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= Ivanhoe =
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Introduction
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'Ivanhoe: A Romance' ( ) by Walter Scott is a historical novel
published in three volumes, in December 1819, as one of the Waverley
novels. It marked a shift away from Scott's prior practice of setting
stories in Scotland and in the more recent past. It became one of
Scott's best-known and most influential novels.
Set in England in the Middle Ages, with colourful descriptions of a
tournament, outlaws, a witch trial, and divisions between Jews and
Christians, Normans and Saxons, the novel was credited by many,
including Thomas Carlyle and John Ruskin, with inspiring increased
interest in chivalric romance and medievalism. As John Henry Newman
put it, Scott "had first turned men's minds in the direction of the
Middle Ages". It was also credited with influencing contemporary
popular perceptions of historical figures such as King Richard the
Lionheart, Prince John, and Robin Hood.
Composition and sources
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In June 1819, Walter Scott still suffered from the severe stomach
pains that had forced him to dictate the last part of 'The Bride of
Lammermoor', and also most of 'A Legend of the Wars of Montrose',
which he finished at the end of May. By the beginning of July, at the
latest, Scott had started dictating his new novel 'Ivanhoe', again
with John Ballantyne and William Laidlaw as amanuenses. For the second
half of the manuscript, Scott was able to take up the pen, and
completed 'Ivanhoe: A Romance' in early November 1819.
For detailed information about the Middle Ages Scott drew on three
works by the antiquarian Joseph Strutt: 'Horda Angel-cynnan or a
Compleat View of the Manners, Customs, Arms, Habits etc. of the
Inhabitants of England' (1775-76), 'Dress and Habits of the People of
England' (1796-99), and 'Sports and Pastimes of the People of England'
(1801). Two historians gave him a solid grounding in the period:
Robert Henry with 'The History of Great Britain' (1771-93), and Sharon
Turner with 'The History of the Anglo-Saxons from the Earliest Period
to the Norman Conquest' (1799-1805). His clearest debt to an original
medieval source involved the Templar Rule, reproduced in 'The Theatre
of Honour and Knight-Hood' (1623) translated from the French of André
Favine. Scott was happy to introduce details from the later Middle
Ages, and Chaucer was particularly helpful, as (in a different way)
was the fourteenth-century romance 'Richard Coeur de Lion'. The figure
of Locksley in the story and many elements of the tale are undoubtedly
influenced by Scott's association with Joseph Ritson, who had earlier
compiled 'Robin Hood: a collection of all the ancient poems, songs and
ballads now extant relative to that celebrated English outlaw (1795).'
Editions
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'Ivanhoe' was published by Archibald Constable in Edinburgh. All first
editions carry the date of 1820, but it was released on 20 December
1819 and issued in London on the 29th by Hurst, Robinson and Co.. As
with all of the Waverley novels before 1827, publication was
anonymous. The print run was 10,000 copies, and the cost was £1 10's'
(£1.50, equivalent in purchasing power to £149 in 2021). It is
possible that Scott was involved in minor changes to the text during
the early 1820s but his main revision was carried out in 1829 for the
'Magnum' edition where the novel appeared in Volumes 16 and 17 in
September and October 1830.
The standard modern edition, by Graham Tulloch, appeared as Volume 8
of the Edinburgh Edition of the Waverley Novels in 1998: this is based
on the first edition with emendations principally from Scott's
manuscript in the second half of the work; the new Magnum material is
included in Volume 25b.
Plot summary
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'Ivanhoe', set in 1194, focuses on one of the remaining Anglo-Saxon
noble families when the nobility in England was overwhelmingly Norman.
It follows the Saxon protagonist, Sir Wilfred of Ivanhoe, who is out
of favour with his father for Sir Wilfred's allegiance to the Norman
king Richard the Lionheart. After the failure of the Third Crusade,
many Crusaders were still returning to their homes in Europe. King
Richard, who had been captured by Leopold of Austria on his return
journey to England, was believed to still be in captivity.
Opening
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Protagonist Wilfred of Ivanhoe is disinherited by his father Cedric of
Rotherwood for supporting the Norman King Richard and for falling in
love with the Lady Rowena, a ward of Cedric and descendant of the
Saxon Kings of England. Cedric planned to have Rowena marry the
powerful Lord Athelstane, a pretender to the Crown of England by his
descent from the last Saxon King, Harold Godwinson. Ivanhoe
accompanies King Richard on the Third Crusade, where he is said to
have played a notable role in the Siege of Acre.
The book opens with a scene of Norman knights and prelates seeking the
hospitality of Cedric. They are guided there by a pilgrim, known at
that time as a palmer. That same night, Isaac of York, a Jewish
moneylender, seeks refuge at Rotherwood on his way to the tournament
at Ashby. Following the night's meal, the palmer observes one of the
Normans, the Templar Brian de Bois-Guilbert, issue orders to his
Saracen soldiers to capture Isaac.
The palmer then assists in Isaac's escape from Rotherwood, with the
additional aid of the swineherd Gurth.
Isaac of York offers to repay his debt to the palmer with a suit of
armour and a war horse to participate in the tournament at
Ashby-de-la-Zouch Castle, on his inference that the palmer was
secretly a knight. The palmer is taken by surprise, but accepts the
offer.
