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).
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 courting of a Saxon Princess, Rowena, meant for another, and his allegiance to the Norman king
Richard I of England—as he comes back from the
Crusades incognito amid the plotting of his brother, Prince
John of England. The legendary
Robin Hood, initially under the title of Locksley, is also a character in the story, as are his 'merry men' including
Friar Tuck and, less so,
Alan-a-Dale (
Little John is merely mentioned)); the character Scott gave to Robin Hood in
Ivanhoe shaped the modern idea of this figure as a cheery noble outlaw. Other major characters include Ivanhoe's intractable Saxon father, the last decendant of the
Saxon King
Harold II, various
Knights Templar and churchmen, plus the loyal serfs Gurth the
swineherd and the
jester or fool Wamba, whose not-so foolish observances punctuate much of the action.
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.
*
Wilfred of Ivanhoe – a knight and son of a Saxon family
*
Rebecca – a Jewish healer
*
Rowena – a noble Saxon Lady
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Prince John – the plotting regent of England
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The Black Knight – actually his brother, Richard the Lionheart, incognito
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Locksley – actually Robin Hood
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The Hermit or Clerk of Companhurst –– actually Friar Tuck
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Brian De Bois-Guilbert – a Templar Knight
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Isaac of York – the father of Rebecca, a money-lender
*
Prior Aymer*
Reginald Front-de-Boeuf– knight that was given Ivanhoe's estate by Prince John
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Cedric the Saxon – Ivanhoe's father
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Lucas Beaumanoir – the Templar Grand Master
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Conrade of Montfichet – Templar
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Maurice De Bracy– Prince John's loyal minion
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Waldemar Fitzurse– Prince John's loyal minion
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Athelstane – last of the Saxon royal line
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Albert and Philip de Malvoisin – Templars (brothers)
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Gurth – Cedric's loyal swineherd
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Wamba – Cedric's loyal jester
In 1850, the novelist
William Makepeace Thackeray wrote a spoof sequel to
Ivanhoe called
Rebecca and Rowena.
The location of the novel is centred upon
South Yorkshire and North
Nottinghamshire in
England. Castles mentioned within the story include
Ashby de la Zouche where the opening tournament is held (now a ruin in the care of
English Heritage), York (though the mention of
Clifford's Tower, likewise EH and which still stands, is
anachronistic, it being built later) and 'Coningsburgh', which is based upon
Conisbrough Castle near
Doncaster (also EH and a popular tourist attraction). Reference is made within the story, too, to
York Minster, where the climactic wedding takes place, and 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 has become 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 fictionalised. 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 that 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."
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. Filmed at
Chepstow Castle,
Wales*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:
**
Best Picture -
Pandro S. Berman**
Best Cinematography, Color -
Freddie Young**
Best Music Score -
Miklós RózsaThere is also a Russian movie
The Ballad of the Valiant Knight Ivanhoe (
Баллада о доблестном рыцаре Айвенго) (1983), directed by Sergey Tarasov, with songs of
Vladimir Vysotsky, starring Peteris Gaudins as Ivanhoe.
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 adaptation by Sir Arthur Sullivan (see
Ivanhoe (opera)) ran for over one hundred performances in 1891.
*
Free ebook of Ivanhoe at
Project Gutenberg *
Online edition at eBooks@Adelaide*
IMDB listing for Dark Knight
