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Conclusion
Ivanhoe, Sir Walter Scott’s 1819 novel set in late twelfth-century England, has a claim to being the most influential novel of the entire nineteenth century. It was hugely popular, and remains so, with such figures as Tony Blair and Ho Chi Minh both declaring it their favourite novel. Why has Ivanhoe endured, and why did Scott write it? Before we move to an analysis of the novel, it might be worth recapping the plot.Ivanhoe, Sir Walter Scott’s 1819 novel set in late twelfth-century England, has a claim to being the most influential novel of the entire nineteenth century. It was hugely popular, and remains so, with such figures as Tony Blair and Ho Chi Minh both declaring it their favourite novel. Why has Ivanhoe endured, and why did Scott write it? Before we move to an analysis of the novel, it might be worth recapping the plot.Ivanhoe is set in England in the 1190s, over a century after the Norman Conquest which saw William the Conqueror seize the English throne. A wealthy nobleman named Cedric, who is intent on restoring a Saxon to the throne, plans to wed Rowena, a beautiful young woman who is his ward, to the Saxon Athelstane of Coningsburgh. There’s just one small problem: Rowena has fallen in love with Cedric’s son, Wilfred of Ivanhoe. To get him out of the way so Rowena will marry Athelstane, Cedric banishes his own son from the kingdom. Ivanhoe (as Wilfred is known, by his title) goes to fight alongside the King, Richard the Lionheart, in the Crusades in the Holy Land. At Cedric’s home of Rotherwood, a member of the Knights Templar, Sir Brian de Bois-Guilbert, boasts of his skill in combat. A ‘palmer’ or pilgrim who is also a guest at dinner that evening tells the Templar that Ivanhoe could beat the knight in single combat. The arrogant Sir Brian admits that Ivanhoe is a fearsome warrior (he has seen him fighting in the Crusades), but he says that he will challenge Ivanhoe to combat when he is back in England.Plot twist: the pilgrim is really Ivanhoe, in disguise. He was a guest at his father’s house but nobody recognised him as Ivanhoe, son of the host!An elderly Jewish man named Isaac turns up at Rotherwood, and Cedric reluctantly admits him into his home. The next day, Isaac and the pilgrim leave Rotherwood together, bound for Sheffield. Having overheard the Templar, Sir Brian, planning with several other men to mug Isaac (as a Jew in medieval England, it’s assumed he has lots of money), the pilgrim/Ivanhoe helps Isaac to evade his would-be robbers and in gratitude, Isaac kits Ivanhoe out in armour for the forthcoming tournament at Ashby-de-la-ZouchIvanhoe, Sir Walter Scott’s 1819 novel set in late twelfth-century England, has a claim to being the most influential novel of the entire nineteenth century. It was hugely popular, and remains so, with such figures as Tony Blair and Ho Chi Minh both declaring it their favourite novel. Why has Ivanhoe endured, and why did Scott write it? Before we move to an analysis of the novel, it might be worth recapping the plot.Ivanhoe is set in England in the 1190s, over a century after the Norman Conquest which saw William the Conqueror seize the English throne. A wealthy nobleman named Cedric, who is intent on restoring a Saxon to the throne, plans to wed Rowena, a beautiful young woman who is his ward, to the Saxon Athelstane of Coningsburgh. There’s just one small problem: Rowena has fallen in love with Cedric’s son, Wilfred of Ivanhoe. To get him out of the way so Rowena will marry Athelstane, Cedric banishes his own son from the kingdom. Ivanhoe (as Wilfred is known, by his title) goes to fight alongside the King, Richard the Lionheart, in the Crusades in the Holy Land.At Cedric’s home of Rotherwood, a member of the Knights Templar, Sir Brian de Bois-Guilbert, boasts of his skill in combat. A ‘palmer’ or pilgrim who is also a guest at dinner that evening tells the Templar that Ivanhoe could beat the knight in single combat. The arrogant Sir Brian admits that Ivanhoe is a fearsome warrior (he has seen him fighting in the Crusades), but he says that he will challenge Ivanhoe to combat when he is back in England.Plot twist: the pilgrim is really Ivanhoe, in disguise. He was a guest at his father’s house but nobody recognised him as Ivanhoe, son of the host!An elderly Jewish man named Isaac turns up at Rotherwood, and Cedric reluctantly admits him into his home. The next day, Isaac and the pilgrim leave Rotherwood together, bound for Sheffield. Having overheard the Templar, Sir Brian, planning with several other men to mug Isaac (as a Jew in medieval England, it’s assumed he has lots of money), the pilgrim/Ivanhoe helps Isaac to evade his would-be robbers and in gratitude, Isaac kits Ivanhoe out in armour for the forthcoming tournament at Ashby-de-la-Zouch.Ivanhoe – disguised as the Disinherited Knight – takes part in the tournament, defeating Sir Brian Bois-Guilbert among others, and as champion is asked to name the Queen of Love and Beauty. He chooses Rowena rather than a Norman noblewoman, and the following day, in the main tournament, Ivanhoe once again faces Bois-Guilbert, both of them supported by a team of knights. Bois-Guilbert looks set to win, until the mysterious Black Knight (who we’ll later discover is King Richard the Lionheart himself, in disguise) comes to the aid of the ‘Disinherited Knight’. When Ivanhoe removes his helmet, having won the day, he is weak from his injuries. Rowena recognises him, and sees her beloved has returned to England. At this point, however, Cedric remains unaware that his son has returned.Smarting from his defeat at the tournament, Bois-Guilbert and several other Norman knights, including Reginald Front de Boeuf, ambush Ivanhoe’s party and take them to Front de Boeuf’s castle, Torquilstone. The other knight, Maurice de Bracy, wants to marry Rowena for her royal blood (he has designs on the throne of England and thinks marrying her will help). Bois-Guilbert falls in love with the imprisoned Rebecca, who rejects his advances and his request that she convert to Christianity so they can marry.At this point, having seen a very skilful archer named Locksley earlier in the novel (when his talent with a bow led to him winning the archery competition), we meet Locksley and his band of followers again. Along with the trusty swineherd, Gurth, Locksley and his men lead an attack on Torquilstone to rescue Ivanhoe and the others. They are joined by the Black Knight, whose true identity is still hidden from them.
De Bracy is injured by the Black Knight, who tells him his real identity, and De Bracy escapes from the castle and goes to Prince John, to tell him that his brother the King is back in the country. Prince John decides to send men to capture Richard and throw him in prison.
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