The tournament
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The tournament is presided over by Prince John. Also in attendance are
Cedric, Athelstane, Lady Rowena, Isaac of York, his daughter Rebecca,
Robin of Locksley and his men, Prince John's advisor Waldemar
Fitzurse, and numerous Norman knights.
On the first day of the tournament, in a bout of individual jousting,
a mysterious knight, identifying himself only as "Desdichado"
(described in the book as Spanish, taken by the Saxons to mean
"Disinherited"), defeats Bois-Guilbert. The masked knight declines to
reveal himself despite Prince John's request, but is nevertheless
declared the champion of the day and is permitted to choose the Queen
of the Tournament. He bestows this honour upon Lady Rowena.
On the second day, at a melee, Desdichado is the leader of one party,
opposed by his former adversaries. Desdichado's side is soon
hard-pressed and he himself beset by multiple foes until rescued by a
knight nicknamed 'Le Noir Faineant' ('the Black Sluggard'), who
thereafter departs in secret. When forced to unmask himself to receive
his coronet (the sign of championship), Desdichado is identified as
Wilfred of Ivanhoe, returned from the Crusades. This causes much
consternation to Prince John and his court who now fear the imminent
return of King Richard.
Ivanhoe is severely wounded in the competition yet his father does not
move quickly to tend to him. Instead, Rebecca, a skilled physician,
tends to him while they are lodged near the tournament and then
convinces her father to take Ivanhoe with them to their home in York
when he is fit for that trip. The conclusion of the tournament
includes feats of archery by Locksley, such as splitting a willow reed
with his arrow. Prince John's dinner for the local Saxons ends in
insults.
Capture and rescue
====================
In the forests between Ashby and York, Isaac, Rebecca and the wounded
Ivanhoe are abandoned by their guards, who fear bandits and take all
of Isaac's horses. Cedric, Athelstane and the Lady Rowena meet them
and agree to travel together. The party is captured by de Bracy and
his companions and taken to Torquilstone, the castle of Front-de-Bœuf.
The swineherd Gurth and Wamba the jester manage to escape, and then
encounter Locksley, who plans a rescue.
The Black Knight, having taken refuge for the night in the hut of
local friar, the Holy Clerk of Copmanhurst, volunteers his assistance
on learning about the captives from Robin of Locksley. They then
besiege the Castle of Torquilstone with Robin's own men, including the
friar and assorted Saxon yeomen. Inside Torquilstone, de Bracy
expresses his love for the Lady Rowena but is refused. Brian de
Bois-Guilbert tries to rape Rebecca and is thwarted. He then tries to
seduce her and is rebuffed. Front-de-Bœuf tries to wring a hefty
ransom from Isaac of York, but Isaac refuses to pay unless his
daughter is freed.
When the besiegers deliver a note to yield up the captives, their
Norman captors demand a priest to administer the Final Sacrament to
Cedric; whereupon Cedric's jester Wamba slips in disguised as a
priest, and takes the place of Cedric, who escapes and brings
important information to the besiegers on the strength of the garrison
and its layout. On his way out, Cedric meets the Saxon crone Ulrica,
who vows revenge on Front-de-Bœuf and advises Cedric to tell the
besiegers. The besiegers storm the castle. The castle is set aflame
during the assault by Ulrica, the daughter of the original lord of the
castle, Lord Torquilstone, as revenge for her father's death.
Front-de-Bœuf is killed in the fire while de Bracy surrenders to the
Black Knight, who identifies himself as King Richard and releases de
Bracy. Bois-Guilbert escapes with Rebecca while Isaac is captured by
the Clerk of Copmanhurst. The Lady Rowena is saved by Cedric, while
the still-wounded Ivanhoe is rescued from the burning castle by King
Richard. In the fighting, Athelstane is wounded and presumed dead
while attempting to rescue Rebecca, whom he mistakes for Rowena.
Rebecca's trial and Ivanhoe's reconciliation
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Following the battle, Locksley plays host to King Richard. Word is
conveyed by de Bracy to Prince John of the King's return and the fall
of Torquilstone. In the meantime, Bois-Guilbert rushes with his
captive to the nearest Templar Preceptory, where Lucas de Beaumanoir,
the Grand Master of the Templars, takes umbrage at Bois-Guilbert's
infatuation and subjects Rebecca to a trial for witchcraft. At
Bois-Guilbert's secret request, she claims the right to trial by
combat; and Bois-Guilbert, who had hoped to fight as Rebecca's
champion, is devastated when the Grand Master orders him to fight on
behalf of the Templestowe. Rebecca then writes to her father to
procure a champion for her. Cedric organizes Athelstane's funeral at
Coningsburgh, in the midst of which the Black Knight arrives with
Ivanhoe. Cedric, who had not been present at Locksley's carousal, is
ill-disposed towards the knight upon learning his true identity, but
Richard calms Cedric and reconciles him with his son. During this
conversation, Athelstane emerges--not dead, but laid in his coffin
alive by monks desirous of the funeral money. Over Cedric's renewed
protests, Athelstane pledges his homage to the Norman King Richard and
urges Cedric to allow Rowena to marry Ivanhoe, to which Cedric finally
agrees.
