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英雄艾文荷 Ivanhoe
本书是司各特最著名的一部作品，在他的历史小说中占有一个特殊的位置。首先，这是他第一次跨出苏格兰题材的范围，从而为他今后扩大创作视野奠定了基础。其次，他的苏格兰小说虽然称为历史小说，实际它们反映的时代都离司各特所生活的社会不远，有的甚至涉及了他的童年，以至青年时期。可是在《英雄艾文荷》（以下称《艾文荷》）中，他却把他的故事一下子推前了几百年，把中世纪中叶的英国作为历史背景。这样，可以说，随着《艾文荷》的问世，司各特才真正成了名符其实的历史小说家。第三，司各特作为一个浪漫主义作家，富有传奇色彩的中世纪正是最适合他的创作才能发挥长处的时期。因此，正如他在本书的导言中所说，它“获得了极大的成功，可以说，自从作者得以在英国和苏格兰小说中运用他的虚构才智以来，他这才真正在这方面取得了游刃有余的支配能力”。毫不奇怪，巴尔扎克正是在读了《艾文荷》之后，才对司各特的历史小说发出了由衷的赞美；也毫不奇怪，小说发表后立即不胫而走，成了司各特最畅销的一本书，人们谈到司各特时，都会把《艾文荷》与他联系在一起，它理所当然地成了他的代表作品。
《英雄艾文荷》-介绍
《艾文荷》以十二世纪末年英国狮心王理查在位时期的民族矛盾和阶级矛盾为背景，抒写了一个充满骑士精神的、绚丽多彩的英雄故事。小说着重描写了三件大事：一，阿什口比武大会，二，托奎尔斯通城堡的争夺战，三，圣殿会堂对丽贝卡的审问。这三个富有浪漫主义气息的场面，当然不是互相孤立的，而是通过情节的发展，一环扣一环逐步形成的，因而使小说构成了一个整体。比武是司各特喜爱的题材，骑士精神也是他所向往的中世纪风尚，然而在这里，比武大会不仅是正义和邪恶力量的一次较量，同时也是全书的一个序曲和人物介绍，书中所有的重要人物几乎都在这里出场，并得到了基本的刻划。在比武场上取得胜利的，也正是符合历史发展趋势，决定历史发展进程的几股力量的代表人物：艾文荷、理查和洛克斯利等等。托奎尔斯通城堡的争夺战则是正义和邪恶力量的又一次较量。最后以城堡的陷落，邪恶力量的失败告终。显然，在作者心目中，以诺曼武士为代表的这股邪恶力量是必然会失败的，这不仅在于它不得人心，违背了人民的意志，也由于它内部潜伏着严重的危机，这便是以乌尔莉加为代表的它的内部矛盾。乌尔莉加既与诺曼贵族有着血海深仇，又成了他们的玩物，与他们沆瀣一气，同流合污，最后才在复仇的怒火中将城堡付之一炬。这是司各特着力描写的一个充满浪漫色彩的人物。对丽贝卡的审问是全书的余波，然而是不可缺少的一部分，正是通过对而贝卡的审问，作者向我们揭示了作为诺曼征服的强大支柱的圣殿骑士团的残酷、虚伪、狡诈的真面目，它的反人民性质决定了它的必然灭亡。这是一场黑白颠倒、用心险恶的所谓审问，在这里受害者成了被告和囚犯，被判处火刑，害人者却以奉行天意的正义面目出现，成为审问的法官，高踞在法庭上。圣殿骑士团是十字军中最著名的骑士组织，自封为上帝的使者，可是它最英勇的骑士布里恩·布瓦吉贝尔却是一个桀骛不驯，为了满足私欲可以把一切置之不顾的个人野心家。、这个骑士团的覆灭对消除诺曼人和撒克逊人的隔阂，建立统一的民族国家都是必要的，因此它也真正宣告了小说中的故事的结束。
本书虽然以《艾文荷》为名，但正如司各特的其他许多小说一样，艾文荷在书中主要只是起了联系情节的纽带作用，作者着力描写的是其他一些人物，其中最主要的便是狮心王理查一世。理查是金雀花王朝的第二代君主，而金雀花王朝实际是诺曼王朝的继续，1154年诺曼王朝绝嗣，才由亨利一世的外孙安茹家的亨利继位，称亨利二世，建立了安茹王朝，又称金雀花王朝，因此这也是诺曼人的一统天下。理查一世是亨利二世的儿子，于1189年继承王位，但次年即组织第三次十字军，远征巴勒斯坦，1192年与苏丹萨拉丁休战，在惊险的回国途中被奥地利公爵逮捕，两年后按照骑士制度的规矩，缴纳了大量赎金才获得释放。本书故事便发生在狮心工回国的短暂时期。不久，他又离开英国，前往诺曼底，与法王腓力二世进行了长达五年的战争，最后于1199年在法国利摩日附近阵亡。这样，理查虽然在位十年，在英国当国王的日子却屈指可数，对英国的历史也可说毫无影响。然而他英勇无敌，豪放不羁，又力大无穷，任侠使气，不仅喜欢战争生活，而且喜欢单枪匹马，建立他的所谓功勋；他爱好唱歌，据说还写过不少抒情歌曲，尤其是他对诺曼人和撒克逊人一视同仁，因此深得撒克逊人的好感，成了民间传说中的英雄人物，在英国流传的不少歌谣都以他为主人公。司各特笔下的狮心王正是这样一个人物，他的形象几乎完全建立在传说和民谣的基础上，与历史上的理查并不一致。司各特所需要的也正是这样一个传奇式人物，他在小说中前前后后用了几章篇幅，着力渲染他的这一方面。在比武大会中，他是来无踪去无影的侠客式人物，接着他又出现在教士的隐修室中喝酒唱歌，谈笑风生；在托奎尔斯通城堡争夺战中，他又成了军事指挥官和身先士卒的勇士，然后他又单枪匹马奔走各地，一会儿与罗宾汉一伙人饮酒作乐，一会儿又来到了圣殿会堂主持正义。这样，狮心王理查成了司各特所有小说中刻划得较成功的形象之一。
司各特是一个保守主义作家，然而他明白，人心向背是决定历史趋势的基本因素，因此在他的历史小说中，人民群众总是占有一个不容忽视的地位，在本书中代表这股力量的，首先当然是民间传说中的英雄人物罗宾汉和他手下的一群绿林好汉。关于罗宾汉的出身和生平已无从查考，然而可以确定这是诺曼统治时期的一个人民反抗者，在苏格兰和英格兰一带流传着他许多劫富济贫、锄强扶弱的故事，司各特也是在这些传说的基础上塑造这个人物形象的。据说他本来是一个自耕农，亦即自食其力的个体农业劳动者，他的部下也大多是自由农民和手艺人，他们都是在诺曼人的横征暴敛和土地兼并下走上破产的道路，因而沦为盗匪的。根据传说，罗宾汉是一个出色的弓箭手，他的弓箭至今仍保存在约克郡的一个陈列室里。在小说中，他也是首先在阿什口的比武场上以弓箭比赛的优胜者出现。他英勇机智，不畏强暴，作为剪径的强人，也态度鲜明。在托奎尔斯通城堡的争夺战中，他是人民力量的组织者和领导人。接着作者还花了两章篇幅，专门描写这伙强人内部的严明纪律，对战利品的公正分配等等。看来，作者对这部分人的活动基本是持肯定态度的。
小说中另一些代表人民的人物，便是小丑汪八和牧猪人葛四，这也是作者着力描写的两个人。他们属于人民的最下层，论身份是奴隶，然而他们爱憎分明，既纯朴又狡猾，充满了对诺曼压迫者的仇恨。当然作者在描写这些人物时，也反映了他自己对宗法制生活方式的向往。如果说葛四虽然对庄主塞德里克忠心耿耿，但仍憧憬着自由的生活，那么汪八这个人是连自由也不要，宁可终生当奴隶的；不过这正如罗宾汉一伙人尽管是法律的反抗者，在得知黑甲骑士即理查工时，便纷纷向他下跪表示忠诚一样，也是符合历史情况的。
在小说中，庄主塞德里克虽然作为反抗诺曼压迫的坚强战士出现，作者仍向我们指出，这些人的愿望根本不可能实现，塞德里克连攻打一个城堡也无能为力，他的复国希望只是建立在阿特尔斯坦和罗文娜的结合上。可是阿特尔斯坦实际是一个生性懒散、只关心口腹之欲的人，他的身上体现了撒克逊王族的一个致命弱点。因此这两个人与其说反映了撒克逊人的反抗精神，不如说作者通过他们向读者表明，撒克逊人已无力推翻诺曼人的统治，英国只能走和解的道路；两个民族平等相处，融为一体，才是保证国家繁荣富强，人民安居乐业的唯一正确方向，而理查和艾文荷，以至洛克斯利等等正是代表了这样一个历史趋势。
司各特是浪漫主义作家，他的创作方法归根结底一句话，便是历史真实与大胆想象的结合。他的小说并不拘泥于历史事实，尽管他有时不惜用大量的繁琐考证，说明他所写的一切似乎都凿凿有据，然而在更多的场合，在人物塑造和情节处理上，他却是靠大胆的想象取胜的。为了说明自己在历史小说创作上的一些观点，他还专门虚构了一个考古学家德赖斯达斯特博士，让他作为自己的观点的对立面，出现在他的一些小说的导言中，本书也是这样。在第二篇导言（致德赖斯达斯特博士的致敬信）中，他明确说明历史小说不是考古学著作，重要的不是细节上的真实，而是展示历史的风貌。他提出了“虚构和真实相结合”的原则，认为他这么做没有超出“一部虚构小说的作者所理应享有的特权”。这篇导言对我们理解司各特的创作是十分重要的。可以说，司各特在本书中，用淋漓酣畅的笔墨描绘了中世纪一个风云变幻的时代，他在真实的历史氛围中为我们塑造了大量虚构的人物，这些人物尽管出自虚构，却栩栩如生，真实地反映了历史的进程，他的成功主要便来源于此。因此英国十九世纪著名思想家和文学家托马斯·卡莱尔在谈到司各特的历史小说时指出，它们让我们看到的“不是历史书和文件记录中的那种抽象的人”，而是“真正生活在过去的时代中的活生生的人物”。正是在这个意义上，司各特才被公认为西方历史小说的创始人。
另一方面，司各特是一个著名的多产作家，他的写作速度令人吃惊，这势必给他的作品带来一些缺点，例如他往往为了行文方便，让他的人物说出按照他们的性格或按照当时的具体场合不应该说出的话来。在情节处理上，他也往往任意拉长或缩短时间上的距离，即兴式的处理故事。本书中二个特别荒谬的情节便是阿特尔斯坦的突然复活，这甚至连作者本人也感到不合情理，以致不得不加上一条脚注，声明这是应出版商的要求。它显然破坏了作者原来的设计，阿特尔斯坦本来是应该死的，这才能解决艾文荷和罗文娜之间的问题，一切合情合理，然而阿特尔斯坦一复活，便变得无法解决，于是只得让他声明放弃婚事，从而背离了他一贯的表现。从这一点上我们可以看到，司各特有时在创作上往往随心所欲，以致给作品留下了一些难以自圆其说的漏洞。
《艾文荷》是最早介绍到中国的西方小说之一，在国外又拍过电影，有过许多译本，还出现过不少改写本和删节本，它的影响是很大的。
Plot introduction
