ambitious Norman who captures Rowena; however, he possesses too much honor to pursue his designs on her.

Reginald Front de Boeuf

Reginald Front de Boeuf (ray-zhee-NAHL froh[n] deh behf), the savage Norman who seizes Isaac for his gold. He dies of a wound inflicted by Richard amid the flames of Torquilstone.

Prince John

Prince John, Richard’s haughty, unscrupulous brother, who has tried to usurp the throne with the aid of the Norman nobles.

Lucas de Beaumanoir

Lucas de Beaumanoir (lew-KAH deh boh-mah-NWAHR), the bigoted, ascetic head of the Templars who presides over Rebecca’s trial on a charge of witchcraft. His order is disbanded by Richard because of treasonous activities and plotting against the king and the realm.

Philip Malvoisin

Philip Malvoisin (fee-LEEP mal-vwah-ZAH[N]) and

Albert Malvoisin

Albert Malvoisin, Templars executed by King Richard for treason.

Waldemar Fitzurse

Waldemar Fitzurse (VAHL-deh-mahr FIHT-tsur-seh), Prince John’s wily, aspiring follower, who is banished by Richard.

Aymer

Aymer (AY-mehr), the comfort-loving prior of Jorvaulx, who is captured by Robin Hood and forced to pay a ransom.

Ulrica

Ulrica (ewl-REE-kah), the Saxon hag who burns Torquilstone in order to be revenged on the Normans.

Gurth

Gurth (gewrt), Cedric’s swineherd and Ivanhoe’s loyal servant, who is given his freedom.

Wamba

Wamba (VAHM-bah), Cedric’s quick-witted jester; he helps Cedric escape Torquilstone by dressing him in a priest’s robe.

Friar Tuck

Friar Tuck, Robin Hood’s hefty, hearty follower, a hedge priest who treats Richard to a meal.

Mark Twain once asserted that Sir Walter Scott was responsible for the American Civil War because his novels, like Ivanhoe, influenced the Southern character, fostering a commitment to outdated ideals of chivalry and futile struggles for unattainable goals. Although Twain's exaggeration underscores Scott's prowess as a dramatist of history, it unfairly criticizes the novel's underlying message. Scott's intention was not to glorify the past but to present it for the critical examination of contemporary society. As he himself stated, he aimed to recreate scenes where "our ancestors thought deeply, acted fiercely, and died desperately...in ignorance of each other's prejudices."

Ivanhoe delves into two interconnected themes: bigotry in political, economic, and religious spheres, and the flaws of the feudal system and its chivalric code. From the outset, Scott highlights the rift between the privileged Normans and the oppressed Saxons, fostering empathy for Cedric the Saxon and his fellow countrymen. The introduction of Isaac the Jew further deepens Scott's exploration of prejudice. Simple moral distinctions between the two races become impossible, as Isaac and his daughter Rebecca endure widespread hatred and mistreatment. Though often vilified, these characters are more accurately seen as victims, allowing Scott to expose the cruelty of their oppressors and criticize the society that marginalizes them. If the Saxons, themselves victims of Norman oppression, can so easily scorn the Jews, then England has no claim to greatness. Scott portrays an English society plagued by irrational racial and religious animosities, weakened by its failure to address fundamental moral issues. He argues that the true conflict in England is not between Norman and Saxon, but between good and evil, tolerance and bigotry, and patriotism and self-interest.

The characters of Ivanhoe and King Richard serve as champions of this struggle for a virtuous, tolerant, and patriotic England, advocating reconciliation and renewal. Ivanhoe plays a crucial role in the first third of the novel, initially as the Palmer who rescues Isaac from Norman treachery, and later as the Disinherited Knight who triumphs over the Norman knights at Ashby. Devoted to his faith, his king, and all victims of unjust tyranny, Ivanhoe symbolically reconciles Norman knighthood with his Saxon heritage by marrying Rowena, a descendant of ancient Saxon royalty.