Soon after this reconciliation, Ivanhoe receives word from Isaac
beseeching him to fight on Rebecca's behalf. Ivanhoe, riding day and
night, arrives in time for the trial by combat; however, both horse
and man are exhausted, with little chance of victory. Bois-Guilbert
refuses to fight but Ivanhoe accuses him of breaking his word and the
Templar reacts fiercely. His face becomes flushed and he is ready for
combat. The two knights make one charge at each other with lances,
Bois-Guilbert appearing to have the advantage. Ivanhoe and his horse
go down, but Bois-Guilbert also falls though barely touched. Ivanhoe
quickly gets up to finish the fight with his sword, but Bois-Guilbert
does not rise and dies a victim of his own contending passions.
Ivanhoe and Rowena marry and live a long and happy life together.
Fearing further persecution, Rebecca and her father plan to quit
England for Granada. Before leaving, Rebecca comes to Rowena shortly
after the wedding to bid her a solemn farewell. Ivanhoe's military
service ends with the death of King Richard five years later.
Characters
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'(principal characters in bold)'
* Cedric the Saxon, of Rotherwood
* Wilfred of Ivanhoe, Cedric's son
* Rowena, Saxon princess, Cedric's ward
* Athelstane, Saxon nobleman, Cedric's kinsman
* Gurth, Cedric's swineherd
* Wamba, Cedric's jester
* Oswald, Cedric's cup-bearer
* Elgitha, Rowena's waiting-woman
* Albert Malvoisin, Preceptor of Templestowe
* Philip Malvoisin, his brother, Cedric's neighbor
* Hubert, Philip's forester
* The Prior of Aymer, Abbot of Jorvaulx
* Ambrose, a monk attending him
* Brian de Bois-Guilbert, a Templar
* Baldwin, his squire
* Isaac of York, a Jewish money-lender
* Rebecca, of York, Isaac's daughter, an accomplished physician and
philanthropist
* Nathan, a rabbi and physician
* King Richard ('the Black Knight')
* Prince John, Richard's brother
* Alias Locksley, Robin Hood, an outlaw
* Reginald Front-de-Bœuf of Torquilstone, Norman holder of an ancient
Saxon fortress. Cedric's neighbor
* Maurice de Bracy, a Free Companion (mercenary)
* Waldemar Fitzurse, Prince John's advisor--a fictional son of
Reginald FitzUrse, a murderer of Archbishop Becket.
* Hugh de Grantmesnil
* Ralph de Vipont, a Hospitaller
* Friar Tuck, of Copmanhurst
* Ulrica, of Torquilstone, alias Urfried
* Lucas de Beaumanoir, grand-master of the Templars
* Conrade Mountfitchet, his attendant knight
* Higg, a peasant
* Kirjath Jairam of Leicester, a rich Jew
* Alan-a-Dale, a minstrel
Chapter summary
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Dedicatory Epistle: An imaginary letter to the Rev. Dr Dryasdust from
Laurence Templeton who has found the materials for the following tale
mostly in the Anglo-Norman Wardour Manuscript. He wishes to provide an
English counterpart to the preceding Waverley novels, in spite of
various difficulties arising from the chronologically remote setting
made necessary by the earlier progress of civilisation south of the
Border.
Volume One
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Ch. 1: Historical sketch. Gurth the swineherd and Wamba the jester
discuss life under Norman rule.
Ch. 2: Wamba and Gurth wilfully misdirect a group of horsemen headed
by Prior Aymer and Brian de Bois-Guilbert seeking shelter at Cedric's
Rotherwood. Aymer and Bois-Guilbert discuss the beauty of Cedric's
ward Rowena and are redirected, this time correctly, by a palmer
[Ivanhoe in disguise].
Ch. 3: Cedric anxiously awaits the return of Gurth and the pigs. Aymer
and Bois-Guilbert arrive.
Ch. 4: Bois-Guilbert admires Rowena as she enters for the evening
feast.
Ch. 5: During the feast: Isaac enters and is befriended by the palmer;
Cedric laments the decay of the Saxon language; the palmer refutes
Bois-Guilbert's assertion of Templar supremacy with an account of a
tournament in Palestine, where Ivanhoe defeated him; the palmer and
Rowena give a pledge for a return match; and Isaac is thunderstruck by
Bois-Guilbert's denial of his assertion of poverty.
Ch. 6: Next day the palmer tells Rowena that Ivanhoe will soon be
home. He offers to protect Isaac from Bois-Guilbert, whom he has
overheard giving instructions for his capture. On the road to
Sheffield Isaac mentions a source of horse and armour of which he
guesses the palmer has need.
Ch. 7: As the audience for a tournament at Ashby de la Zouch
assembles, Prince John amuses himself by making fun of Athelstane and
Isaac.
Ch. 8: After a series of Saxon defeats in the tournament the
'Disinherited Knight' [Ivanhoe] triumphs over Bois-Guilbert and the
other Norman challengers.
Ch. 9: The Disinherited Knight nominates Rowena as Queen of the
Tournament.
Ch. 10: The Disinherited Knight refuses to ransom Bois-Guilbert's
armour, declaring that their business is not concluded. He instructs
his attendant, Gurth in disguise, to convey money to Isaac to repay
him for arranging the provision of his horse and armour. Gurth does
so, but Rebecca secretly refunds the money.