Ivanhoe is the story of one of the remaining Saxon noble families at a time when the English nobility was overwhelmingly Norman. It follows the Saxon protagonist, Wilfred of Ivanhoe, who is out of favour with his father for his allegiance to the Norman king Richard I of England. The story is set in 1194, after the end of the Third Crusade, when many of the Crusaders were still returning to Europe. King Richard, who had been captured by the Duke of Saxony, on his way back, was still supposed to be in the arms of his captors. The legendary Robin Hood, initially under the name of Locksley, is also a character in the story, as are his "merry men", including Friar Tuck and less so, Alan-a-Dale. (Little John is merely mentioned.) The character that Scott gave to Robin Hood in Ivanhoe helped shape the modern notion of this figure as a cheery noble outlaw.
Other major characters include Ivanhoe's intractable Saxon father, Cedric, a descendant of the Saxon King Harold Godwinson; various Knights Templar and churchmen; the loyal serfs Gurth the swineherd and the jester Wamba, whose observations punctuate much of the action; and the Jewish moneylender, Isaac of York, equally passionate of money and his daughter, Rebecca. The book was written and published during a period of increasing struggle for emancipation of the Jews in England, and there are frequent references to injustice against them.
Plot summary
Sir Wilfred of Ivanhoe is disinherited by his father Cedric of Rotherwood, for supporting the Norman King Richard and for falling in love with the Lady Rowena, Cedric's ward and a descendant of the Saxon Kings of England. Cedric had planned to marry her to the powerful Lord Aethelstane, pretender to the Saxon Crown of England, thus cementing a Saxon political alliance between two rivals for the same claim. Ivanhoe accompanies King Richard I to the Crusades, where he is stated to have played a notable role in the Siege of Acre.
The book opens with a scene of Norman knights and prelates seeking the hospitality of Cedric the Saxon, of Rotherwood. They are guided thither by a palmer, fresh returned from the Holy Land. The same night, seeking refuge from the inclement weather and bandits, the Jew Isaac of York arrives at Rotherwood. Following the night's meal, characterised in keeping with the times by a heated exchange of words between the Saxon hosts and their Norman guests, the palmer observes one of the Normans, the Templar Brian de Bois-Guilbert issue orders to his Saracen soldiers to follow Isaac of York after he leaves Rotherwood in the morning and relieve him of his possessions a safe distance from the castle.
The palmer then warns the Jewish money lender of his peril and assists his escape from Rotherwood, at the crack of dawn. The swineherd Gurth refuses to open the gates until the palmer whispers a few words in his ear, which turns Gurth as helpful as he was recalcitrant earlier. This is but one of the many mysterious incidents that occur throughout the tale.
Isaac of York offers to repay his debt to the palmer by offering him a suit of armour and a destrier, to participate in the tournament of Ashby where he was bound. His offer is made on the surmise that the palmer was in reality a knight, having observed his knight's chain and spurs (a fact that he mentions to the palmer). Though the palmer is taken by surprise, he acquiesces to the offer, after the admonition that both armour and horse would be forfeit if he lost in combat.
The story then moves to the scene of the famed tournament of Ashby-de-la-Zouch, which was presided over by Prince John Lackland of England. Other characters in attendance are Cedric, Athelstane, the Lady Rowena, Isaac of York, his daughter Rebecca, Robin of Locksley and his men, Prince John's advisor Waldemar Fitzurse and numerous Norman knights.
In the first day of the tournament, a bout of individual jousting, a mysterious masked knight identifying himself only as "Desdichado", supposedly Spanish for the "Disinherited One" (though actually meaning "Unfortunate"), makes his appearance and manages to defeat some of the best Norman lances, including the Templar Sir Brian de Bois-Guilbert, Maurice de Bracy, a leader of a group of "Free Companions" or mercenary knights, and the baron Reginald Front-de-Boeuf. The masked knight declines to reveal himself despite Prince John's request, but is nevertheless declared the champion of the day and, as his due, is permitted to choose the Queen of the Tournament, which honour he bestows upon the Lady Rowena.
