Sir Walter Scotts Ivanhoe Essay examples - 1151 Words

Sir Walter Scott’s Ivanhoe, a romantic story set in Medieval England; embodies the definition of how a novel’s themes are applied to human life. The representation of Jews in Ivanhoe, through the character Rebecca, outlines the most important themes within the novel such as chivalry, romance, and centuries long English Anti-Semitism. Many interpret Ivanhoe as a solely Anti-Semitic work, focusing on the rituals of the Templar Knight, highlighted in the concluding chapters of Ivanhoe. The Templar Knights are described and consisted of a secret society of Christian militant men dressed in white, condemning any of dark-complexioned skin; all traits and rituals of the Ku Klux Klan. The Ku Klux Klan’s very name echoes the romantic â€Å"clans† in†¦show more content†¦Rebecca, for both Ivanhoe and Bois-Guilbert, is Jerusalem itself; an irresistible, chivalric quest that ends with a duel to the death. It is understandable that Ivanhoe would not present as much affection to Rowena, as he does to Rebecca throughout the novel. In comparison, readers find that Rowena seems disappointing to Ivanhoe after experiencing the seductions of Rebecca’s beauty and exotic nature. And it is Rebecca who is the object of Ivanhoe’s and Bois-Guilbert’s desires, which provides the climax of action within the novel. Ivanhoe’s restless, half-dead ride to rescue Rebecca, prepared to desert Rowena even at the moment of their betrothal, reinforces his militant and chivalric identity; â€Å"he shows us that the impediments to his union with Rowena have never been important. It is the impossible union with Rebecca that drives him, and with it the real action of the novel† (xxi). However, Bois-Guilbert attempts to break his chivalric self-love by means of his passion for Rebecca, â€Å"yonder girl hath wellnigh unmanned me.† (pg. 401-402) In the end, Bois-Guilbert, through his death, renounces his knighthood and chivalry but forever declares his love for Rebecca. Rebecca presents the theme of romance in different forms. To the characters’ Bois-Guilbert and Ivanhoe, Rebecca is the symbol of white man’s attraction and resistance toShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of The Book The Of Ivanhoe By Sir Walter Scott2135 Words   |  9 PagesThe wrongdoings in Iv anhoe In the text of Ivanhoe, by Sir Walter Scott, there is quite a bit of discrimination. Most of the discrimination are geared towards the minorities in the text, some of those being a Jewish man named Isaac, some servants that come from Palestine and were brought over by Brian de Bois-Guilbert, and the Serfs and Peasants that are seen in the text, more specifically the serfs who serve Cedric the Saxon. Now, the ones being discriminatory are none other than the Nobles andRead More Ivanhoe - Strenghth, Honor , And Chivalry Essay1586 Words   |  7 Pagesmorality. In the book Ivanhoe, by Sir Walter Scott, a knight named Ivanhoe illustrates this by devoting his attention to keeping the rules of the Code of Chivalry, which consisted of love of adventure, integrity, and loyalty to the king, to name a few. These character traits of Ivanhoe coupled with strong characters and a realistic setting allow the reader to understand the importance of a strong set of moral guidelines to all individua ls of all time periods in spite of Scott’s excessive detail andRead MoreIvanhoe - Strenghth, Honor , and Chivalry1626 Words   |  7 Pagesmorality. In the book Ivanhoe, by Sir Walter Scott, a knight named Ivanhoe illustrates this by devoting his attention to keeping the rules of the Code of Chivalry, which consisted of love of adventure, integrity, and loyalty to the king, to name a few. These character traits of Ivanhoe coupled with strong characters and a realistic setting allow the reader to understand the importance of a strong set of moral guidelines to all individuals of all time periods in spite of Scotts excessive detail andRead MoreRomanticism in English Literature of the Beginning of the 19th Century3718 Words   |  15 Pagesof Burnss poetry appeared in spring of 1787. He became famous. The so-called ploughman poet was befriended and courted. No party in Edinburgh was held without him. He was respected in the capital of Scotland. He made friends with Lord Newton and Walter Scott. Robert Burns was called the Caledonias Bard. Meanwhile, a second edition of Burnss poems appeared. The publication brought the author sufficient financial security to allow him to return to Ayrshire in 1788 where he produced two ofRead More The Powerful Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Essay1605 Words   |  7 Pagesproperty after they run away (Twain 208).    In Chapter 12 of Huckleberry Finn, Huck and Jim come across a rapidly sinking ship occupied only by three dangerous thieves who are secretly plotting each others demise (Crowley 76). The ship, the Walter Scott, which eventually disappears beneath the waves, symbolizes the Old South in its dying years as being dominated by thugs, thieves, and killers. The noble men involved with a noble cause had died out and were no longer present (Johnson 177-178)Read MoreThe Role of Women in English Literature: From Beowulf up to the Late Eighteenth Century963 Words   |  4 Pagesright, from Beowulf up to the late eighteenth century. The role of women in English literature from Beowulf up to the late eighteenth century mostly represented the mores and gender expectations of the time. Exceptions were Rebecca in Sir Walter Scotts Ivanhoe who epitomized an intelligent and courageous woman and Grendalls mother in Beowulf who tried to attack the trolls. Judith too was a retelling of the story found in the Latin Bibles Book of Judith of the beheader of the Assyrian generalRead MoreThe Reception And Influence Of Rebecca Harding Davis2118 Words   |  9 Pagesthe year Davis was born, a new literature movement called Romanticism began. This movement was characterized by stories laden with sentimentality and focused on the individual. One notable example of a romanticized story would be Sir Walter Scott’s Ivanhoe, in which Ivanhoe falls madly in love with Rowena and does everything in his power to win her over. This story was one of the many that Davis was exposed to growing up, and she quickly came to reject the i deals of Romanticism. Davis saw these works