Ch. 11: Gurth is assailed by a band of outlaws, but they spare him on
hearing his story and after he has defeated one of their number, a
miller, at quarter-staves.
Ch. 12: The Disinherited Knight's party triumph at the tournament,
with the aid of a knight in black [Richard in disguise]; he is
revealed as Ivanhoe and faints as a result of the wounds he has
incurred.
Ch. 13: John encourages De Bracy to court Rowena and receives a
warning from France that Richard has escaped. Locksley [Robin Hood]
triumphs in an archery contest.
Ch. 14: At the tournament banquet Cedric continues to disown his son
(who has been associating with the Normans) but drinks to the health
of Richard, rather than John, as the noblest of that race.
Volume Two
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Ch. 1 (15): De Bracy (disguised as a forester) tells Fitzurse of his
plan to capture Rowena and then 'rescue' her in his own person.
Ch. 2 (16): The Black Knight is entertained by a hermit [Friar Tuck]
at Copmanhurst.
Ch. 3 (17): The Black Knight and the hermit exchange songs.
Ch. 4 (18): (Retrospect: Before going to the banquet Cedric learned
that Ivanhoe had been removed by unknown carers; Gurth was recognised
and captured by Cedric's cupbearer Oswald.) Cedric finds Athelstane
unresponsive to his attempts to interest him in Rowena, who is herself
only attracted by Ivanhoe.
Ch. 5 (19): Rowena persuades Cedric to escort Isaac and Rebecca, who
have been abandoned (along with a sick man [Ivanhoe] in their care) by
their hired protectors. Wamba helps Gurth to escape again. De Bracy
mounts his attack, during which Wamba escapes. He meets up with Gurth
and they encounter Locksley who, after investigation, advises against
a counter-attack, the captives not being in immediate danger.
Ch. 6 (20): Locksley sends two of his men to watch De Bracy. At
Copmanhurst he meets the Black Knight who agrees to join in the
rescue.
Ch. 7 (21): De Bracy tells Bois-Guilbert he has decided to abandon his
'rescue' plan, mistrusting his companion though the Templar says it is
Rebecca he is interested in. On arrival at Torquilstone castle Cedric
laments its decline.
Ch. 8 (22): Under threat of torture Isaac agrees to pay Front-de-Bœuf
a thousand pounds, but only if Rebecca is released.
Ch. 9 (23): De Bracy uses Ivanhoe's danger from Front-de-Bœuf to put
pressure on Rowena, but he is moved by her resulting distress. The
narrator refers the reader to historical instances of baronial
oppression in medieval England.
Ch. 10 (24): A hag Urfried [Ulrica] warns Rebecca of her forthcoming
fate. Rebecca impresses Bois-Guilbert by her spirited resistance to
his advances.
Ch. 11 (25): Front-de-Bœuf rejects a written challenge from Gurth and
Wamba. Wamba offers to spy out the castle posing as a confessor.
Ch. 12 (26): Entering the castle, Wamba exchanges clothes with Cedric
who encounters Rebecca and Urfried.
Ch. 13 (27): Urfried recognises Cedric as a Saxon and, revealing
herself as Ulrica, tells her story which involves Front-de-Bœuf
murdering his father, who had killed her father and seven brothers
when taking the castle, and had become her detested lover. She says
she will give a signal when the time is ripe for storming the castle.
Front-de-Bœuf sends the presumed friar with a message to summon
reinforcements. Athelstane defies him, claiming that Rowena is his
fiancée. The monk Ambrose arrives seeking help for Aymer who has been
captured by Locksley's men.
Ch. 14 (28): (Retrospective chapter detailing Rebecca's care for
Ivanhoe from the tournament to the assault on Torquilstone.)
Ch. 15 (29): Rebecca describes the assault on Torquilstone to the
wounded Ivanhoe, disagreeing with his exalted view of chivalry.
Ch. 16 (30): Front-de-Bœuf being mortally wounded, Bois-Guilbert and
De Bracy discuss how best to repel the besiegers. Ulrica sets fire to
the castle and exults over Front-de-Bœuf who perishes in the flames.
Volume Three
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Ch. 1 (31): (The chapter opens with a retrospective account of the
attackers' plans and the taking of the barbican.) The Black Knight
defeats De Bracy, making himself known to him as Richard, and rescues
Ivanhoe. Bois-Guilbert rescues Rebecca, striking down Athelstane who
thinks she is Rowena. Ulrica perishes in the flames after singing a
wild pagan hymn.
Ch. 2 (32): Locksley supervises the orderly division of the spoil.
Friar Tuck brings Isaac whom he has made captive, and engages in
good-natured buffeting with the Black Knight.
Ch. 3 (33): Locksley arranges ransom terms for Isaac and Aymer. Aymer
agrees to write on Isaac's behalf to Bois-Guilbert, to urge Rebecca's
release, in exchange for Isaac loaning him money to pay his ransom to
the banditti.
Ch. 4 (34): De Bracy informs John that Richard is in England. Together
with Fitzurse he threatens to desert John, but the prince responds
cunningly.
Ch. 5 (35): At York, Isaac stays with a friend, Nathan, as he strives
to rescue Rebecca from the Templestowe. At the priory the Grand-Master
Beaumanoir tells Conrade Mountfitchet that he intends to take a hard
line with Templar irregularities. Arriving, Isaac shows him a letter
from Aymer to Bois-Guilbert referring to Rebecca, whom Beaumanoir
determines must be a witch.