On the second day, which is a melée, Desdichado, as champion of the first day, is chosen to be leader of one party. Most of the leading knights of the realm, however, flock to the opposite standard under which Desdichado's vanquished opponents of the previous day fight. The Desdichado's side is soon hard pressed and he himself unfairly beset by multiple foes simultaneously, when a knight who had till then taken no part in the battle, thus earning the sobriquet Le Noir Faineant or the Black Sluggard, rides to the Desdichado's rescue. The rescuing knight, having evened the odds by his action, then slips away. Though the Desdichado was instrumental in wringing victory, Prince John being displeased with his behaviour of the previous day, wishes to bestow his accolades on the Black Knight who had ridden to the rescue. Since the latter is nowhere to be found, he is forced to declare the Desdichado the champion. At this point, being forced to unmask himself to receive his coronet, the Desdichado is revealed to be Wilfred of Ivanhoe himself, returned from the Crusades. This causes much consternation to Prince John and his coterie who now fear the imminent return of King Richard.
Because he is severely wounded in the competition and Cedric refuses to have anything to do with him, he is taken into the care of Rebecca, the beautiful daughter of Isaac of York, a skilled healer. She convinces her father to take him with them to York, where he may be best treated. There follows a splendid account of a feat of archery by Locksley, or Robin Hood at the conclusion of the tournament.
In the meanwhile, Maurice de Bracy finds himself infatuated with the Lady Rowena and, with his companions-in-arms, plans to abduct her. In the forests between Ashby and York, the Lady Rowena, her guardian Cedric and the Saxon thane Aethelstane encounter Isaac of York, Rebecca and the wounded Ivanhoe, who were abandoned by their servants for fear of bandits. The Lady Rowena, in response to the supplication of Isaac and Rebecca, urges Cedric to take them under his protection till York. Cedric acquiesces to it, being unaware that the wounded man is Ivanhoe. En route, they are captured by Maurice de Bracy and his companions and taken to Torquilstone, the castle of Reginald Front-de-Boeuf. The swineherd and serf, Gurth, who had run away from Rotherwood to serve Ivanhoe as squire at the tournament, and who was recaptured by Cedric when Ivanhoe was identified, manages to escape.
Le Noir Faineant in the Hermit's Cell by J. Cooper, Sr. From an 1886 edition of Walter Scott's works
The Black Knight, having taken refuge for the night in the hut of a local friar, the Holy Clerk of Copmanhurst, volunteers his assistance on learning about the predicament of the captives from Robin of Locksley who comes to rouse the friar for an attempt to free them. They then besiege the Castle of Torquilstone with Robin Hood's own men, including the friar, and the Saxon yeomen they manage to raise, who are angered by the oppression of Reginald Front-de-Boeuf and his neighbour, Philip de Malvoisin.
At Torquilstone, Maurice de Bracy presses his suit with the Lady Rowena, while his love goes unrequited. In the meantime, Brian de Bois-Guilbert, who had accompanied de Bracy on the raid, takes Rebecca for his captive, and tries to force his attentions on her, which are rebuffed. Front-de-Boeuf, in the meantime, tries to wring a hefty ransom, by torture, from Isaac of York. Isaac refuses to pay a farthing unless his daughter is freed from her Templar captor.
When the besiegers deliver a note to yield up the captives, their Norman captors retort with a message for a priest to administer the Final Sacrament to the captives. It is then that Wamba slips in, disguised as a priest, and takes the place of Cedric, who thus escapes, bringing important information on the strength of the garrison and its layout.
Then follows an account of the storming of the castle. Front-de-Boeuf is killed while de Bracy surrenders to the Black Knight, who identifies himself as Richard of England. Showing mercy, the Black Knight releases de Bracy. Brian de Bois-Guilbert escapes with Rebecca and Isaac is released from his underground dungeon by the Clerk of Copmanhurst. The Lady Rowena is saved by Cedric, while the crippled Ivanhoe is plucked from the flames of the castle by the Black Knight. In the fighting, Aethelstane is grievously wounded while attempting to rescue Rebecca, whom he mistakes for Rowena.
Subsequently, in the woodlands, Robin Hood plays host to the Black Knight. Word is also conveyed by De Bracy to Prince John of the King's return and the fall of Torquilstone.
In the meantime, Bois-Guilbert rushes with his captive to the nearest Templar Preceptory, which is under his friend Albert de Malvoisin, expecting to be able to flee the country. However, Lucas de Beaumanoir, the Grand-Master of the Templars is unexpectedly present there. He takes umbrage at de Bois-Guilbert's sinful passion, which is in violation of his Templar vows and decides to subject Rebecca to a trial for witchcraft, for having cast a spell on so devoted a Templar brother as Bois-Guilbert. She is found guilty through a flawed trial and pleads for a trial by combat. De Bois-Guilbert, who had hoped to fight as her champion incognito, is devastated by the Grand-Master's ordering him to fight against her champion. Rebecca then writes to her father to procure a champion for her.
Meanwhile Cedric organises Aethelstane's funeral at Kyningestun, in the midst of which the Black Knight, arrives with a companion. Cedric, who had not been present at Robin Hood's carousal, is ill-disposed towards the Black Knight on learning his true identity. But King Richard calms Cedric and reconciles him with his son, convincing him to agree to the marriage of Ivanhoe and Rowena. Shortly after, Aethelstane emerges - not dead, but having been laid in his coffin alive by avaricious monks, desirous of the funeral money. Over Cedric's renewed protests, Aethelstane pledges his homage to the Norman King Richard and urges Cedric to marry the Lady Rowena to Ivanhoe. Cedric yields, not unwillingly.
Soon after this reconciliation, Ivanhoe receives a message from Isaac of York beseeching him to fight on Rebecca's behalf. Upon arriving at the scene of the witch-burning Ivanhoe forces de Bois-Guilbert from his saddle, but does not kill him - the Templar dies "a victim to the violence of his own contending passions," which is pronounced by the Grand Master as the judgment of God and proof of Rebecca's innocence. King Richard, who had quit the funeral feast soon after Ivanhoe's departure, then arrives at the Templar Preceptory, banishes the Templars from the Preceptory and declares that the Malvoisins' lives are forfeit for having aided in the plots against him.
Fearing further persecution, Rebecca and her father leave England for Granada, prior to which she comes to bid Rowena a fond farewell. Ivanhoe and Rowena marry and live a long and happy life together, though the final paragraphs of the book note that Ivanhoe's long service was cut short when King Richard met a premature death in battle.
Characters
* Wilfred of Ivanhoe – a knight and son of Cedric the Saxon
* Rebecca – a Jewish healer, daughter of Isaac of York
* Rowena – a noble Saxon Lady
* Prince John – brother of King Richard
* The Black Knight[disambiguation needed] or Knight of the Fetterlock – King Richard the Lionhearted, incognito
* Locksley – i.e., Robin Hood, an English yeoman
* The Hermit or Clerk of Copmanhurst –– i.e., Friar Tuck
* Brian de Bois-Guilbert – a Templar Knight
* Isaac of York – the father of Rebecca; a Jewish merchant and money-lender
* Prior Aymer – Prior of Jorvaulx
* Reginald Front-de-Boeuf – a local baron who was given Ivanhoe's estate by Prince John
* Cedric the Saxon – Ivanhoe's father
* Lucas de Beaumanoir – fictional Grand Master of the Knights Templars
* Conrade de Montfichet – Templar
* Maurice De Bracy – Captain of the Free Companions
* Waldemar Fitzurse – Prince John's loyal minion
* Aethelstane – last of the Saxon royal line
* Albert de Malvoisin – Preceptor of Templestowe
* Philip de Malvoisin – local baron (brother of Albert)
* Gurth – Cedric's loyal Swineherd
* Wamba – Cedric's loyal Jester
Unofficial sequels
* In 1850, novelist William Makepeace Thackeray wrote a spoof sequel to Ivanhoe called Rebecca and Rowena.
* Edward Eager's book Knight's Castle (1956) magically transports four children into the story of Ivanhoe.
* Christopher Vogler wrote a sequel called Ravenskull (2006), published by Seven Seas Publishing.
