Comparisons between siblings usually come with some sort of rivalry, some way in which the two are vying for the love, attention, or respect of the parents. However, in the case of Boromir and Faramir, there is no rivalry, because Faramir knows that he will always be lesser in their father’s eyes. Less brave, less valiant, less of the proud and ruthless ruler that Denethor thinks Gondor needs in order to regain its former strength and glory.
However, from the moment the audience first meets Framir on screen, or indeed when the readers first meet him in the books, it becomes clear that he is of a much gentler, forgiving, and honorable nature than Boromir ever was. As the eldest son, Boromir was trained from a young age to be the next ruler of the white city, and an insurmountable pressure was placed upon him to right the wrongs of the ailing city. Thus, when he attended the council of Elrond, even though the prophetic dreams that told the men of Rivendell and of the quest were originally awarded to Faramir, he went with good intentions and carried them throughout the journey. As is so often the case though, he faltered at the last moment, succumbing to the allure of the ring. Believing he was doing it for the sake of his people, rather than his own power-hungry ends, Boromir tried to take the ring from Frodo, who slips it on and vanishes from sight in order to escape.
Later in their journey, as Sam and Frodo are being led by Gollum through the fields of Ithil, they encounter Faramir, the youngest son and current captain of Gondor, out with his rangers. They are watching a group of Haradrim soldiers and their Olephaunts traveling through the lands, an ill omen, as they are servants of the enemy when Faramir suddenly springs upon them. When he learns that they knew Boromir, and that they were two of the 9 companions who set forth from Rivendell with him, he immediately begins questioning them about the particulars of the quest, the death of his brother, which he sorely grieves, and about Isildur’s Bane, which he doesn’t know yet it actually the One Ring of power.
Frodo gets a sense from Faramir that he might actually be able to trust him, and that it would be nice to have someone to confide in, but he is fearful of what the ring might do to Faramir if he knew of its existence ‘the memory of Boromir, of the dreadful change that the lure of the ring had worked in him, was very present in his mind when he looked at Faramir and listened to his voice: unalike they were, and yet so much akin.’
At this point though, Faramir is aware that Frodo is hiding something from him, but he does not press the issue, unlike his brother. He has faith in the little hobbits that their quest is just, and that they tell the truth when they say they are enemies of Sauron. He has pieced together a part of the truth, knowing that whatever the object of power that Frodo carries in his possession, “That Boromir, the proud and fearless, often rash, ever anxious for the victory of Minas Tirith and his own glory therein, might desire such a thing and be lured by it.” In this sentence, Faramir shows a deep understanding of his older brother, both in his nobility and in his weakness. Boromir is much like their father Denethor, whereas Faramir has more of the Numenorian blood of old, and thus has retained far more of their heroic qualities, saying that he doesn’t relish war or swords or valor of any kind, he only wishes to serve and protect those he loves.
Faramir takes them to his secret hide-out, wherein the forbidden pool in which Gollum goes fishing lies. After only eating Lembas bread, he gives them their first proper meal in days, and a little too much to drink, and Sam accidentally reveals the ring to Faramir, much to Frodo’s horror. In the film version, Faramir is immediately tempted, wishing to take the ring to Gondor like his brother, and finally, prove his worth to their father. He drags them to Osgiliath, where he is later shot with a poisoned arrow whilst Pippin sings in the great halls, and can only be healed by the ancient arts of Aragorn in the Houses of Healing where he meets and falls in love with Eowyn of Rohan. It is a struggle to let the hobbits and the ring go, it is a true test of his will, and he eventually passes, making the decision that his brother could not. But in the books, there is never any question or doubt in his mind. He tells Sam “strange though it may seem, it was safe to declare this to me” because he has no desire upon the ring, and has learned from his brother’s downfall not to even go near the thing.
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The hobbits never had a need to fear Faramir, he never had any test or hard decision to make. So when Sam says “you showed your quality: the very highest” and the captain replies “The praise of the praiseworthy is above all rewards, yet there was naught in this to praise, I had no lure or desire to do other than I have done” It is clear that Faramir is a humble, honest and caring man, and that his quality was there all along.