Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Ivanhoe, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
The Merits of Chivalry
Disguise and Discovery
Inheritance and Displacement
The Vulnerability and Power of Women
History vs. Romance
Summary
Analysis
During a lull in the battle, Sir Brian and De Bracy meet in the castle hall. Front-de-Boeuf lies dying, felled by the Black Knight’s powerful blows. Sir Brian’s forces lost control of their wall and the attackers may well soon be inside the castle. De Bracy suggests turning over their prisoners, but Sir Brian refuses; admitting defeat would deal far too great a blow to his honor. Swearing to show himself to be a “gentleman of blood and lineage,” De Bracy prepares to return to battle alongside Sir Brian. They fear that the attackers plan to concentrate their force on the now vulnerable postern, or inner castle gate, which they prepare to defend with their lives.
In the contest between Normans and Saxons, the Saxons seem poised to score a critical victory. When de Bracy’s courage momentarily fails, Sir Brian rouses him to valorous action by reminding him of his honor—the centerpiece of chivalry. Yet still, honor is an ambivalent motivation; it can inspire a knight like Ivanhoe to challenge a bully like Sir Brian, but it an also inspire bullies like Sir Brian and de Bracy to unnecessarily extend bloodshed rather than admit their impending defeat.
Themes
Reginald Front-de-Boeuf lies in bed in mental and physical agony. Unlike most other knights in this superstitious period, his greed has kept him from assuaging his guilty conscience by making large donations to the Church for the remission of his sins. Now, he fears dying unforgiven and he cries out for a priest. A shrill voice rises from his bedside identifying itself as his “evil angel.” The voice encourages him to think on his sins: rebellion, murder, and rape. Front-de-Boeuf declares he isn’t responsible for Prince John’s rebellion, nor does he feel guilt over the “infidel Jew” or “Saxon porkers” who have died by his hand. Then the voice asks about the murder of his father. After a pause he lays the blame for that event squarely on Ulrica.
Front-de-Boeuf’s death points to the emptiness of the Normans’ moral universe; motivated only by self-interest, he has neglected every other responsibility, including his duty to support the church and even his family ties. The book paints him as the ultimate vicious Norman villain, implying that his personal sins reflect the broader misdeeds of the entire ruling class. Ulrica leads him through a perverse mockery of confession; she points out sins she knows only too well, having witnessed or abetted most of them. But, because he lacks any meaningful moral code, religious or secular (like chivalry), he refuses to accept responsibility.
Themes
Ulrica steps from the shadows and taunts Front-de-Boeuf with the specter of his castle falling to the Saxon hordes. She promises him a slow, ignominious, and painful death by burning; she’s set the castle’s fuel magazine on fire. With a foreboding farewell, she leaves, locking the door behind her and abandoning Front-de-Boeuf to cry helplessly for his servants. Thick, choking smoke fills the room as if the Devil himself has come from hell to claim Front-de-Boeuf’s soul. Laughing giddily, he cries out with his final words that at least he will take De Bracy, Sir Brian, Ulrica, and his prisoners with him.
Notably—and in a moment of poetic justice—Front-de-Boeuf dies in a fire, the same way he threatened to kill Isaac. And because he gained his power and clout through intimidation, violence, and threats—rather than earning it through knightly valor or good leadership—Front-de-Boeuf cannot call anyone to his aid. He can’t even foist his fate on de Bracy or Sir Brian, both of whom will soon escape the castle. His end thus foreshadows the reinstitution of justice and law when King Richard returns, which will have punishing consequences for all abusive members of the Norman nobility.
Themes