* Pierre Efratas wrote a sequel called Le Destin d'Ivanhoe (2003), published by Editions Charles Corlet.
* Simon Hawke uses the story as the basis for The Ivanhoe Gambit the first novel in his time travel adventure series TimeWars.
* The 1839 Eglinton Tournament held by the 13th Earl of Eglinton at Eglinton Castle in Ayrshire was inspired and modelled on Ivanhoe.
Allusions to real history and geography
The location of the novel is centred upon South Yorkshire and North Nottinghamshire in England. Castles mentioned within the story include Ashby de la Zouch where the opening tournament is held (now a ruin in the care of English Heritage), York (though the mention of Clifford's Tower, likewise an English Heritage property, and still standing, is anachronistic, it not having been called that until later after various rebuilds) and 'Coningsburgh', which is based upon Conisbrough Castle near Doncaster (also English Heritage and a popular tourist attraction). Reference is made within the story, too, to York Minster, where the climactic wedding takes place, and to the Bishop of Sheffield, although the Diocese of Sheffield was not founded until 1914. These references within the story contribute to the notion that Robin Hood lived or travelled in and around this area.
The ancient town of Conisbrough has become so dedicated to the story of Ivanhoe that many of the streets, schools and public buildings are named after either characters from the book or the 12th-century castle.
Influence on Robin Hood legend
The modern vision of Robin Hood as a cheerful, patriotic rebel owes much to Ivanhoe. "Locksley" becomes Robin's title in this novel and hereafter, although it is first mentioned as Robin's birthplace in 1600 and used as an epithet in one ballad. Robin Hood from Locksley becomes Robin of Locksley, alias Robin Hood. The Saxon-Norman conflict first mooted as an influence on the legend by Joseph Ritson is made a major theme by Scott, and remains so in many subsequent retellings. Scott actually shuns the convention of depicting Robin as a dispossessed nobleman, but Ivanhoe has contributed to this strand of the legend, too, because subsequent Robin Hoods (e.g. in the 1922 Douglas Fairbanks film, and 1991's Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves) take on Wilfrid of Ivanhoe's own characteristics - they are returning Crusaders, have quarrelled with their fathers, and so forth. Also, the modern practice of depicting Robin as a contemporary of Richard I first appears in this novel; before that, he was generally placed two centuries later.
Robin's familiar feat of splitting his competitor's arrow in an archery contest appears for the first time in Ivanhoe.
Historical accuracy
The general political events depicted in the novel are relatively accurate; it tells of the period just after King Richard's imprisonment in Austria following the Crusade, and of his return to England. Yet the story is also heavily fictionalized.
There has been criticism, "... as unsupported by the evidence of contemporary records, of the enmity of Saxon and Norman, represented as persisting in the days of Richard I, which forms the basis of the story."
One inaccuracy in Ivanhoe created a new name in the English language: Cedric. The original Saxon name is Cerdic but Sir Walter committed metathesis. Satirist H. H. Munro, with his typical caustic wit, commented: "It is not a name but a misspelling."
A major inaccuracy is that in 1194 England it would have been quite impossible for Rebecca to face the threat of being burned at the stake on charges of witchcraft. The Church did not undertake the finding and punishment of witches until the 1250s, and death did not become the usual penalty until the fifteenth century; even then, the form of execution used for witches in England (unlike Scotland and Continental Europe) was hanging, burning being reserved for those also convicted of high or petty treason.
However, it should be noted that the method of Rebecca's execution is presented as proposed by Lucas Beaumanoir, Grand Master of the Knights Templars - a Frenchman and a fanatic, determined to root out "corruption" from the Templars. It is quite plausible that Beaumanoir, like many nobles of the time, would have considered himself above the law and entitled to execute a witch in his power in any way that he chose.
Another inaccuracy comes with the terms used by certain characters throughout the novel. At one point, Cedric refers to the lingua franca, an Italian term for "Frankish language" that would not be introduced into British vocabulary until the mid-1600s. Other such anomalies occur at random through the novel.
The novel's references to the Moorish king Boabdil are also anachronistic, since he lived about 300 years after Richard.
It must be noted, however, that Scott himself acknowledged that he had taken liberties with history in his "Dedicatory Epistle" to Ivanhoe. Modern readers are cautioned to understand that Scott's aim was to create a compelling novel set in a historical period, not to provide a book of history.
Rebecca Gratz as inspiration for the character Rebecca
It has been conjectured that the character of Rebecca in the book was inspired by Rebecca Gratz, a preeminent American educator and philanthropist who was the first Jewish female college student in the United States. Scott's attention had been drawn to Gratz's character by Washington Irving, who was a close friend of the Gratz family. The claim has been disputed, but it has also been well sustained in an article entitled "The Original of Rebecca in Ivanhoe", which appeared in The Century Magazine, 1882, pp. 679–682.
Gratz was considered among the most beautiful and educated women in her community. She never married, and is alleged to have refused a marriage proposal from a Gentile on account of her faith - a well-known incident at the time, which may have inspired the relationship depicted in the book between Rebecca and Ivanhoe.
Film, TV or theatrical adaptations
The novel has been the basis for several movies:
* Ivanhoe (1913): Directed by Herbert Brenon. With King Baggot, Leah Baird, and Brenon. Filmed on location in England and at Chepstow Castle in Wales
* Ivanhoe (1952): Directed by Richard Thorpe and starred Robert Taylor as Ivanhoe, Elizabeth Taylor as Rebecca, Joan Fontaine as Rowena, George Sanders as Bois-Guilbert, Finlay Currie as Cedric, and Sebastian Cabot. The film has a notable jousting scene as well as a well choreographed castle siege sequence. The visual spectacle is given more attention than the dialogue and underlying story, though the main points of the plot are covered. The film was nominated for three Oscars:
o Best Picture - Pandro S. Berman
o Best Cinematography, Color - Freddie Young
o Best Music Score - Miklós Rózsa
There is also a Russian movie The Ballad of the Valiant Knight Ivanhoe (Баллада о доблестном рыцаре Айвенго) (1983), directed by Sergey Tarasov, with songs of Vladimir Vysotsky, starring Peteris Gaudins as Ivanhoe.
There have also been many television adaptations of the novel, including:
* 1958: A television series based on the character of Ivanhoe starred Roger Moore as Ivanhoe.
* 1970: A TV miniseries starring Eric Flynn as Ivanhoe.
* 1982: Ivanhoe, a television movie starring Anthony Andrews as Ivanhoe, Michael Hordern as his father, Cedric, Sam Neill as Sir Brian, Olivia Hussey as Rebecca, James Mason as Isaac, Lysette Anthony as Rowena, Julian Glover as King Richard, and David Robb as Robin Hood. In this version, Sir Brian is a hero. Though he could easily have won the fight against the wounded and weakened Ivanhoe, Brian lowers his sword and allows himself to be slaughtered, thus saving the life of his beloved Rebecca.
* 1986: Ivanhoe, a 1986 animated telemovie produced by Burbank Films in Australia.
* 1995: Young Ivanhoe, a 1995 television series directed by Ralph L. Thomas and starring Kristen Holden-Ried as Ivanhoe, Stacy Keach, Margot Kidder, Nick Mancuso, Rachel Blanchard, and Matthew Daniels.
* 1997: Ivanhoe the King's Knight a televised cartoon series produced by CINAR and France Animation. General retelling of classic tale.
* 1997: This version of Ivanhoe was released as a 6-part, 5-hour series, a co-production of A&E and the BBC. It stars Steven Waddington as Ivanhoe, Ciarán Hinds as Bois-Guilbert, Susan Lynch as Rebecca, Ralph Brown as Prince John and Victoria Smurfit as Rowena.
* 2000: A Channel 5 adaptation entitled Darkest Knight attempted to adapt Ivanhoe for an ongoing series. Ben Pullen played Ivanhoe and Charlotte Comer played Rebecca.
