Student Question
Compare and contrast the characterization of Cedric and Isaac as fathers in Ivanhoe.
Quick answer:
Cedric and Isaac are contrasting father figures. Cedric, proud and violent, prioritizes Saxon heritage over his son Ivanhoe, even disinheriting him for embracing Norman ways. Cedric's fixation on Saxon purity blinds him to the blended reality of England. In contrast, Isaac, Rebecca's Jewish father, is compassionate and supportive, aiding Ivanhoe with armor and medical care despite prevailing anti-Jewish prejudice. Isaac's kindness and lack of ethnic animosity highlight Cedric's obsession with Saxon nationalism.
Cedric is characterized as an arrogant, violent person. He is angry at his son Ivanhoe for backing Richard (a Norman) as king. Cedric is also opposed to Ivanhoe's wish to marry Cedric's ward, Lady Rowena, who Cedric wants to marry to Lord Athelstane, a Saxon contender (or pretender, depending on your point of view) to the English throne. Cedric is not very protective of Ivanhoe. When Ivanhoe is wounded at the tournament, Cedric allows strangers to care for him. He also disinherits Ivanhoe for learning about Norman customs and ways.
Cedric wants very much to protect his threatened Saxon heritage and see a Saxon king on the English throne. He feels that his power has been diminished by the Normans, who he hates. Cedric puts his faith in his Saxon heritage, not realizing that the Saxons and Normans are too blended for England to go back to an idealized vision...
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of Saxon purity. Cedric rejects Ivanhoe for accepting and adapting to that reality, and arguably cares for more for his fantasy of recapturing the past than for his living child.
In many ways, Isaac (Rebecca's Jewish father) is more of a father to Ivanhoe than his real father. He is the person who makes sure Ivanhoe has armor and a horse for the tournament. Isaac is a cautious man due to the prejudice against Jews, who are despised by both Normans and Saxons. As the narrator says:
there was no race existing on the earth, in the air, or the waters, who were the object of such an unremitting, general and relentless persecution as the Jews of this period.
Isaac nevertheless arranges for Ivanhoe to get medical care after he is wounded. This is provided by his daughter Rebecca, a skilled healer. Isaac, a kind hearted man, cares deeply about Rebecca and sends Ivanhoe to rescue her after she has been abducted. Thus, as a Jew, Isaac is a foil to Cedric. Hated by everyone, he doesn't participate in the hatred of a rival group, which is what drives Cedric as a character. This makes Isaac a more compassionate man.