Lord's proposal to be his queen, leaving him stunned.
On the other hand, when Celebrimbor angrily asks Sauron to reveal his true self in the finale, Sauron gets frustrated because Elven Smith doesn’t appreciate the false peace he thought he created. Celebrimbor rejects Sauron’s grand plans completely, making him feel dejected.
Both these events hurt Sauron to the core. He is not able to come to terms with the fact that people do not feed his delusions and do not see him as a savior. Hence, Sauron’s self-belief and its rejection by Celebrimbor and Galadriel evoke pain in his heart, leading him to cry.
Sauron revealed why he mourned after killing Celebrimbor
Charlie Vickers, who plays Sauron in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, opened up about why his character mourned after brutally murdering Celebrimbor in the second season’s finale. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the actor revealed that Sauron crying in the scene was not a planned move; it just happened at the moment.
Vickers added that despite being on the opposite side, the Dark Lord respected Celebrimbor and considered him a partner in crime who he could have used in the future. The actor further stated that Sauron felt angry as Celebrimbor chose to die instead of revealing the whereabouts of the rings. He said:
Sauron needs the rings, yet Celebrimbor wants to die before he tells Sauron where these rings are. And Sauron says, ‘There are many ways of keeping you alive,’ something like that. So he clearly wants to torture him until he finds out, but it’s just like the way Celebrimbor tells him that he’s now a slave to these creations.
Citing another reason behind Sauron’s breakdown, Vickers explained that losing control and killing Celebrimbor infuriated him. Since it is not in the Dark Lord's nature to lose control, the action upset him, and he shed tears.
Overall, Sauron’s crying sequences added an emotional layer to his character that the audience had never seen before. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Seasons 1 and 2 are available to stream on Prime Video. For more updates on the show, keep following Soap Central.