King Richard is a more intricate and contradictory character. He arrives at Ashby in disguise and only intervenes in the fight when Ivanhoe is in danger. Later, he leads Robin Hood's band against Torquilstone, where they defeat the villainous Front-de-Boeuf and capture the misguided De Bracy. Richard's mere presence in England terrifies his brother, the unscrupulous Prince John, effectively ending his conspiracy against the throne. Richard reestablishes the natural order and reasserts the community's values, but he ultimately has no place in the restored community and soon leaves it to the hero, Ivanhoe. As an adventurer, Richard possesses a dangerous charisma that captivates Ivanhoe, making the young knight susceptible to his influence for a time. Ivanhoe's loyalty to Richard remains a crucial aspect of his own identity and inheritance.

Although both Richard and Ivanhoe lead the fight against tyrannical villains like Prince John and Brian de Bois-Guilbert, their chivalric efforts to restore order and honor in England overlook the tyranny of anti-Semitic oppression. The book concludes with the exile of Rebecca and Isaac, who must seek a more secure home than England. An early battle against intolerance is won, but Scott, being a realist, acknowledges that prejudice is deeply rooted and leaves many victims in its wake.

The intelligent and articulate Rebecca, one of Scott's finest characters, serves as the moral center of the novel. Although she remains a victim of bigotry, her moral superiority provides her with a broader perspective on the human condition. Her debates with Ivanhoe on the virtues of chivalry convey Scott's essential theme and the central conflict of the novel. Ivanhoe weakly defends the chivalric code he lives by, while Rebecca reveals it as a self-serving, superficial standard of behavior. While Ivanhoe appears to be the hero of the novel that bears his name, the bland Rowena, Rebecca's Gentile counterpart, supposedly achieves heroine status by marrying her knight, Ivanhoe. However, Rebecca's character breaks through this fairy-tale plot of chivalry to emerge as the true heroine of the novel. She embodies the goodness, tolerance, and social commitment that English society lacks, yet she is despised by that society because she is an outspoken Jewish woman. Through Rebecca, Scott exposes the pretensions and hypocrisies of the chivalric code, the tragic plight of those it ignores, and the violence and chaos it fails to suppress.

Fortunately for the reader, the numerous characters in this novel generally fall into two groups: the Normans and the Saxons. Among the Normans, who are mostly depicted as villains, the main figures include Sir Brian de Bois-Guilbert, Sir Reginald Front-de-Boeuf, Maurice de Bracy, and Albert Malvoisin. On the Saxon "side" are Cedric; his ward, Lady Rowena; Wilfred of Ivanhoe; Gurth and Wamba; Athelstane (whose role is minor but whose commitment to chivalry and Rowena, to whom he was initially betrothed, is commendable); and, somewhat unexpectedly, Robin Hood and his band of men.

As might be anticipated, introducing Robin Hood—a hero of legend and ballad who did not appear in such forms until roughly two centuries after the setting of Ivanhoe—has sparked significant criticism. Some readers view this as merely a tactic to spice up the narrative and leverage a character well-known to most. Nevertheless, there is reason to believe that "outlaws" like Locksley (Robin Hood's formal name) could have existed and operated at the end of the twelfth century, a period when the oppression by Norman authorities was acutely felt by the Saxon underclass.

What could be considered a third category of characters includes the Jewish father and daughter, Isaac and Rebecca. Their departure for Spain at the end of the plot symbolizes a hope for a new life in a more tolerant society. The interplay among all these characters is intricate. While the novel has been criticized by some, it was immensely popular upon its release and remains one of Scott's most widely read works. As is typical, there is minimal character analysis; instead, their actions and dialogues reveal their personalities. As some scholars have noted, many significant authors (Shakespeare being a prime example) have used violence and vigorous action to illustrate their characters' traits.

One of the main criteria for valid characterization is the clarity of each character's motivation. In Ivanhoe, readers can easily discern why the Normans and Saxons are in conflict; thus, the motivations of all the key characters relate to this opposition, which is well illustrated by the tournament at Ashby. Readers also understand why Isaac fears the Normans, why Rebecca falls in love with Wilfred, why Cedric dislikes the Normans, and even why the Normans act so poorly (their greed and misuse of power are clear from the beginning). The loyalty of even minor characters like Gurth and Wamba is depicted as a deep-rooted tradition passed down through generations. Only an insensitive or inattentive reader would fail to feel that they "know" the characters in this engaging yet serious novel.