Ch. 6 (36): Beaumanoir tells Preceptor Albert Malvoisin of his outrage
at Rebecca's presence in the preceptory. Albert informs Bois-Guilbert
of her trial for sorcery, and warns Bois-Guilbert not to defend her.
Mountfichet says he will seek evidence against her, including bribing
a few fake witnesses with fabricated stories.
Ch. 7 (37): Rebecca is found guilty of witchcraft and sentenced to
death. At Bois-Guilbert's secret prompting she demands that a champion
defend her in trial by combat.
Ch. 8 (38): Rebecca's demand is accepted, Bois-Guilbert being
appointed champion for the prosecution. Bearing a message to her
father, the peasant Higg meets him and Nathan on their way to the
preceptory, and Isaac goes in search of Ivanhoe.
Ch. 9 (39): Rebecca rejects Bois-Guilbert's offer to fail to appear
for the combat in return for her love. Albert persuades him that it is
in his interest to appear.
Ch. 10 (40): The Black Knight leaves Ivanhoe to travel to Coningsburgh
castle for Athelstane's funeral, and Ivanhoe follows him the next day.
The Black Knight is rescued by Locksley from an attack carried out by
Fitzurse on John's orders, and reveals his identity as Richard to his
companions, prompting Locksley to identify himself as Robin Hood.
Ch. 11 (41): Richard talks to Ivanhoe and dines with the outlaws
before Robin arranges a false alarm to put an end to the delay. The
party arrive at Coningsburgh.
Ch. 12 (42): Richard procures Ivanhoe's pardon from his father.
Athelstane appears, not dead, giving his allegiance to Richard and
surrendering Rowena to Ivanhoe. Ivanhoe and Richard each receive a
message and disappear from Coningsburgh.
Ch. 13 (43): Rebecca is tied to the stake, and no champion appears.
Bois-Guilbert, racked by guilt, begs her to run away with him. Rebecca
refuses. Ivanhoe, exhausted from his ride and not fully recovered from
his injury, appears as Rebecca's champion, and as they charge
Bois-Guilbert dies the victim of his contending passions.
Ch. 14 (44): Beaumanoir and his Templars leave Richard defiantly.
Cedric agrees to the marriage of Ivanhoe and Rowena. Rebecca takes her
leave of Rowena, leaving a message of her thanks to Ivanhoe for saving
her, before her father and she quit England to make a new life under
the tolerant King of Granada.
Style
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Critics of the novel have treated it as a romance intended mainly to
entertain boys. 'Ivanhoe' maintains many of the elements of the
Romance genre, including the quest, a chivalric setting, and the
overthrowing of a corrupt social order to bring on a time of
happiness. Other critics assert that the novel creates a realistic and
vibrant story, idealising neither the past nor its main character.
Themes
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Scott treats themes similar to those of some of his earlier novels,
like 'Rob Roy' and 'The Heart of Midlothian', examining the conflict
between heroic ideals and modern society. In the latter novels,
industrial society becomes the centre of this conflict as the
"backward" Scots and the "advanced" English have to arise from chaos
to create unity. Similarly, the Normans in 'Ivanhoe', who represent a
more sophisticated culture, and the Saxons, who are poor,
disenfranchised, and resentful of Norman rule, band together and begin
to mould themselves into one people. The conflict between the Saxons
and Normans focuses on the losses both groups must experience before
they can be reconciled and thus forge a united England. The particular
loss is in the extremes of their own cultural values, which must be
disavowed in order for the society to function. For the Saxons, this
value is the final admission of the hopelessness of the Saxon cause.
The Normans must learn to overcome the materialism and violence in
their own codes of chivalry. Ivanhoe and Richard represent the hope of
reconciliation for a unified future.
Ivanhoe, though of a more noble lineage than some of the other
characters, represents a middling individual in the medieval class
system who is not exceptionally outstanding in his abilities, as is
expected of other quasi-historical fictional characters, such as the
Greek heroes. Critic György Lukács points to middling main characters
like Ivanhoe in Walter Scott's other novels as one of the primary
reasons Scott's historical novels depart from previous historical
works, and better explore social and cultural history.
Allusions to real history and geography
======================================================================
The location of the novel is centred upon southern Yorkshire,
north-west Leicestershire and northern Nottinghamshire in England.
Castles mentioned within the story include Ashby de la Zouch Castle
(now a ruin in the care of English Heritage), York (though the mention
of Clifford's Tower, likewise an extant English Heritage property, is
anachronistic, it not having been called that until later after
various rebuilds) and 'Coningsburgh', which is based upon Conisbrough
Castle, in the ancient town of Conisbrough near Doncaster (the castle
also being a popular English Heritage site). In the novel, Aymer is
the Prior of Jorvaulx, a historical spelling of the great Jervaulx
Abbey of Yorkshire. Reference is made within the story to York
Minster, where the climactic wedding takes place, and to the Bishop of
Sheffield, although the Diocese of Sheffield did not exist at either
the time of the novel or the time Scott wrote the novel and was not
founded until 1914. Such references suggest that Robin Hood lived or
travelled in the region.