An operatic adaptation by Sir Arthur Sullivan (see Ivanhoe) ran for over 150 consecutive performances in 1891. Other operas based on the novel have been composed by Gioachino Rossini (Ivanhoé), Thomas Sari (Ivanhoé), Bartolomeo Pisani (Rebecca), A. Castagnier (Rébecca), Otto Nicolai (Il Templario)and Heinrich Marschner (Der Templer und die Jüdin). Rossini's opera is a pasticcio (an opera in which the music for a new text is chosen from pre-existent music by one or more composers). Scott attended a performance of it and recorded in his journal, "It was an opera, and, of course, the story sadly mangled and the dialogue, in part nonsense."
《英雄艾文荷》-介绍
《艾文荷》以十二世纪末年英国狮心王理查在位时期的民族矛盾和阶级矛盾为背景，抒写了一个充满骑士精神的、绚丽多彩的英雄故事。小说着重描写了三件大事：一，阿什口比武大会，二，托奎尔斯通城堡的争夺战，三，圣殿会堂对丽贝卡的审问。这三个富有浪漫主义气息的场面，当然不是互相孤立的，而是通过情节的发展，一环扣一环逐步形成的，因而使小说构成了一个整体。比武是司各特喜爱的题材，骑士精神也是他所向往的中世纪风尚，然而在这里，比武大会不仅是正义和邪恶力量的一次较量，同时也是全书的一个序曲和人物介绍，书中所有的重要人物几乎都在这里出场，并得到了基本的刻划。在比武场上取得胜利的，也正是符合历史发展趋势，决定历史发展进程的几股力量的代表人物：艾文荷、理查和洛克斯利等等。托奎尔斯通城堡的争夺战则是正义和邪恶力量的又一次较量。最后以城堡的陷落，邪恶力量的失败告终。显然，在作者心目中，以诺曼武士为代表的这股邪恶力量是必然会失败的，这不仅在于它不得人心，违背了人民的意志，也由于它内部潜伏着严重的危机，这便是以乌尔莉加为代表的它的内部矛盾。乌尔莉加既与诺曼贵族有着血海深仇，又成了他们的玩物，与他们沆瀣一气，同流合污，最后才在复仇的怒火中将城堡付之一炬。这是司各特着力描写的一个充满浪漫色彩的人物。对丽贝卡的审问是全书的余波，然而是不可缺少的一部分，正是通过对而贝卡的审问，作者向我们揭示了作为诺曼征服的强大支柱的圣殿骑士团的残酷、虚伪、狡诈的真面目，它的反人民性质决定了它的必然灭亡。这是一场黑白颠倒、用心险恶的所谓审问，在这里受害者成了被告和囚犯，被判处火刑，害人者却以奉行天意的正义面目出现，成为审问的法官，高踞在法庭上。圣殿骑士团是十字军中最著名的骑士组织，自封为上帝的使者，可是它最英勇的骑士布里恩·布瓦吉贝尔却是一个桀骛不驯，为了满足私欲可以把一切置之不顾的个人野心家。、这个骑士团的覆灭对消除诺曼人和撒克逊人的隔阂，建立统一的民族国家都是必要的，因此它也真正宣告了小说中的故事的结束。
本书虽然以《艾文荷》为名，但正如司各特的其他许多小说一样，艾文荷在书中主要只是起了联系情节的纽带作用，作者着力描写的是其他一些人物，其中最主要的便是狮心王理查一世。理查是金雀花王朝的第二代君主，而金雀花王朝实际是诺曼王朝的继续，1154年诺曼王朝绝嗣，才由亨利一世的外孙安茹家的亨利继位，称亨利二世，建立了安茹王朝，又称金雀花王朝，因此这也是诺曼人的一统天下。理查一世是亨利二世的儿子，于1189年继承王位，但次年即组织第三次十字军，远征巴勒斯坦，1192年与苏丹萨拉丁休战，在惊险的回国途中被奥地利公爵逮捕，两年后按照骑士制度的规矩，缴纳了大量赎金才获得释放。本书故事便发生在狮心工回国的短暂时期。不久，他又离开英国，前往诺曼底，与法王腓力二世进行了长达五年的战争，最后于1199年在法国利摩日附近阵亡。这样，理查虽然在位十年，在英国当国王的日子却屈指可数，对英国的历史也可说毫无影响。然而他英勇无敌，豪放不羁，又力大无穷，任侠使气，不仅喜欢战争生活，而且喜欢单枪匹马，建立他的所谓功勋；他爱好唱歌，据说还写过不少抒情歌曲，尤其是他对诺曼人和撒克逊人一视同仁，因此深得撒克逊人的好感，成了民间传说中的英雄人物，在英国流传的不少歌谣都以他为主人公。司各特笔下的狮心王正是这样一个人物，他的形象几乎完全建立在传说和民谣的基础上，与历史上的理查并不一致。司各特所需要的也正是这样一个传奇式人物，他在小说中前前后后用了几章篇幅，着力渲染他的这一方面。在比武大会中，他是来无踪去无影的侠客式人物，接着他又出现在教士的隐修室中喝酒唱歌，谈笑风生；在托奎尔斯通城堡争夺战中，他又成了军事指挥官和身先士卒的勇士，然后他又单枪匹马奔走各地，一会儿与罗宾汉一伙人饮酒作乐，一会儿又来到了圣殿会堂主持正义。这样，狮心王理查成了司各特所有小说中刻划得较成功的形象之一。
司各特是一个保守主义作家，然而他明白，人心向背是决定历史趋势的基本因素，因此在他的历史小说中，人民群众总是占有一个不容忽视的地位，在本书中代表这股力量的，首先当然是民间传说中的英雄人物罗宾汉和他手下的一群绿林好汉。关于罗宾汉的出身和生平已无从查考，然而可以确定这是诺曼统治时期的一个人民反抗者，在苏格兰和英格兰一带流传着他许多劫富济贫、锄强扶弱的故事，司各特也是在这些传说的基础上塑造这个人物形象的。据说他本来是一个自耕农，亦即自食其力的个体农业劳动者，他的部下也大多是自由农民和手艺人，他们都是在诺曼人的横征暴敛和土地兼并下走上破产的道路，因而沦为盗匪的。根据传说，罗宾汉是一个出色的弓箭手，他的弓箭至今仍保存在约克郡的一个陈列室里。在小说中，他也是首先在阿什口的比武场上以弓箭比赛的优胜者出现。他英勇机智，不畏强暴，作为剪径的强人，也态度鲜明。在托奎尔斯通城堡的争夺战中，他是人民力量的组织者和领导人。接着作者还花了两章篇幅，专门描写这伙强人内部的严明纪律，对战利品的公正分配等等。看来，作者对这部分人的活动基本是持肯定态度的。
小说中另一些代表人民的人物，便是小丑汪八和牧猪人葛四，这也是作者着力描写的两个人。他们属于人民的最下层，论身份是奴隶，然而他们爱憎分明，既纯朴又狡猾，充满了对诺曼压迫者的仇恨。当然作者在描写这些人物时，也反映了他自己对宗法制生活方式的向往。如果说葛四虽然对庄主塞德里克忠心耿耿，但仍憧憬着自由的生活，那么汪八这个人是连自由也不要，宁可终生当奴隶的；不过这正如罗宾汉一伙人尽管是法律的反抗者，在得知黑甲骑士即理查工时，便纷纷向他下跪表示忠诚一样，也是符合历史情况的。
在小说中，庄主塞德里克虽然作为反抗诺曼压迫的坚强战士出现，作者仍向我们指出，这些人的愿望根本不可能实现，塞德里克连攻打一个城堡也无能为力，他的复国希望只是建立在阿特尔斯坦和罗文娜的结合上。可是阿特尔斯坦实际是一个生性懒散、只关心口腹之欲的人，他的身上体现了撒克逊王族的一个致命弱点。因此这两个人与其说反映了撒克逊人的反抗精神，不如说作者通过他们向读者表明，撒克逊人已无力推翻诺曼人的统治，英国只能走和解的道路；两个民族平等相处，融为一体，才是保证国家繁荣富强，人民安居乐业的唯一正确方向，而理查和艾文荷，以至洛克斯利等等正是代表了这样一个历史趋势。
司各特是浪漫主义作家，他的创作方法归根结底一句话，便是历史真实与大胆想象的结合。他的小说并不拘泥于历史事实，尽管他有时不惜用大量的繁琐考证，说明他所写的一切似乎都凿凿有据，然而在更多的场合，在人物塑造和情节处理上，他却是靠大胆的想象取胜的。为了说明自己在历史小说创作上的一些观点，他还专门虚构了一个考古学家德赖斯达斯特博士，让他作为自己的观点的对立面，出现在他的一些小说的导言中，本书也是这样。在第二篇导言（致德赖斯达斯特博士的致敬信）中，他明确说明历史小说不是考古学著作，重要的不是细节上的真实，而是展示历史的风貌。他提出了“虚构和真实相结合”的原则，认为他这么做没有超出“一部虚构小说的作者所理应享有的特权”。这篇导言对我们理解司各特的创作是十分重要的。可以说，司各特在本书中，用淋漓酣畅的笔墨描绘了中世纪一个风云变幻的时代，他在真实的历史氛围中为我们塑造了大量虚构的人物，这些人物尽管出自虚构，却栩栩如生，真实地反映了历史的进程，他的成功主要便来源于此。因此英国十九世纪著名思想家和文学家托马斯·卡莱尔在谈到司各特的历史小说时指出，它们让我们看到的“不是历史书和文件记录中的那种抽象的人”，而是“真正生活在过去的时代中的活生生的人物”。正是在这个意义上，司各特才被公认为西方历史小说的创始人。
另一方面，司各特是一个著名的多产作家，他的写作速度令人吃惊，这势必给他的作品带来一些缺点，例如他往往为了行文方便，让他的人物说出按照他们的性格或按照当时的具体场合不应该说出的话来。在情节处理上，他也往往任意拉长或缩短时间上的距离，即兴式的处理故事。本书中二个特别荒谬的情节便是阿特尔斯坦的突然复活，这甚至连作者本人也感到不合情理，以致不得不加上一条脚注，声明这是应出版商的要求。它显然破坏了作者原来的设计，阿特尔斯坦本来是应该死的，这才能解决艾文荷和罗文娜之间的问题，一切合情合理，然而阿特尔斯坦一复活，便变得无法解决，于是只得让他声明放弃婚事，从而背离了他一贯的表现。从这一点上我们可以看到，司各特有时在创作上往往随心所欲，以致给作品留下了一些难以自圆其说的漏洞。
《艾文荷》是最早介绍到中国的西方小说之一，在国外又拍过电影，有过许多译本，还出现过不少改写本和删节本，它的影响是很大的。
Plot introduction
Ivanhoe is the story of one of the remaining Saxon noble families at a time when the English nobility was overwhelmingly Norman. It follows the Saxon protagonist, Wilfred of Ivanhoe, who is out of favour with his father for his allegiance to the Norman king Richard I of England. The story is set in 1194, after the end of the Third Crusade, when many of the Crusaders were still returning to Europe. King Richard, who had been captured by the Duke of Saxony, on his way back, was still supposed to be in the arms of his captors. The legendary Robin Hood, initially under the name of Locksley, is also a character in the story, as are his "merry men", including Friar Tuck and less so, Alan-a-Dale. (Little John is merely mentioned.) The character that Scott gave to Robin Hood in Ivanhoe helped shape the modern notion of this figure as a cheery noble outlaw.
