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
Now the story returns to the household of Cedric, whose paternal instincts nearly lead him to cry out when Ivanhoe’s face is revealed at the tournament. He checks the impulse, unwilling to so publicly welcome his renounced and disinherited child. Still, he orders Oswald to see Ivanhoe carried safely to Ashby for medical care. But when the crowd disperses, Ivanhoe has disappeared. Oswald and Gurth search fruitlessly until witnesses tell them that some well-dressed servants of some unnamed lady bore the knight away. Confident in his son’s safety, Cedric can once again indulge the anger and pride that led him to cast Ivanhoe out in the first place. In a pique, he and Athelstane leave for Prince John’s banquet, which the book has already described.
Cedric’s feelings belie the harsh stance he takes toward his son, suggesting that even his stalwart support of the Saxon cause can be modified. Still, his pride (and the need for the Saxons to present a unified front if they are to prevail against their Norman oppressors) checks his impulse toward reconciliation. It’s becoming increasingly clear that the only path for England (or the domestic world of Cedric’s family) to return to order lies in a compromise between or unification of Norman and Saxon interests.
Themes
Upon his return from the banquet, in a fouler mood than when he left, Cedric finally notices Gurth, away from Rotherwood without his master’s permission. He orders his men to handcuff the swineherd, and the party prepares to travel to their evening accommodations at a nearby Saxon convent. The following morning, just as they set out, they encounter the bad omen—Templeton informs readers that the Saxons were much more superstitious than the Normans—of a black dog barking at the gates. Noting that it’s unlucky to travel after a “monk, a hare, or a howling dog” crosses one’s path (or possibly just wanting more of the convent’s fine ale), Athelstane suggests they tarry another day there.
Like Prince John, Cedric sometimes suffers from excessive pride that leads him to punish undeserving victims, in this case Gurth, who earned his wrath by serving the disinherited and disowned Ivanhoe. The bad omen at the gates suggests that Cedric won’t get away with his bad behavior. It also points to the superstition that distinguishes the medieval era from the 19th century, in Templeton’s opinion. Meanwhile, Athelstane again shows his unreadiness to fight for the throne. The joining of Saxon and Norman forces seems increasingly necessary to resolve these unsettled times.
Themes
Cedric recognizes the dog as Gurth’s hound Fangs. Enraged, he hurls his spear at the animal, narrowly missing him. Tears spring into Gurth’s eyes and Wamba, riding with him at the rear of the group, wipes them away. Finally, Gurth begs his friend the jester to take a message to Cedric renouncing his service. Gurth can no longer serve such a hard-hearted man in good conscience. Wamba refuses the task and tries to soothe Gurth’s wounded feelings instead.
The alarming dog, it turns out, has a very rational explanation and isn’t a bad omen at all. Gurth’s unfair punishment parallels the way that the Normans unfairly oppress the Saxons and suggests that allowing either group sole dominance won’t solve England’s problems. Wamba’s refusal to accept Gurth’s zero-sum solution suggests that compromise is the only way forward.
Themes
In the front of the train, Cedric and Athelstane eagerly discuss the feuds and quarrels of the Norman nobility and the chances of the Saxons revolting against their oppressors. Cedric wants nothing more, but it requires the Saxons to unite behind one leader. Cedric himself would make an excellent choice, but he bears no personal political ambitions, and prefers to advance the cause of Athelstane and Rowena, who descends from the popular Saxon king Alfred. Cedric wants to unite the Saxons behind both by achieving the marriage of his ward Rowena to Athelstane, but Ivanhoe’s absence hasn’t diminished the love she feels for him and she refuses to marry anyone else. Although Cedric could force the issue as her male guardian, he habitually defers to her desires and cannot bring himself to overrule her in this area.
Cedric plays a zero-sum game, hoping that the currently oppressed Saxons may one day emerge victorious over their Norman oppressors. But to achieve this, every member of the disempowered Saxon race must work together and willingly sacrifice their own interests for the group. Cedric modeled this devotion when he disowned Ivanhoe. But already readers should realize that neither Rowena nor Athelstane share Cedric’s level of commitment. Thus, the book dooms the Saxon cause before it can try anything. Again, the book pushes toward compromise—and the fact that Cedric refuses to force Rowena into a marriage she disdains hints that he may have more capacity for compromise than it first appears.
Themes
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Just as Cedric cannot beguile Rowena with the prospect of a queen’s throne, he also fails to excite Athelstane to action. Although Athelstane relishes the respect of his Saxon underlings and fondly imagines his life as their ruler after they achieve independence, he has no interest in helping them to achieve it, no matter how hard Cedric presses him. When he tires of Athelstane’s company and decides to try his luck with Rowena, he finds that lady and her favorite maid rehearsing Athelstane’s poor performance in the lists. Thus, Cedric passes a frustrating day of riding.
Athelstane likes the attention he gets as the Saxon heir-apparent, but he obviously lacks the leadership skills, or even the foundational warrior virtues of courage, steadfastness, and honor necessary to become an effective ruler. In a backhanded way, his unreadiness makes a strong case for the value of chivalry, since his lackluster performance only makes the performance of the disgraced Ivanhoe and the Black Knight (whom the book strongly suggests is King Richard) look better.
Themes
