An overlooked character, rejected and lonely. We hear you.
Nicknamed "Wormtongue", this spy for Saruman uses his persuasive speech to gain the trust of Theoden, king of Rohan. He soon becomes Counsellor to the king, but his loyalty is questionable. The king falls ill and ages more quickly than what is normal. Theoden's niece, Eowyn, takes notice of this and suspects the touch of evil at work.
The young shield-maiden is this villain's weakness - he practically worships her. When almost discovered for the fraud that he is, Eomer (the king's nephew and Eowyn's brother) asks what the price was for which Saruman bought him. Grima can only stare at his heart's desire in reply. He has Eomer banished from Rohan.
An interesting scene is the one in which Grima makes clear his intentions towards Eowyn. He is clad in black, she in white. (Such archetypes are profuse in older literature.) Just when the audience thinks she will fall prey to his words, while his hand is on her cheek, she rises and tells him, "Your words are poison." She leaves the room in a hurry, and for a brief moment Grima is shown with a look of either amazement or misery.
Not much is said of him in the books, except a hint of a troubled childhood. Brad Dourif, the actor portraying him in the films, says, "He can never have what he wants, and, therefore, he can never be fulfilled as a human being."
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