Other major characters include Ivanhoe's intractable Saxon father, Cedric, a descendant of the Saxon King Harold Godwinson; various Knights Templar and churchmen; the loyal serfs Gurth the swineherd and the jester Wamba, whose observations punctuate much of the action; and the Jewish moneylender, Isaac of York, equally passionate of money and his daughter, Rebecca. The book was written and published during a period of increasing struggle for emancipation of the Jews in England, and there are frequent references to injustice against them.
Plot summary
Sir Wilfred of Ivanhoe is disinherited by his father Cedric of Rotherwood, for supporting the Norman King Richard and for falling in love with the Lady Rowena, Cedric's ward and a descendant of the Saxon Kings of England. Cedric had planned to marry her to the powerful Lord Aethelstane, pretender to the Saxon Crown of England, thus cementing a Saxon political alliance between two rivals for the same claim. Ivanhoe accompanies King Richard I to the Crusades, where he is stated to have played a notable role in the Siege of Acre.
The book opens with a scene of Norman knights and prelates seeking the hospitality of Cedric the Saxon, of Rotherwood. They are guided thither by a palmer, fresh returned from the Holy Land. The same night, seeking refuge from the inclement weather and bandits, the Jew Isaac of York arrives at Rotherwood. Following the night's meal, characterised in keeping with the times by a heated exchange of words between the Saxon hosts and their Norman guests, the palmer observes one of the Normans, the Templar Brian de Bois-Guilbert issue orders to his Saracen soldiers to follow Isaac of York after he leaves Rotherwood in the morning and relieve him of his possessions a safe distance from the castle.
The palmer then warns the Jewish money lender of his peril and assists his escape from Rotherwood, at the crack of dawn. The swineherd Gurth refuses to open the gates until the palmer whispers a few words in his ear, which turns Gurth as helpful as he was recalcitrant earlier. This is but one of the many mysterious incidents that occur throughout the tale.
Isaac of York offers to repay his debt to the palmer by offering him a suit of armour and a destrier, to participate in the tournament of Ashby where he was bound. His offer is made on the surmise that the palmer was in reality a knight, having observed his knight's chain and spurs (a fact that he mentions to the palmer). Though the palmer is taken by surprise, he acquiesces to the offer, after the admonition that both armour and horse would be forfeit if he lost in combat.
The story then moves to the scene of the famed tournament of Ashby-de-la-Zouch, which was presided over by Prince John Lackland of England. Other characters in attendance are Cedric, Athelstane, the Lady Rowena, Isaac of York, his daughter Rebecca, Robin of Locksley and his men, Prince John's advisor Waldemar Fitzurse and numerous Norman knights.
In the first day of the tournament, a bout of individual jousting, a mysterious masked knight identifying himself only as "Desdichado", supposedly Spanish for the "Disinherited One" (though actually meaning "Unfortunate"), makes his appearance and manages to defeat some of the best Norman lances, including the Templar Sir Brian de Bois-Guilbert, Maurice de Bracy, a leader of a group of "Free Companions" or mercenary knights, and the baron Reginald Front-de-Boeuf. The masked knight declines to reveal himself despite Prince John's request, but is nevertheless declared the champion of the day and, as his due, is permitted to choose the Queen of the Tournament, which honour he bestows upon the Lady Rowena.
On the second day, which is a melée, Desdichado, as champion of the first day, is chosen to be leader of one party. Most of the leading knights of the realm, however, flock to the opposite standard under which Desdichado's vanquished opponents of the previous day fight. The Desdichado's side is soon hard pressed and he himself unfairly beset by multiple foes simultaneously, when a knight who had till then taken no part in the battle, thus earning the sobriquet Le Noir Faineant or the Black Sluggard, rides to the Desdichado's rescue. The rescuing knight, having evened the odds by his action, then slips away. Though the Desdichado was instrumental in wringing victory, Prince John being displeased with his behaviour of the previous day, wishes to bestow his accolades on the Black Knight who had ridden to the rescue. Since the latter is nowhere to be found, he is forced to declare the Desdichado the champion. At this point, being forced to unmask himself to receive his coronet, the Desdichado is revealed to be Wilfred of Ivanhoe himself, returned from the Crusades. This causes much consternation to Prince John and his coterie who now fear the imminent return of King Richard.
