Essay Questions

Sir Walter Scott depicts his Jewish characters in ways that both confirm and defy stereotypes. Identify some of the ways his descriptions of Isaac and Rebecca support both positive and negative stereotypes of Jewish people.

Positive: Rebecca is physically beautiful, intelligent, and highly literate. She is an accomplished healer, and she resists the amorous advances of Brian de Bois-Guilbert. When she is accused of witchcraft, her innocence is obvious enough to earn her not only Wilfred's protection, but what is presented as divine intervention. She is generous: it is her gift that sets Garth on his way to freedom. Rebecca's father, Isaac, loves his daughter deeply and has provided her with every possible opportunity to excel. He too is intelligent and well read.

Negative: Isaac, who is a wealthy moneylender, is following a profession common to Jewish men in medieval Europe, who were frequently excluded from the skilled trade guilds and who often had no choice except to specialize in law, medicine, or banking. Yet the profession of moneylender is a negative one. Isaac is portrayed as loving his money too much. He is not physically courageous (as compared to Wilfred or in fact any of the knights).

How does Sir Walter Scott emphasize the cultural differences between the invading Normans and the native Saxons? What literary devices does he use?

Scott begins by having Wamba offer a description of the different cultures' perception of the pig. When the pig is being raised, and is rooting around in the ground or being raised for slaughter, it is called "swine", which is a Saxon word since the conquered Saxon people are chiefly responsible for the labor associated with raising pigs. Yet when the meat of the pig is served on the table, it is called "pork", which is a Norman-French word. English, which owes its origins to both Norman-French and Anglo-Saxon, contains several such examples and Scott (through Wamba) rightly acknowledges them as political, or at least socioeconomic, in origin.

Scott also reinforces the Norman/Saxon conflict with names. The old Saxon royalty, as represented by the disinherited Wilfred of Ivanhoe, his father Cedric, and Cedric's noble ward Rowena, are being displaced by the Norman invaders. Scott is careful to use names of Anglo-Saxon extraction (such as "Garth" or "Wamba") for characters of that group.

Besides this, Scott offers detailed physical description of the Saxon-style wooden mead hall, the Norman-style castle turret where Rebecca is imprisoned, and the Norman-style tournament pavillion where Wilfred prepares for his joust.

Why is Wamba an ironic character?

Wamba is a jester, who appears in the very first scene of the novel in a cap with bells even though he and Garth are deep in the woods attempting to find some lost pigs. As a jester or "fool" he is supposed to be simple-minded, however in reality he has some of the most trenchant remarks about contemporary society and politics. He is also an extremely quick thinker who, despite what may be his hereditary profession, is very mentally acute.

Wamba is the son of someone named "Witless" who in turn was the son of a man named "Weatherbrain", who was the son of an Alderman or local leader. Wamba's ancestry can be taken as implying that politicians lack intelligence, or it can be taken as evidence that intelligence and brainpower are no longer being given the respect and social prominence they deserve.

By supporting Wilfred of Ivanhoe in a fight when the odds are manifestly againt him, Wamba the "fool" shows his intelligence after all, because even though he's a fool he knows how to pick a winner.

Scott distinguishes between nobility by birth and nobility by nature. Explain this by comparing and contrasting two characters from the novel.

Brian de Bois-Guilbert, a middle-aged Knight Templar, is by definition born to the noble class. However he is completely corrupt, and not noble by nature. He accumulates wealth instead of following his order's vow of poverty, and lusts after women (particularly the helpless Rebecca) instead of respecting his order's vow of chastity. He abuses his authority and position regularly, using his strength and martial prowess to get what he wants instead of to serve others.

Wilfred of Ivanhoe, a Saxon knight disinherited by his father for falling in love with a member of Saxon royalty (Rowena), is noble by birth and noble by nature. He risks his life to save Rebecca solely on principle.

Rebecca, a Jewish woman who is the daugher of a moneylender, is noble by nature but not by birth. She heals Wilfred and provides money to him and Garth when they are in need.