Ivanhoe is set in 12th-century England, a period of history when the country went through a major cultural shift following the Norman Conquest. This historical backdrop is crucial to understanding the novel's exploration of the tensions between the Norman rulers and their Saxon subjects, who existed in mutual suspicion and dislike. It’s also important because it explains the cult of personality surrounding Richard I, who is treated as a savior-like figure by many of the novel’s characters and by Scott's narrator. Scott's depiction of England in this era encompasses a wide range of settings from dense, romantically described forests to imposing castles and quaint little hamlets. These physical settings are not just passive backdrops, however. They reflect and contribute to the novel's exploration of the interior life of a country undergoing profound changes. Everyone—from the serfs in the hovels to the lords in the manors—is being forced to navigate a social world that doesn't always match their expectations.
The forests in Ivanhoe are spaces where pre-Norman England lingers, and where Saxon resistance against Norman oppression simmers and sometimes erupts into open conflict. Scott packs these natural settings with descriptions of gnarled, ancient trees and hidden paths. They’re populated with characters like Robin Locksley, whose presence is also aligned with the Saxon distaste for Norman rule. Castles, on the other hand, symbolize the power and authority of the Norman conquerors. Compared to the smaller, more humble Anglo-Saxon halls, their stone walls and fortified positions are imposing manifestations of the Norman stranglehold on England. These castles are also sites of complex social interaction, where the rules of chivalry are followed and flouted as characters fight and fall in love. The interiors of castles are also where most of the novel’s interactions with and between women happen, as the noblewomen of the book are essentially confined to this inner realm.
The denizens of the castles are the impetus for a lot of the drama of Ivanhoe. At the beginning of the novel the Third Crusade has just ended, leaving an atmosphere of religious intolerance and bigotry thick in the air as the Normans return from war. The novel’s minority communities, particularly Jews like Rebecca, Isaac, and Nathan, are at best placed under suspicion and at worst actively persecuted. Nowhere seems safe, especially for England's non-Norman residents.
Scenes set in the villages and towns of England depict the everyday life of the common folk, which Scott uses to provide insights into social and economic realities that exist outside the circles of extreme wealth and power. The serfs and yeomen of England are pretty universally discontented with their lot, and often make fun of their rulers in a way that provides some comic relief. Writ large, the impression the setting of Ivanhoe gives the reader is of a national identity crisis, where old ways are being challenged or erased and new ones are emerging.