Because he is severely wounded in the competition and Cedric refuses to have anything to do with him, he is taken into the care of Rebecca, the beautiful daughter of Isaac of York, a skilled healer. She convinces her father to take him with them to York, where he may be best treated. There follows a splendid account of a feat of archery by Locksley, or Robin Hood at the conclusion of the tournament.
In the meanwhile, Maurice de Bracy finds himself infatuated with the Lady Rowena and, with his companions-in-arms, plans to abduct her. In the forests between Ashby and York, the Lady Rowena, her guardian Cedric and the Saxon thane Aethelstane encounter Isaac of York, Rebecca and the wounded Ivanhoe, who were abandoned by their servants for fear of bandits. The Lady Rowena, in response to the supplication of Isaac and Rebecca, urges Cedric to take them under his protection till York. Cedric acquiesces to it, being unaware that the wounded man is Ivanhoe. En route, they are captured by Maurice de Bracy and his companions and taken to Torquilstone, the castle of Reginald Front-de-Boeuf. The swineherd and serf, Gurth, who had run away from Rotherwood to serve Ivanhoe as squire at the tournament, and who was recaptured by Cedric when Ivanhoe was identified, manages to escape.
Le Noir Faineant in the Hermit's Cell by J. Cooper, Sr. From an 1886 edition of Walter Scott's works
The Black Knight, having taken refuge for the night in the hut of a local friar, the Holy Clerk of Copmanhurst, volunteers his assistance on learning about the predicament of the captives from Robin of Locksley who comes to rouse the friar for an attempt to free them. They then besiege the Castle of Torquilstone with Robin Hood's own men, including the friar, and the Saxon yeomen they manage to raise, who are angered by the oppression of Reginald Front-de-Boeuf and his neighbour, Philip de Malvoisin.
At Torquilstone, Maurice de Bracy presses his suit with the Lady Rowena, while his love goes unrequited. In the meantime, Brian de Bois-Guilbert, who had accompanied de Bracy on the raid, takes Rebecca for his captive, and tries to force his attentions on her, which are rebuffed. Front-de-Boeuf, in the meantime, tries to wring a hefty ransom, by torture, from Isaac of York. Isaac refuses to pay a farthing unless his daughter is freed from her Templar captor.
When the besiegers deliver a note to yield up the captives, their Norman captors retort with a message for a priest to administer the Final Sacrament to the captives. It is then that Wamba slips in, disguised as a priest, and takes the place of Cedric, who thus escapes, bringing important information on the strength of the garrison and its layout.
Then follows an account of the storming of the castle. Front-de-Boeuf is killed while de Bracy surrenders to the Black Knight, who identifies himself as Richard of England. Showing mercy, the Black Knight releases de Bracy. Brian de Bois-Guilbert escapes with Rebecca and Isaac is released from his underground dungeon by the Clerk of Copmanhurst. The Lady Rowena is saved by Cedric, while the crippled Ivanhoe is plucked from the flames of the castle by the Black Knight. In the fighting, Aethelstane is grievously wounded while attempting to rescue Rebecca, whom he mistakes for Rowena.
Subsequently, in the woodlands, Robin Hood plays host to the Black Knight. Word is also conveyed by De Bracy to Prince John of the King's return and the fall of Torquilstone.
In the meantime, Bois-Guilbert rushes with his captive to the nearest Templar Preceptory, which is under his friend Albert de Malvoisin, expecting to be able to flee the country. However, Lucas de Beaumanoir, the Grand-Master of the Templars is unexpectedly present there. He takes umbrage at de Bois-Guilbert's sinful passion, which is in violation of his Templar vows and decides to subject Rebecca to a trial for witchcraft, for having cast a spell on so devoted a Templar brother as Bois-Guilbert. She is found guilty through a flawed trial and pleads for a trial by combat. De Bois-Guilbert, who had hoped to fight as her champion incognito, is devastated by the Grand-Master's ordering him to fight against her champion. Rebecca then writes to her father to procure a champion for her.
Meanwhile Cedric organises Aethelstane's funeral at Kyningestun, in the midst of which the Black Knight, arrives with a companion. Cedric, who had not been present at Robin Hood's carousal, is ill-disposed towards the Black Knight on learning his true identity. But King Richard calms Cedric and reconciles him with his son, convincing him to agree to the marriage of Ivanhoe and Rowena. Shortly after, Aethelstane emerges - not dead, but having been laid in his coffin alive by avaricious monks, desirous of the funeral money. Over Cedric's renewed protests, Aethelstane pledges his homage to the Norman King Richard and urges Cedric to marry the Lady Rowena to Ivanhoe. Cedric yields, not unwillingly.
Soon after this reconciliation, Ivanhoe receives a message from Isaac of York beseeching him to fight on Rebecca's behalf. Upon arriving at the scene of the witch-burning Ivanhoe forces de Bois-Guilbert from his saddle, but does not kill him - the Templar dies "a victim to the violence of his own contending passions," which is pronounced by the Grand Master as the judgment of God and proof of Rebecca's innocence. King Richard, who had quit the funeral feast soon after Ivanhoe's departure, then arrives at the Templar Preceptory, banishes the Templars from the Preceptory and declares that the Malvoisins' lives are forfeit for having aided in the plots against him.
Fearing further persecution, Rebecca and her father leave England for Granada, prior to which she comes to bid Rowena a fond farewell. Ivanhoe and Rowena marry and live a long and happy life together, though the final paragraphs of the book note that Ivanhoe's long service was cut short when King Richard met a premature death in battle.
Characters
* Wilfred of Ivanhoe – a knight and son of Cedric the Saxon
* Rebecca – a Jewish healer, daughter of Isaac of York
* Rowena – a noble Saxon Lady
* Prince John – brother of King Richard
* The Black Knight[disambiguation needed] or Knight of the Fetterlock – King Richard the Lionhearted, incognito
* Locksley – i.e., Robin Hood, an English yeoman
* The Hermit or Clerk of Copmanhurst –– i.e., Friar Tuck
* Brian de Bois-Guilbert – a Templar Knight
* Isaac of York – the father of Rebecca; a Jewish merchant and money-lender
* Prior Aymer – Prior of Jorvaulx
* Reginald Front-de-Boeuf – a local baron who was given Ivanhoe's estate by Prince John
* Cedric the Saxon – Ivanhoe's father
* Lucas de Beaumanoir – fictional Grand Master of the Knights Templars
* Conrade de Montfichet – Templar
* Maurice De Bracy – Captain of the Free Companions
* Waldemar Fitzurse – Prince John's loyal minion
* Aethelstane – last of the Saxon royal line
* Albert de Malvoisin – Preceptor of Templestowe
* Philip de Malvoisin – local baron (brother of Albert)
* Gurth – Cedric's loyal Swineherd
* Wamba – Cedric's loyal Jester
Unofficial sequels
* In 1850, novelist William Makepeace Thackeray wrote a spoof sequel to Ivanhoe called Rebecca and Rowena.
* Edward Eager's book Knight's Castle (1956) magically transports four children into the story of Ivanhoe.
* Christopher Vogler wrote a sequel called Ravenskull (2006), published by Seven Seas Publishing.
* Pierre Efratas wrote a sequel called Le Destin d'Ivanhoe (2003), published by Editions Charles Corlet.
* Simon Hawke uses the story as the basis for The Ivanhoe Gambit the first novel in his time travel adventure series TimeWars.
* The 1839 Eglinton Tournament held by the 13th Earl of Eglinton at Eglinton Castle in Ayrshire was inspired and modelled on Ivanhoe.