Conisbrough is so dedicated to the story of 'Ivanhoe' that many of its
streets, schools, and public buildings are named after characters from
the book.
Sir Walter Scott took the title of his novel, the name of its hero,
from the Buckinghamshire village of Ivinghoe.
"The name of Ivanhoe," he says in his 1830 Introduction to the Magnum
edition, "was suggested by an old rhyme.
Ivanhoe is an alternate name for Ivinghoe first recorded in 1665.
Older rural people in the Ivinghoe area most probably pronounced the
name the same as Ivanhoe, according to Prof. Paul Kerswill of the
University of York, a Fellow of the British Academy (FBA).
It is most probable Scott had direct knowledge of Ivinghoe and did
some research before using it as the title for his novel, as he did
for the other places mentioned in the novel.
The presence of Sir Walter Scott was recorded in Berkhamsted that is
just eight miles away from Ivinghoe.
In the novel he speaks also of "the rich fief of Ivanhoe". The Manor
of Ivanhoe is listed in the largest 20% of settlements recorded in
Domesday.
Lasting influence on the Robin Hood legend
============================================
The modern conception of Robin Hood as a cheerful, decent, patriotic
rebel owes much to 'Ivanhoe'.
"Locksley" becomes Robin Hood's title in the Scott novel, and it has
been used ever since to refer to the legendary outlaw. Scott appears
to have taken the name from an anonymous manuscript--written in
1600--that employs "Locksley" as an epithet for Robin Hood. Owing to
Scott's decision to make use of the manuscript, Robin Hood from
Locksley has been transformed for all time into "Robin of Locksley",
alias Robin Hood. (There is, incidentally, a village called Loxley in
Yorkshire.)
Scott makes the 12th-century's Saxon-Norman conflict a major theme in
his novel. The original medieval stories about Robin Hood did not
mention any conflict between Saxons and Normans; it was Scott who
introduced this theme into the legend. The characters in 'Ivanhoe'
refer to Prince John and King Richard I as "Normans"; contemporary
medieval documents from this period do not refer to either of these
two rulers as Normans. Recent re-tellings of the story retain Scott's
emphasis on the Norman-Saxon conflict.
Scott also shunned the late-16th-century depiction of Robin as a
dispossessed nobleman (the Earl of Huntingdon).
This, however, has not prevented Scott from making an important
contribution to the noble-hero strand of the legend, too, because some
subsequent motion picture treatments of Robin Hood's adventures give
Robin traits that are characteristic of Ivanhoe as well. The most
notable Robin Hood films are the lavish Douglas Fairbanks 1922 silent
film, the 1938 triple Academy Award-winning 'Adventures of Robin Hood'
with Errol Flynn as Robin (which contemporary reviewer Frank Nugent
links specifically with 'Ivanhoe'), and the 1991 box-office success
'Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves' with Kevin Costner. There is also the
Mel Brooks spoof 'Robin Hood: Men in Tights'.
In most versions of Robin Hood, both Ivanhoe and Robin, for instance,
are returning Crusaders. They have quarrelled with their respective
fathers, they are proud to be Saxons, they display a highly evolved
sense of justice, they support the rightful king even though he is of
Norman-French ancestry, they are adept with weapons, and they each
fall in love with a "fair maid" (Rowena and Marian, respectively).
This particular time-frame was popularised by Scott. He borrowed it
from the writings of the 16th-century chronicler John Mair or a
17th-century ballad presumably to make the plot of his novel more
gripping. Medieval balladeers had generally placed Robin about two
centuries later in the reign of Edward I, II or III.
Robin's familiar feat of splitting his competitor's arrow in an
archery contest appears for the first time in 'Ivanhoe'.
Historical accuracy
=====================
The general political events depicted in the novel are fairly
accurate; the novel tells of the period just after King Richard's
imprisonment in Austria following the Crusade and of his return to
England after a ransom is paid. Yet the story is also heavily
fictionalised. Scott himself acknowledged that he had taken liberties
with history in his "Dedicatory Epistle" to 'Ivanhoe'. Modern readers
are cautioned to understand that Scott's aim was to create a
compelling novel set in a historical period, not to provide a book of
history.
There has been criticism of Scott's portrayal of the bitter extent of
the "enmity of Saxon and Norman, represented as persisting in the days
of Richard" as "unsupported by the evidence of contemporary records
that forms the basis of the story." Historian E. A. Freeman criticised
Scott's novel, stating its depiction of a Saxon-Norman conflict in
late twelfth-century England was unhistorical. Freeman cited medieval
writer Walter Map, who claimed that tension between the Saxons and
Normans had declined by the reign of Henry I. Freeman also cited the
late twelfth-century book 'Dialogus de Scaccario' by Richard FitzNeal.
This book claimed that the Saxons and Normans had so merged through
intermarriage and cultural assimilation that (outside the aristocracy)
it was impossible to tell "one from the other." Finally, Freeman ended
his critique of Scott by saying that by the end of the twelfth
century, the descendants of both Saxons and Normans in England
referred to themselves as "English", not "Saxon" or "Norman".
