Hello.
As indicated by the name, in this chapter Strider's identity as Aragorn starts to be revealed and the situation of the hobbit travelers becomes more premonitory as the Black Riders narrow in on them. I will start by sharing the rhyming prophetic verses in Gandalf's letter:
All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.
This is by far my favorite of the little songs and chants that Tolkien writes into the story, and it is possibly the most significant. He achieves a fantastic poetic sense of foresight which has a lovely effect, which seems unspecific when first read but will later become obvious. It is contained in the letter from Gandalf that urges Frodo to make haste and identifies Strider as a friend. Strider strikes a very powerful images in these chapters, clever, aware, and knowledgeable as well as obviously competent and in-charge. The chapter end with the information from Gandalf's letter and Strider and Butterbur's observations of evil's approach, and with the placement of false bodies into the beds.
The film version of this chapter seems very similar if heavily condensed. There is much more dialogue and interaction with the inn staff but the ideas are the same. However, it is somewhat altered that Gandalf had left them a letter instead of planning to meet them there and failing to appear. I also have some questions about Strider, in that, though Frodo draws "Renewed shall be blade that was broken" to relate to the broken sword he carries, the line of the poem obviously refers to Narsil, blade of Elendil. It seems strange that Aragorn would carry that blade with him, and also raises inquisition to the location of the broken shards. I am sure that it will be made clear later in the book.
Thanks for reading,
C
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