Does Sauron ever show sadness or despair over deaths or suffering in Tolkien's writings?

Question

In the Season 2 finale (episode 8, "Shadow and Flame") of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, there's a scene where Sauron tortures Celebrimbor, demanding to know the location of the nine Rings of Power meant for Men. Despite the intense pain, Celebrimbor remains defiant and refuses to reveal their whereabouts. In his frustration, Sauron impales Celebrimbor with a spear. As Celebrimbor lies dying from his wounds, we see tears in Sauron's eyes, suggesting genuine emotion over Celebrimbor's death.

Charlie Vickers, who portrays Sauron, commented on this scene in the Inside The Rings of Power video for this episode. He suggests that Sauron's reaction shows "probably a bit of sadness and despair at losing someone that has become a close confidant and ally in this ring-making process."

Though that’s the actor’s interpretation, I wonder if there is any precedent in Tolkien’s texts where Sauron displays similar emotions of sadness or despair, either over losing someone or harming them. Or is this emotional display something the showrunners invented?

Answer 1

As much as it pains me to deal with any mention of the show that shall not be named (similar to Elrond's expression here)...

Somewhat. At the start of "Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age" we find

When Thangorodrim was broken and Morgoth overthrown, Sauron put on his fair form again and did obeisance to Eonwe, the herald of Manwe, and abjured all his evil deeds. And some hold that this was not at first falsely done, but that Sauron in truth repented, if only out of fear, being dismayed by the fall of Morgoth and the great wrath of the Lords of the West.

I don't think we know who 'some' are here, but if we work with Tokien's idea that he found and translated a copy of the red book, it presumably means some Elvish writers (whose work Bilbo read in Rivendell). As to what they thought, the last sentence is rather ambiguous: if Sauron acted only out of fear and a wish to save his own skin, then that isn't true repentance at all.

All we can conclude is that Sauron definitely did express regret for his deeds, but he may in fact have been lying.

In response to a follow-up question in the comments, I'm going to go out on a limb ... aside from the above, I do not think there are any instances in which Sauron expresses any type of regret for his actions, false or otherwise. It's always dangerous to say something doesn't exist in a large body of work, but I'm fairly sure I'm correct in this case. After all, Sauron really isn't a very nice chap.

Answer 2

Sauron's tears are for himself in this scene, not for Celebrimbor.

Sauron clearly has no concern for Celebrimbor's well-being, as is evidenced by the fact that he is torturing him in order to get him to reveal the location of the Rings. To Sauron, Celebrimbor was nothing but an instrument he used to achieve his plan of making the Rings of Power, and all of the deception as "Annatar" pretending to be Celebrimbor's friend was a means to that end. (That's in line with Charlie Vickers's comments about the scene.)

Sauron grows steadily more frustrated throughout the scene as he realizes that his usual manipulation tactics are no longer working. He tries the classic blame the victim approach: Why has Celebrimbor forced Sauron to torture him?

Look what you have done to yourself.

He threatens him with the violence the Orcs are likely to inflict on Celebrimbor when they arrive. Sauron promises a merciful death if Celebrimbor will give up the rings, and lasting torment if he will not.

He tries to appeal to Celebrimbor's ego:

All I have done has been for you. Yours was the fire that crafted the marvels of the age. I wish only to share them with the world. Please, let me.

But Celebrimbor is resolute:

But the Rings are beyond your reach. As I shall be, ere long. For soon I shall go to the shores of the morning. Borne hence, by a wind that you can never follow.

Then Celebrimbor delivers the line that makes Sauron lose his composure and kill the elven smith in a fit of rage, when he had until now been denying Celebrimbor the escape of death. It is a prophecy:

Shadow of Morgoth, hear the dying words of Celebrimbor! The Rings of Power shall destroy you. And in the end, I foresee, one alone shall prove your utter ruin!

Sauron thrusts a spear through Celebrimbor's chest and shouts

You're wrong. I am their creator. I am their master!

With his dying breath, Celebrimbor responds

No. You are their prisoner. Sauron, Lord... of the Rings.

This is when we see that Sauron is crying. He hurriedly regains his composure before the Orcs enter the room.

He is by no means sad that Celebrimbor is dead. He is likely furious that Celebrimbor outsmarted him by goading him into killing him. But what has truly shaken him is a threat to the one person Sauron holds in higher regard than anything else in the world: Sauron.

Celebrimbor's words have hit too close to the mark, as Sauron is in fact on the path to becoming a slave to the Rings even though his intention is to use them to enslave all others. The thought that this might be true is what has caused him to cry tears of anger. It is a thought that he cannot abide for even a moment, and that he will do anything to prove wrong.

Answer 3

There are slight hints of Sauron's repentance at the end of the First Age in the Silmarillion, and it seems that in the first part of the Second Age sufficient of the Elder believed him to allow him to get on with the whole ring-making thing. But equally, important members of the Elder didn't believe his repentance was genuine.

There was a scene in the Ainuindãle (the first part of the Silmarillion) where certain of the minor Vala (by inference Sauron and the Vala who later became balrogs) chose to align with Melkor's discordant theme. That seems to be the decision point, and none of them switched side afterwards. Which would include Sauron.