However, Scott may have intended to suggest parallels between the
Norman Conquest, which takes place roughly 130 years before the
setting of 'Ivanhoe', and Scott's native Scotland, which had united
with England in 1707 roughly the same length of time ago, and
witnessed a resurgence in Scottish nationalism evidenced by the
emergence of Robert Burns, the famous poet who deliberately chose to
work in Scots vernacular though he was an educated man and spoke
modern English eloquently. Some experts suggest that Scott
deliberately used 'Ivanhoe' to illustrate his own combination of
Scottish patriotism and unionism.
The novel generated a new name in English--Cedric. The original Saxon
name had been 'Cerdic' but Scott misspelled it--an example of
metathesis. "It is not a name but a misspelling" said satirist H. H.
Munro.
In England in 1194, it would have been anachronistic for Rebecca, a
Jewish woman, to be charged with witchcraft. In medieval witch trials,
it was usually the belief in witchcraft that was prosecuted as a
heresy, a charge a non-Christian woman would not have been subject to.
Death did not become the usual penalty until the 15th century and even
then, the form of execution used for witches in England was hanging,
not burning. The conductor of the trial, the Grand Master Of The
Templars, is referred to as Lucas de Beaumanoir, whereas the
historically real Master during that time was Gilbert Horal. There are
other various minor errors, e.g. the description of the tournament at
Ashby owes more to the 14th century, most of the coins mentioned by
Scott are exotic, William Rufus is said to have been John Lackland's
grandfather, but he was actually his great-great-uncle, and Wamba
(disguised as a monk) says "I am a poor brother of the Order of St
Francis", but St. Francis of Assisi only began his preaching ten years
after the death of Richard I. Also, in Chapter 43, Bois-Guilbert
commences the fight being mounted on his horse named Zamor, which he
claimed that he had won from the "Soldan of Trebizond". This is
anachronistic, as the Comnenids founded the rump Byzantine Empire of
Trebizond only in 1204, just by the end of the Fourth Crusade. Lastly,
in the novel's ultimate chapter, Rebecca and her father move to
Granada to spend the rest of their lives under Mohammed Boabdil. In
fact, the real Muhammad XII of Granada, popularly known to the Western
world as Boabdil, was not even born before 1460, and the Emirate of
Granada established before 1230.
Despite this fancifulness, 'Ivanhoe' does make some prescient
historical points. The novel is occasionally critical of King Richard,
"who seems to love adventure more than he loves the well-being of his
subjects"--in contrast to the idealised, romantic view of Richard
popular at the time, but rather echoes the way King Richard is often
judged by historians today.
Reception
======================================================================
Most of the original reviewers gave 'Ivanhoe' an enthusiastic or
broadly favourable reception.
As usual, Scott's descriptive powers and his ability to present the
matters of the past were generally praised. More than one reviewer
found the work notably poetic. Several of them found themselves
transported imaginatively to the remote period of the novel, although
some problems were recognised: the combining of features from the high
and late Middle Ages; an awkwardly created language for the dialogue;
and antiquarian overload. The author's excursion into England was
generally judged a success, the forest outlaws and the creation of
'merry England' attracting particular praise. Rebecca was almost
unanimously admired, especially in her farewell scene. The plot was
either criticised for its weakness, or just regarded as of less
importance than the scenes and characters. The scenes at Torquilstone
were judged horrible by several critics, with special focus on Ulrica.
Athelstane's resurrection found no favour, the kindest response being
that of Francis Jeffrey in 'The Edinburgh Review' who suggested
(writing anonymously, like all the reviewers) that it was 'introduced
out of the very wantonness of merriment'.
Letitia Elizabeth Landon, who was a devotee of Scott's, wrote a
poetical illustration to a picture of by Thomas Allom in Fisher's
Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1838.
The Eglinton Tournament of 1839 held by the 13th Earl of Eglinton at
Eglinton Castle in Ayrshire was inspired by and modelled on 'Ivanhoe'.
On 5 November 2019, 'BBC News' included 'Ivanhoe' on its list of the
100 most influential novels.
Sequels
======================================================================
* In 1850, novelist William Makepeace Thackeray wrote a spoof sequel
to Ivanhoe called 'Rebecca and Rowena'.
* Edward Eager's book 'Knight's Castle' (1956) magically transports
four children into the story of Ivanhoe.
* Simon Hawke uses the story as the basis for 'The Ivanhoe Gambit'
(1984) the first novel in his time travel adventure series TimeWars.
* Pierre Efratas wrote a sequel called 'Le Destin d'Ivanhoe' (2003),
published by Éditions Charles Corlet.
* Christopher Vogler wrote a sequel called 'Ravenskull' (2006),
published by Seven Seas Publishing.
References in other literature
======================================================================
*'Jack and Jill' by Louisa May Alcott (1880). When feeling sorry for
her current lot in life, Merry looked at the copy of Ivanhoe and
thought of Rebecca, '"Sweeping, baking, and darning are not so bad as
being plagued with lovers and carried off and burnt at the stake, so I
won't envy poor Rebecca her jewels and curls and romantic times, but
make the best of my own."'
*'The Heart is a Lonely Hunter' by Carson McCullers (1940). Harry
Minowitz, a Jewish adolescent, feels alientated when his high school
class reads Ivanhoe, '"...at Vocational when they read about the Jew
in 'Ivanhoe' the other kids would look around at Harry and he would
come home and cry."'
