History Literature / Ivanhoe

* ArtisticLicenseHistory: Cedric and Athelstane are shown having their beards tugged at the banquet of Lord John, as he was historically called due. This episode actually happened in real life, many times in fact, except John's courtiers were doing it to Gaelic Irish men, not Saxon men.

** Most of the protagonists are generally much nicer to Isaac and Rebecca than they were in the novel.
* AdaptationalVillainy: Instead of being “merely” a literal KnightTemplar, Lucas de Beaumanoir is power-hungry and sadistic without even the redeeming qualities he had in the book. Especially noticeable after the [[spoiler:final battle of Bois-Guilbert and Ivanhoe]]: in the book, Beaumanoir immediately accepts the result as the judgment of God and [[spoiler:declares Rebecca innocent]], but in the series he plans to kill [[spoiler:her and Ivanhoe]] and would have done so, if not for Robin Hood’s men providing backup.

* HistoricalHeroUpgrade: Somewhat played with, as is the HistoricalVillainUpgrade. Near the end of the series Eleanor of Aquitaine confronts both her sons and chews out not only John, but Richard as well. If anything she's more annoyed with the latter, since he's spent all but three or four months of his reign in the Holy Lands and has near bankrupted England to pay for his wars - leaving John to do the unpleasant but necessary task of raising the money for these wars ''and'' his ransom, as well as keeping the country running. As she points out, 'John may be a miserable little runt, but at least he's ''' ''been'' ''' here!'

%%* ItsPersonal

* In 1850, William Makepeace Thackeray produced the [[AffectionateParody parodic]] FanSequel, ''[[http://www.hicom.net/~oedipus/books/randr.html Rebecca and Rowena: A Romance Upon Romance]]'', in which [[TakeThatScrappy Athelstane]] and [[DieForOurShip Rowena]] die and Wilfred [[FanPreferredCouple marries]] a [[ValuesDissonance converted]] Rebecca. This parody was popular enough that it was adapted to the stage in turn.

* SpiritualSuccessor: To API's previous TheLegendOfRobinHood. One can't help but think if the animation style used in "The Legend of Robin Hood" had been used in this then there would be less characters with black hair.

* HistoricalFiction: One of the [[TropeCodifier Trope Codifiers]]. Nearly every modern portrayal of the Middle Ages (and, implicitly, every HighFantasy work that derives its imagery therefrom) owes something to this book.

* HistoricalFiction: One of the [[TropeCodifier Trope Codifiers]].

%%* BlackAndWhiteMorality: Certainly most of the Goodies are ''very'' good, and most of the Baddies ''very'' bad, but it does not prevent them from being memorable characters. One is inclined to say that, rather than being Black and White, they are all rendered in primary colours.

* DeathOfTheHypotenuse: Athelstane dies at Torquilstone, so Rowena seems to be free to love Ivanhoe. {{Subverted|Trope}}, because [[spoiler:Athelstane is revealed to be still alive.]].

* FreudianTrio: The three bad guys who kidnap Rowena and Cedric. Front-de-Bœuf is the id (he is impulsive: killed his father in a fit of rage). De Bracy is the superego (he respects the chivalric code of honour; he is superstitious). Bois-Guilbert is the ego: in his mind, there is a fight between his desires (he covets, then falls in love with Rebecca) and his respect of social norms (his status as knight templar, his personal honour). This internal conflict kills him in the end.

%%* AlmightyMom: [[spoiler: Eleanor of Acquitaine.]]

* CanonForeigner: An extremely strange case: Little John. Yes, he's a famous member of Robin Hood's band of merry men, but he's not in the novel (he's mentioned once, but only in the capacity of Robin telling the others that he's somewhere else entirely). Yet in this particular adaptation he's given a large part to play.

* DefeatMeansFriendship: Little John to Gurth after a quarterstave duel.

%%* ImportantHaircut

%%* KickTheDog

%%* SlouchOfVillainy: John during the trial.

* A stage version was prepared as early as 1826, the ''pasticcio'' opera ''Ivanhoé'', which combined existing melodies by Gioacchino Rossini with new texts. Sir Walter attended a performance and was not impressed.

* A Russian adaptation in 1983, ''The Ballad of the Valiant Knight Ivanhoe'' (''Баллада о доблестном рыцаре Айвенго, Ballada o Dovlestnom Ryzare "Ayvenho"'') appeared, directed by Sergey Tarasov, starring Peteris Gaudins as Ivanhoe and featuring songs by Music/VladimirVysotsky.

