Revolution was the cause of the Ravenswoods losing their land and of Sir William Ashton gaining those lands. Hence the enmity. Edgar saves the life of a young lady only to find out that he has quite by accident saved Lucy Ashton, Sir William's daughter. Never mind, they fall in love anyway, family feud notwithstanding (like Romeo and Juliet).

A change in political powers makes Ashton choose to reconcile with Edgar and encourage the love between Edgar and Lucy. But Lucy's mother has other ideas and forces Lucy's marriage to another, to Bucklaw. Later that night, after Edgar crashes the ceremony, too late to stop it, and challenges Lucy's husband and brother to a duel, Lucy tries to murder her husband and is driven mad with by the tragic consequences of deprived love.

A critical evaluation is when a work—in this case, a novel—is broken down into pieces and then discussed in a thoughtful (critical) way. When it comes to Sir Walter Scott’s The Bride of Lammermoor, there’s plenty to dissect.

One could evaluate the role that politics plays in the narrative. The colloquial phrase “the personal is political” is rather recent, yet it can be applied to this early–nineteenth-century work of fiction. Politics causes Edgar Ravenswood’s family to surrender their title and most of their property. Politics then leads Edgar and Sir William Ashton to make amends before Lady Ashton, a Whig, breaks up the amicability.

Speaking of Lady Ashton, one might want to assess the feminist themes of Scott’s novel. Lucy’s mom is a negative force. She carries out nefarious schemes to break up Lucy and Edgar so that Lucy will marry Laird of Bucklaw (a Whig). Lady Ashton’s actions arguably kill her daughter and Edgar. Nonetheless, she is active. Scott has created an assertive, commanding female character. She does not use her willful constitution for good, but her villainous status is not separate from a strand of feminism that perceives unlikeable female characters as a positive development.

Another element to evaluate would be that of witches. Maybe connect the bewitching Ailsie Gourlay to the sisters in William Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Additionally, consider the centrality of letters in Scott’s novel. It’s as if letter-writing was to Edgar and Lucy what texting and messaging is for many people nowadays.