Allusions to real history and geography
The location of the novel is centred upon South Yorkshire and North Nottinghamshire in England. Castles mentioned within the story include Ashby de la Zouch where the opening tournament is held (now a ruin in the care of English Heritage), York (though the mention of Clifford's Tower, likewise an English Heritage property, and still standing, is anachronistic, it not having been called that until later after various rebuilds) and 'Coningsburgh', which is based upon Conisbrough Castle near Doncaster (also English Heritage and a popular tourist attraction). Reference is made within the story, too, to York Minster, where the climactic wedding takes place, and to the Bishop of Sheffield, although the Diocese of Sheffield was not founded until 1914. These references within the story contribute to the notion that Robin Hood lived or travelled in and around this area.
The ancient town of Conisbrough has become so dedicated to the story of Ivanhoe that many of the streets, schools and public buildings are named after either characters from the book or the 12th-century castle.
Influence on Robin Hood legend
The modern vision of Robin Hood as a cheerful, patriotic rebel owes much to Ivanhoe. "Locksley" becomes Robin's title in this novel and hereafter, although it is first mentioned as Robin's birthplace in 1600 and used as an epithet in one ballad. Robin Hood from Locksley becomes Robin of Locksley, alias Robin Hood. The Saxon-Norman conflict first mooted as an influence on the legend by Joseph Ritson is made a major theme by Scott, and remains so in many subsequent retellings. Scott actually shuns the convention of depicting Robin as a dispossessed nobleman, but Ivanhoe has contributed to this strand of the legend, too, because subsequent Robin Hoods (e.g. in the 1922 Douglas Fairbanks film, and 1991's Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves) take on Wilfrid of Ivanhoe's own characteristics - they are returning Crusaders, have quarrelled with their fathers, and so forth. Also, the modern practice of depicting Robin as a contemporary of Richard I first appears in this novel; before that, he was generally placed two centuries later.
Robin's familiar feat of splitting his competitor's arrow in an archery contest appears for the first time in Ivanhoe.
Historical accuracy
The general political events depicted in the novel are relatively accurate; it tells of the period just after King Richard's imprisonment in Austria following the Crusade, and of his return to England. Yet the story is also heavily fictionalized.
There has been criticism, "... as unsupported by the evidence of contemporary records, of the enmity of Saxon and Norman, represented as persisting in the days of Richard I, which forms the basis of the story."
One inaccuracy in Ivanhoe created a new name in the English language: Cedric. The original Saxon name is Cerdic but Sir Walter committed metathesis. Satirist H. H. Munro, with his typical caustic wit, commented: "It is not a name but a misspelling."
A major inaccuracy is that in 1194 England it would have been quite impossible for Rebecca to face the threat of being burned at the stake on charges of witchcraft. The Church did not undertake the finding and punishment of witches until the 1250s, and death did not become the usual penalty until the fifteenth century; even then, the form of execution used for witches in England (unlike Scotland and Continental Europe) was hanging, burning being reserved for those also convicted of high or petty treason.
However, it should be noted that the method of Rebecca's execution is presented as proposed by Lucas Beaumanoir, Grand Master of the Knights Templars - a Frenchman and a fanatic, determined to root out "corruption" from the Templars. It is quite plausible that Beaumanoir, like many nobles of the time, would have considered himself above the law and entitled to execute a witch in his power in any way that he chose.
Another inaccuracy comes with the terms used by certain characters throughout the novel. At one point, Cedric refers to the lingua franca, an Italian term for "Frankish language" that would not be introduced into British vocabulary until the mid-1600s. Other such anomalies occur at random through the novel.
The novel's references to the Moorish king Boabdil are also anachronistic, since he lived about 300 years after Richard.
It must be noted, however, that Scott himself acknowledged that he had taken liberties with history in his "Dedicatory Epistle" to Ivanhoe. Modern readers are cautioned to understand that Scott's aim was to create a compelling novel set in a historical period, not to provide a book of history.
Rebecca Gratz as inspiration for the character Rebecca
It has been conjectured that the character of Rebecca in the book was inspired by Rebecca Gratz, a preeminent American educator and philanthropist who was the first Jewish female college student in the United States. Scott's attention had been drawn to Gratz's character by Washington Irving, who was a close friend of the Gratz family. The claim has been disputed, but it has also been well sustained in an article entitled "The Original of Rebecca in Ivanhoe", which appeared in The Century Magazine, 1882, pp. 679–682.
Gratz was considered among the most beautiful and educated women in her community. She never married, and is alleged to have refused a marriage proposal from a Gentile on account of her faith - a well-known incident at the time, which may have inspired the relationship depicted in the book between Rebecca and Ivanhoe.
Film, TV or theatrical adaptations
The novel has been the basis for several movies:
* Ivanhoe (1913): Directed by Herbert Brenon. With King Baggot, Leah Baird, and Brenon. Filmed on location in England and at Chepstow Castle in Wales
* Ivanhoe (1952): Directed by Richard Thorpe and starred Robert Taylor as Ivanhoe, Elizabeth Taylor as Rebecca, Joan Fontaine as Rowena, George Sanders as Bois-Guilbert, Finlay Currie as Cedric, and Sebastian Cabot. The film has a notable jousting scene as well as a well choreographed castle siege sequence. The visual spectacle is given more attention than the dialogue and underlying story, though the main points of the plot are covered. The film was nominated for three Oscars:
o Best Picture - Pandro S. Berman
o Best Cinematography, Color - Freddie Young
o Best Music Score - Miklós Rózsa
There is also a Russian movie The Ballad of the Valiant Knight Ivanhoe (Баллада о доблестном рыцаре Айвенго) (1983), directed by Sergey Tarasov, with songs of Vladimir Vysotsky, starring Peteris Gaudins as Ivanhoe.
There have also been many television adaptations of the novel, including:
* 1958: A television series based on the character of Ivanhoe starred Roger Moore as Ivanhoe.
* 1970: A TV miniseries starring Eric Flynn as Ivanhoe.
* 1982: Ivanhoe, a television movie starring Anthony Andrews as Ivanhoe, Michael Hordern as his father, Cedric, Sam Neill as Sir Brian, Olivia Hussey as Rebecca, James Mason as Isaac, Lysette Anthony as Rowena, Julian Glover as King Richard, and David Robb as Robin Hood. In this version, Sir Brian is a hero. Though he could easily have won the fight against the wounded and weakened Ivanhoe, Brian lowers his sword and allows himself to be slaughtered, thus saving the life of his beloved Rebecca.
* 1986: Ivanhoe, a 1986 animated telemovie produced by Burbank Films in Australia.
* 1995: Young Ivanhoe, a 1995 television series directed by Ralph L. Thomas and starring Kristen Holden-Ried as Ivanhoe, Stacy Keach, Margot Kidder, Nick Mancuso, Rachel Blanchard, and Matthew Daniels.
* 1997: Ivanhoe the King's Knight a televised cartoon series produced by CINAR and France Animation. General retelling of classic tale.
* 1997: This version of Ivanhoe was released as a 6-part, 5-hour series, a co-production of A&E and the BBC. It stars Steven Waddington as Ivanhoe, Ciarán Hinds as Bois-Guilbert, Susan Lynch as Rebecca, Ralph Brown as Prince John and Victoria Smurfit as Rowena.
* 2000: A Channel 5 adaptation entitled Darkest Knight attempted to adapt Ivanhoe for an ongoing series. Ben Pullen played Ivanhoe and Charlotte Comer played Rebecca.
An operatic adaptation by Sir Arthur Sullivan (see Ivanhoe) ran for over 150 consecutive performances in 1891. Other operas based on the novel have been composed by Gioachino Rossini (Ivanhoé), Thomas Sari (Ivanhoé), Bartolomeo Pisani (Rebecca), A. Castagnier (Rébecca), Otto Nicolai (Il Templario)and Heinrich Marschner (Der Templer und die Jüdin). Rossini's opera is a pasticcio (an opera in which the music for a new text is chosen from pre-existent music by one or more composers). Scott attended a performance of it and recorded in his journal, "It was an opera, and, of course, the story sadly mangled and the dialogue, in part nonsense."
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