An essay written by my friend Mr. Smith on the nature of Chivalrous romance within Sir Walter Scott’s historical adventure, “Ivanhoe.” It provides some interesting analysis on the nature of Ivanhoe’s character. Enjoy!
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Did Ivanhoe Marry the Right Woman?
This essay will hopefully address the question of whether Wilfred of Ivanhoe, the main character of Sir Walter Scott’s book, Ivanhoe, married the right woman. The two main characters that were women in the book were Rebecca, the kind healer daughter of the rich Jew, Isaac, and Rowena, the beautiful and caring princess of the Saxons living in England. Both women loved Ivanhoe, and at the end of the book, he does the seemingly inevitable and marries Rowena, binding his race together even more fully in England.
Now, in the book, Ivanhoe has been gone a long time fighting the Muslims in Palestine and the surrounding areas; his father, Cedric, is the caretaker of Rowena, so Ivanhoe knew Rowena when he was younger, and it is quite often hinted at and alluded to that Rowena and Ivanhoe were very much in love and cared for each other very deeply; this is evidenced by the fact that Rowena was eager to try and find out whether or not Ivanhoe was alright, and whether he would be returning soon. She seems to be a very caring and kind girl, who seems to truly want the best for Ivanhoe; their relationship in the book certainly is a wonderful example of the chivalrous love of knight and lady from the Middle Ages (something which this generation of people would do well to adopt, as there is so much unnecessary hurt in people’s relationships, especially due to a lack of true love, purity, and truly caring for each and wanting the best for them). Another example of how much Rowena cared about Ivanhoe was when the marauder De Bracy tried to make her his wife, and to stop her love for Ivanhoe, he tried to lie and tell her that Ivanhoe was dying. With this she breaks down at the very notion of Ivanhoe getting hurt or in trouble, which I think shows what kind of a wife she would be for him and to him. Rowena was also very religious and pure, the former being somewhat rare in this book, which has more than one rather unflattering portrayal of clergymen and quite a few instances of Catholics not caring about their faith and utterly disregarding it at some points as well.
Ivanhoe and Rowena are still very attached to each other even though they had not seen each other in years, this, I think, helps to show just how strong their bond was. When someone can still care as much about each other as they do for years and years without so much as a letter or a glimpse of each other, I think that speaks volumes about their chastity and commitment to each other’s lives.
It is also evident in the book at certain times that Ivanhoe truly loves and cares about Rowena, while injured and tended to by Rebecca, Ivanhoe learns of Rowena being held captive by the sinful De Bracy, and he tries to get up to save her even though he is grievously hurt and can barely stand. This makes it seem all the more apparent, at least to me, that Ivanhoe really cares about Rowena. When you are ready to risk your life for someone, especially if it is agonizing to even stand, let alone walk, I think that this shows the integrity of Ivanhoe’s character and the depth of the Christian love that he has for Rowena. At another point in the book, when Ivanhoe’s identity is still not known by anyone, he is taking part in the games and jousts held by King John to enhance his own personal standing with the commoners of England, Ivanhoe chooses Rowena to be the Queen of the Tournament, an award for the purest, most beautiful girl present at the time, which, in Ivanhoe’s eyes, she certainly is.
Later on in the book, Rowena is taken captive by the mercenary knight De Bracy, who is infatuated with her beauty. She refuses his efforts, even though he tries to tempt her with power and money, as seems to always be the case when men are rejected by women. Her love for Ivanhoe and her chastity and faith are far more important to her than the want of any sort of title or power, and she refuses De Bracy’s entreaties. Eventually, as I have already said, De Bracy tries to lie to tell her that Ivanhoe is already at death’s door and her love for him will no longer matter, and at this, as almost any girl would, she breaks down, which, interestingly enough, causes De Bracy’s conscience to have a pang of guilt, and he does not attempt to have her again, as his notions of honor are at least somewhat higher than the other less than heroic characters in the book.
Another good thing about the union of Ivanhoe and Lady Rowena is that it helps to bind their race, the Saxons, closer together, not, perhaps as close as the union of Rowena and Athelstane would have made them, but it certainly does help her race to have their Princess marry a powerful warrior who they can all look to for guidance against the Norman overlords. It would be rather hard for to truly comprehend the intense loathing that the Saxons had for many Normans, and Ivanhoe and Rowena, being on very friendly terms with King Richard the Lion Heart, would certainly be of great help to try and bridge the gap between Norman Lord and Saxon peasant.
One more very positive thing about Lady Rowena was her disregard for foolish dislikes and hatreds of her times. When Isaac the Jew and his daughter Rebecca were in danger from Norman Knights, she insisted that Cedric take them under his protection, whereas most people of her time would not have cared whatsoever if Isaac and his daughter had perished for no reason. This too, I think, is another excellent example of the goodness and purity of Rowena’s heart and character; she cares more for the life of people that were considered outcasts and witches (unfairly, of course) than virtually any other character in the book. To take a Jew under protection would not have been a popular policy at all in the Middle Ages, and to do so shows a strength that most characters in the book lack.
Rebecca the Jew was another certainly good character in the book, who also certainly loved and cared for Ivanhoe very deeply with a good and pure love. However, Ivanhoe and Rowena already cared for and each other deeply by the time that Ivanhoe met Rebecca while he was wounded. To leave Rowena after years together, since their childhood in fact, would not have been the right thing to do in almost any circumstance. To leave Rowena for another without a very good reason would have been extremely unlike the noble knight that Ivanhoe was, and also very out of character. In any event, he certainly made the right choice for his wife with this basis.
If Ivanhoe had not married Rowena, and instead married Rebecca the daughter of Isaac the Jew, then he would have lost all his credibility with the Saxons and especially with the Norman lords, and the bridge that Ivanhoe had made with Richard the Lion Heart would likely have fallen to pieces. For the good of their people, the union of Ivanhoe and Rowena was very important. If Ivanhoe had married Rebecca, both would have been outcast by their families, friends, and even their religions at the time. Rebecca even acknowledged to herself that it was not right in the eyes of God (in her view, at least) for her to feel for Ivanhoe, and that it was not to be. In their time, the marriage between Jew and Christian could very well have forfeited their lives. This was not right, but it was a sad fact of the times. Of course, Ivanhoe and Rebecca marrying each other is really a more hypothetical question, as it is not really evident that Ivanhoe felt anything more for her than as a woman in danger or a friend; it seems to me, at least, that he certainly cared much more for Rowena.
In conclusion, the relationship between Ivanhoe and Rowena was both beautiful and holy. If every couple on earth treated each as they did and cared for each other as they did, the world would be a far better place, especially for the children of the world. Ivanhoe and Rowena had the most classic relationship between holy knight and chaste lady that is the core of Middle Age romance, and it certainly is something that more people should strive for. Comparing Ivanhoe and Rowena’s relationship to one from most modern movies would be like comparing the Catholic faith to atheism; in other words, there is no comparison. Only true and pure love can result in a happy and holy marriage, and Ivanhoe and Rowena certainly had both.
