Ivanhoe

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Ivanhoe

Ivanhoe is a novel by Sir Walter Scott. It was written in 1819 and set in 12th century England, an example of historical fiction. Ivanhoe is sometimes given credit for helping to increase popular interest in the middle ages in 19th century Europe and America (see Romanticism).

Plot introduction

It is the story of one of the remaining Saxon noble families, at a time when the nobility was overwhelmingly Norman. It follows the protagonist, Wilfred of Ivanhoe—a son of a Saxon family out of favor with his father due to his unsuitable courting of a Saxon Princess named Rowena and his allegiance to the Norman king Richard I of England—as he comes back from the Crusades. The legendary Robin Hood, under the title of Locksley, is also a character in the story, and the character Scott gave him in Ivanhoe shaped the modern idea of Robin Hood, the cheery noble outlaw.

Plot summary

Ivanhoe himself spends much of the story out of action, having been seriously wounded in the opening chapters. He is nursed by Rebecca, daughter of Isaac the Jew, but there can never be a romance between them, partly because of her religion and partly because Ivanhoe is already committed to the beautiful Rowena, his childhood love. However, his great enemy, the Templar Sir Brian de Bois-Guilbert, finds Rebecca so irresistible that he is prepared to sacrifice everything for her. Many of the book's critics prefer Rebecca as a heroine to the relatively colourless Rowena.

Characters in "Ivanhoe"

Wilfred of Ivanhoe – a son of a Saxon family
Rebecca
Rowena
Prince John
The Black Knight
Locksley
Brian De Bois-Guilbert
Isaac of York, father of Rebecca
Prior Aymer
Reginald Front-de-Boeuf
Cedric the Saxon
Maurice De Bracy
Waldemar Fitzurse
Athelstane
Philip de Malvoisin
Gurth, Cedric's swineherd
Wamba, Cedric's jester

Allusions/references from other works

In 1850, the novelist William Makepeace Thackeray wrote a spoof sequel to Ivanhoe called Rebecca and Rowena.

Allusions/references to actual history, geography and current science

The location of the novel is centred upon South Yorkshire and North Nottinghamshire in England. Indeed the castle within the story is based upon Conisbrough Castle near Doncaster and still stands today as a popular tourist attraction. Reference is made within the story to the Bishop of Sheffield. These references within the story contribute to the notion that Robin Hood lived or travelled in and around this area.

The ancient town of Conisbrough is so dedicated to the story of Ivanhoe that many of the streets, schools and public buildings are named either after characters from the book or the 12th Century Castle.

Historical accuracy

Although the general political events depicted in the novel are relatively accurate - it tells of the period of King Richard's imprisonment in Austria following the crusade and his return to England - the story is heavily fictionalized. Most notably, its depiction of an England in which Saxon and Norman nobles are at odds is highly anachronistic - by the late 12th century, there were no such distinctions among an upper class which generally had a common Norman French culture, with elements of English nobility, mainly due to inter-breeding between the different nationalities.

One inaccuracy in Ivanhoe created a new name in the English language: Cedric. The correct name is Cerdic but Sir Walter committed a metathesis. The satirist H. H. Munro , with his typical caustic wit, commented: "It is not a name but a misspelling."

Film, TV or theatrical adaptations

The novel has been the basis for two movies, each also titled Ivanhoe;

The 1913 Ivanhoe film production: Directed by Herbert Brenon. With King Baggot, Leah Baird, Brenon.
The 1952 Ivanhoe film was directed by Richard Thorpe and starred Robert Taylor as Ivanhoe, Elizabeth Taylor as Rebecca, Joan Fontaine as Rowena, George Sanders as Bois-Guilbert, Finlay Currie as Cedric, and Sebastian Cabot. The film has a notable jousting scene as well as a well-choreographed battle sequence. These visualizations are given more attention than the dialogue and underlying story. The film was nominated for three Oscars:

There is also a Russian movie The Ballad of the Valiant Knight Ivanhoe (Ballada O Doblestnom Rytsare Ayvengo, Баллада о доблестном рыцаре Айвенго) (1983), directed by Sergey Tarasov, with songs of Vladimir Vysotsky, starring Peteris Gaudins as Ivangoe.

There have also been numerous television adaptations of the novel, including:

Late 1950s: A television series based on the character of Ivanhoe starred Roger Moore as Ivanhoe.
1982: A television movie starring Anthony Andrews as Ivanhoe, Michael Hordern as his father, Cedric, Sam Neill as Sir Brian, Olivia Hussey as Rebecca, James Mason as Rebecca's father, Lysette Anthony as Rowena, Julian Glover as King Richard, and David Robb as Robin Hood. In this version, Sir Brian is the true hero. Though he could easily have won the fight against the wounded and incapacitated Ivanhoe, Brian lowers his sword and allows himself to be slaughtered, thus saving the life of his beloved Rebecca.
1997: This version of Ivanhoe was released as a 6-part, 5-hour series, a co-production of A&E and the BBC. It stars Steven Waddington as Ivanhoe, Ciarán Hinds as Bois-Guilbert, Susan Lynch as Rebecca, and Victoria Smurfit as Rowena.
2000 A Channel Five adaptation entitled Dark Knight attempted to adapt Ivanoe for an ongoing series. Ben Pullen played Ivanhoe and Charlotte Comer played Rebecca.

An operatic adaption by Sir Arthur Sullivan (see Ivanhoe (opera)) ran for over one hundred performances in 1891.

External links

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