Ivanhoe

Throughout the novel, Scott explores the role that religion, class, and gender played in Medieval European society. Knights and knighthood in particular represent the ideals of English society during the period. Knights were Christian, aristocratic, male warriors who followed the code of chivalry. They played an important role in the feudal system of the period through their allegiances to local lords and rulers. They also played an important role in the Crusades, which are often mentioned in the novel. Like knights, the Crusades tell us a lot about the way religion, class, and gender were seen in Medieval Europe. The aim of the Crusades was to drive out the Muslim rulers of Palestine, the Holy Land. These religious wars exemplify the intolerance and bigotry of the period, when Christian Europe thought of non-Christians as “infidels” who needed to be expelled or converted by force. The knights who fought to achieve this goal, including major knightly orders like the Templars, grew wealthy and important.

Scott raises many critiques of Medieval English society. He depicts the intolerance of the Christians toward non-Christians—including the Muslim “Saracens” and especially the Jewish characters Isaac and Rebecca. Isaac is depicted as the stereotypical Jewish moneylender: He is greedy, cowardly, and constantly persecuted by the Christians. Rebecca, a more sympathetic character, is braver and more generous than Isaac, though she is persecuted just as relentlessly because of her religious beliefs. In Volume 3, Rebecca’s Jewish background convinces the fanatical Templar Grand Master, Lucas Beaumanoir, that she is a witch, a capital charge for which she is put on trial and risks being burned at the stake. But Scott also explores the hypocrisy and corruption of the church itself. Prior Aymer, a wealthy clergyman, uses his position to enjoy luxuries that were typically frowned upon by Catholic religious doctrine: He, like many other characters, is associated with the church only to reap its worldly benefits.

Much like non-Christians, lower-class people and women are often disenfranchised in the Medieval England depicted in the novel. Cedric’s bondsmen, Wamba and Gurth, are comparatively lucky in that they serve a relatively fair enslaver, but they are still enslaved—forced to follow another person’s beck and call without question. The English yeomen, though born free, are often treated so harshly by their feudal higher-ups that they are forced to abandon society altogether and become outlaws. Some of these outlaws, in turn, create a new, improved society, such as Locksley’s “Merry Men” who take from the rich and give to the poor and who subscribe to somewhat more democratic principles than their former feudal overlords.

Gender was also a major issue during this period. With very few exceptions, most important positions and occupations in Medieval society were held by men. Women had fewer rights, and even aristocratic women could be forced into a marriage by their parents or guardians (Cedric, for instance, knows he can simply force Rowena to marry Athelstane, though he prefers to be more diplomatic). Women are much more vulnerable to violence, especially rape, in the world of the novel, with Bois-Guilbert expending considerable energy trying to make Rebecca his mistress. Though women have few opportunities to attain importance on their own, some of the novel’s female characters are strong and independent. Rebecca in particular is a good example, holding out against Bois-Guilbert even when doing so places her life in jeopardy. Rowena, similarly, resists Cedric’s insistence that she marry Athelstane and remains true to Ivanhoe even after he is banished. Even the enslaved Ulrica finally takes revenge on her male captors when she burns down Torquilstone.