Films
=======
The novel has been the basis for several motion pictures:
* 'Ivanhoe', United States 1911, directed by J. Stuart Blackton
* 'Ivanhoe', United States 1913, directed by Herbert Brenon; with King
Baggot, Leah Baird, and Brenon. Filmed on location in England
* 'Ivanhoe', Wales 1913, directed by Leedham Bantock, filmed at
Chepstow Castle
* 'Ye Olden Days', United States 1933, directed by Burt Gillett
* 'Ivanhoe', 1952, directed by Richard Thorpe, starring Robert Taylor,
Elizabeth Taylor, Joan Fontaine and George Sanders; nominated for
three Oscars.
* 'The Revenge of Ivanhoe' (1965) starred Rik Van Nutter (an Italian
'peplum')
* 'Ivanhoe, the Norman Swordsman' (1971) aka 'La spada normanna',
directed by Roberto Mauri (an Italian 'peplum')
* 'The Ballad of the Valiant Knight Ivanhoe' (Баллада о доблестном
рыцаре Айвенго), USSR 1983, directed by Sergey Tarasov, with songs of
Vladimir Vysotsky, starring Peteris Gaudins as Ivanhoe.
Television
============
There have also been many television adaptations of the novel,
including:
* 1958: A television series based on the character of Ivanhoe starring
Roger Moore as Ivanhoe
* 1970: A TV miniseries starring Eric Flynn as Ivanhoe
* 1975: Children's Animated Classics Ivanhoe
* 1982: 'Ivanhoe', a television movie starring Anthony Andrews as
Ivanhoe
* 1986: 'Ivanhoe', a 1986 animated telemovie produced by Burbank Films
in Australia
* 1995: 'Young Ivanhoe', a 1995 television movie directed by Ralph L.
Thomas and starring Kristen Holden-Ried as Ivanhoe, Rachel Blanchard
as Rowena, Stacy Keach as Pembrooke, Margot Kidder as Lady Margarite,
Nick Mancuso as Bourget, and Matthew Daniels as Tuck
* 1995: "Sniffing the Gauntlet", an episode of the PBS show 'Wishbone'
that featured a retelling of Ivanhoe. A book tie-in was later
published as 'Wishbone Classics #12: Ivanhoe, The Adventures of
Wishbone #20: Ivanhound'.
* 1997: 'Ivanhoe the King's Knight' a televised cartoon series
produced by CINAR and France Animation. General retelling of classic
tale.
* 1997: 'Ivanhoe', a 6-part, 5-hour TV miniseries, a co-production of
A&E and the BBC. It stars Steven Waddington as Ivanhoe, Ciarán
Hinds as Bois-Guilbert, Susan Lynch as Rebecca, Ralph Brown as Prince
John and Victoria Smurfit as Rowena
* 1999: 'The Legend of Ivanhoe', a Columbia TriStar International
Television production dubbed into English starring John Haverson as
Ivanhoe and Rita Shaver as Rowena
* 2000-2002: 'Dark Knight', a New Zealand/British series, starring Ben
Pullen as Ivanhoe and Charlotte Comer as Rebecca
* 2017: 'The Heroic Quest of the Valiant Prince Ivandoe', a
Danish/British animated parody.
Operas
========
Victor Sieg's dramatic cantata 'Ivanhoé' won the Prix de Rome in 1864
and premiered in Paris the same year. 'Ivanhoe' was the grand opera by
Arthur Sullivan and Julian Sturgis (Sturgis was recommended by
Sullivan's oft-time partner W. S. Gilbert). It debuted in 1891, and
ran for 155 consecutive performances. Other operas based on the novel
have been composed by Gioachino Rossini ('Ivanhoé'), Thomas Sari
('Ivanhoé'), Bartolomeo Pisani ('Rebecca'), A. Castagnier ('Rébecca'),
Otto Nicolai ('Il Templario'), and Heinrich Marschner ('Der Templer
und die Jüdin'). Rossini's opera is a 'pasticcio' (an opera in which
the music for a new text is chosen from pre-existent music by one or
more composers). Scott attended a performance of it and recorded in
his journal, "It was an opera, and, of course, the story sadly mangled
and the dialogue, in part nonsense."
Legacy
======================================================================
The railway running through Ashby-de-la-Zouch was known as the Ivanhoe
line between 1993 and 2005, in reference to the book's setting in the
locality.
A portion of the Silver Lake neighborhood in Los Angeles was
established in 1887 as a real estate tract called Ivanhoe. (Realtors
John C. Byram and Robert W. Poindexter were behind the tract; it is a
myth that it was named decades earlier by Scottish settler Hugo Reid,
as he never lived in this section of Los Angeles County.) The upper
reservoir and an elementary school are still named Ivanhoe while many
of the streets in the area reference Scott's other works and
characters such as Locksley, Rowena, Kenilworth, Waverly [sic],
Avenel, and St. George.
Ivanhoe, North Carolina is named after 'Ivanhoe'.
See also
======================================================================
* Norman yoke
* Trysting Tree - several references are made to these trees as agreed
gathering places.
External links
======================================================================
* Online text on Wikisource
*
*
*
*[
http://www.walterscott.lib.ed.ac.uk/works/novels/ivanhoe.html Page
on 'Ivanhoe' at the Walter Scott Digital Archive]
License
=========
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License URL:
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
Original Article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivanhoe
