Ivanhoe
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IVANHOE TEACHES US A LESSON IN CHIVALRY
In everybodys life, there is something that makes him or her strive for success. That something can be money, a significant other, fame or many other incentives. To the medieval knights, victory renown and glory are the ambitions they strive for. Breaking a law in this code would be considered a disgrace, and would bring a dishonor worse than death itself. However, by applying the Code of Chivalry, the knights in medieval time displayed certain character traits that would secure success and honor in both battle and morality. In the book Ivanhoe, by Sir Walter Scott, a knight named Wilfred of Ivanhoe illustrates this by devoting his attention to keeping the rules of the Code of Chivalry, which consisted of love of adventure, integrity and loyalty to the king, to name just a few. These character traits of Ivanhoe coupled with strong characters and a realistic setting allow the reader to understand the importance of a strong set of moral guidelines to all individuals of all times in spite of Sir Scotts excessive detail and confusing subplot.
Respect and loyalty are two of the character traits that Ivanhoe not only possesses but also helps the reader to see their importance for a successful life. For example, in the very beginning of the book Ivanhoe is known as the Disinherited Knight because his father, Cedric the Saxon, disinherits him; however, even though he is abandoned, he still respects his father and is loyal to him. His respect is shown in the book when the castle burns and someone asks his father whether defeat is visible. Cedric responds by saying, “Not so, by the soul of Hereward.” He then denounces his Ivanhoes beliefs. Instead of getting angry with Cedric, Ivanhoe shows respect, brushes the comments off, and leads a successful life as a result. This is a very good example to todays reader that comes from generations of children having relationship problems with their parents.
Ivanhoe is not only loyal to his real father, but to King Richard the Lion Heart as well. When Ivanhoe is disowned by his father, King Richard steps in and adopts him. Ivanhoe attaches himself to the king and follows him into battle for the Crusades. When the King is captured, Ivanhoe has loyalty and sets his eye on freeing him.
Ivanhoe is not the only character that demonstrates loyalty. The reader can also learn a thing or two about having too much loyalty and pride in family. Cedric the Saxon shows extreme pride and loyalty to his heritage. In fact, it is because of this that Ivanhoe is kicked out of his home. He has more interest in re-establishing Saxon rule than in running his household. He is so proud of the Saxons that he hates the Normans with all his heart. Everything he does reflects his bias towards the Normans. Cedrics pride is far too extreme; the reader can learn to not let his or her pride in heritage to take control.
In addition to loyalty towards heritage, the novel contains loyalty towards religion. The problem with this is that the society has loyalty to only religion and but God. The characters actually insult true Catholics by the way they practice their religion. It seems like Scott is trying to abuse the Catholic Church by portraying its members as people that are not concerned with God but rather, people that are only loyal to the religion itself. Christians can learn an important lesson from this society. We as believers should never just focus on the religious practices of the church. Instead, our main attention should be directed towards God alone because he is the reason for our religion.
Glory is also something that Ivanhoe uses to lead him on. Austrians imprisoned his step-father, King Richard the Lion Heart, on his way back from the crusades. Ivanhoe put his efforts towards freeing him and glorifying his country of England. He courageously goes to battle to fight for England in the Crusades; because of his bravery, England is saved.
Glory and Bravery are not the only things Ivanhoe is demonstrating by fighting for England. He is also showing a fear of disgrace. If his home country of England were to lose the battles, he and his country would be disgraced. His fear of disgrace helps to lead him on. Having a fear of disgrace shows the reader that having this motive can lead one on to success.
People can learn a lesson not only about glory, but about bravery also. Besides glory, bravery is used throughout the novel also. An example of this is when Sir Brian de Bois-Guilbert dies for Rebecca. Ivanhoe demonstrates bravery when he fights Brian to repay Rebecca for her care when he is hurt. He is also very brave when he fights for his Saxon image. Even though he is not a major character in this book, Robin Hood shows bravery. He robs from the rich and gives to the poor, which breaks certain parts of the Code of Chivalry. Through his actions, he fulfills parts of the Code. He is brave and has a love of adventure in doing so, but his integrity and respect to the King is taken by his criminal actions. People can learn from these examples that sometimes being is not pretty. Both Sir Brian de Bois-Guilbert and Robin Hood had to suffer consequences for being brave.
Bravery is very important to knights. If they are not brave they are disgraced, which is