%%* TheDogBitesBack: Ulrica.

* LiteraryAgentHypothesis: Scott originally published the novel under the pseudonym Laurence Templeton, in which guise he claimed he was merely transcribing and editing an actual medieval document, the "Wardour Manuscript" [[note]]a pun on "Wardour Street" in London, which was known for its shops that sold antique furniture of dubious provenance[[/note]] -- though the author’s actual identity seems to have been an open secret.

** Ivanhoe, a worthy hero, and Bois-Guilbert, an unscrupulous knight templar, for Rebecca.

* BettyAndVeronica: Rowena and Rebecca for Ivanhoe, Athelstane and Ivanhoe for Rowena, Ivanhoe and Bois-Guilbert for Rebecca.
* BigDamnHeroes: The Black Knight for Ivanhoe, Ivanhoe for Rebecca.

* BlackAndWhiteMorality: Certainly most of the Goodies are ''very'' good, and most of the Baddies ''very'' bad, but it does not prevent them from being memorable characters. One is inclined to say that, rather than being Black and White, they are all rendered in primary colours.

%%* FeudalOverlord:
%%** What Cedric is to Gurth and Wamba.
%%** Baron Front de Boeuf
%%* FlorenceNightingaleEffect: How Rebecca falls for Wilfred.

%%* TheJester: Wamba

* RhymesOnADime: The novel includes a number of poems and "songs" recited or sung by the characters.

* CorruptChurch: Sir Walter, being a conventional if not convicted Presbyterian, invented quite a few corrupt churchmen as [[TakeThat Take Thats]] against the Roman Catholic Church: the worldly Prior Aylmer, the proud, cruel, and lustful Bois-Guilbert, the ignorant and violent "hedge-priest" Friar Tuck, the unscrupulous Malvoisin, the fanatical Beaumanoir, the greedy and treacherous Abbot Wolfram who betrays Athelstane. Indeed, there is not a single completely ''decent'' cleric in the whole novel. To be fair, few are completely unsympathetic villains. Prior Aymer's faults are made up for to a large degree by his good nature. He is fonder of the wine, the women and the hunt more then a churchman should be but he is not cruel like many of the characters and not a KnightTemplar. Beaumanoir for his part ''is'' one, but is portrayed as [[LawfulStupid completely sincere]] rather than deliberately malicious, while Bois-Guilbert gets CharacterDevelopment and becomes almost a NobleDemon. And of course, corrupt priests like this ''did'' exist--rather, it's the bias in favor of it without any good ones which is telling.
* CourtlyLove: Played straight by Wilfred and Rowena and [[spoiler:Rebecca for Wilfred]]; subverted by Athelstane and de Bracy for Rowena; beaten all to hell and back by Bois-Guilbert for Rebecca

* GratuitousFrench: ''Mort de ma vie!'' The Normans here are always bursting out with Gallic oaths and phrases -- in fact, the novel practically opens with a long discussion between [[ThoseTwoGuys Gurth and Wamba]] of the intermingling of French words with English and the subtle distinctions of meaning between them both.

* BlackAndWhiteMorality: Certainly most of the Goodies are ''very '' good, and most of the Baddies ''very'' bad, but it does not prevent them from being memorable characters. One is inclined to say that, rather than being Black and White, they are all rendered in primary colours.

* PublicDomainCharacter: RobinHood. Scott was not the first, by any means, but he is probably the most influential author in linking the outlaw's legend with UsefulNotes/RichardTheLionHeart and Prince John; more original with Scott was the linking of the legend with a supposed racial animosity between the [[PeopleOfHairColor Normans and the Saxons]]. Scott also popularised the name "Locksley" as associated with the outlaw.

%%* BloodKnight: Front-de-Bœuf

* BeautyEqualsGoodness: Rebecca and Rowena are both beautiful, each in her own way. Played with where Ulrica is concerned: she ''was'' once fair, but is now ugly and withered in every respect.

* CorruptChurch: Sir Walter, being a conventional if not convicted Presbyterian, invented quite a few corrupt churchmen as [[TakeThat Take Thats]] against the Roman Catholic Church: the worldly Prior Aylmer, the proud, cruel, and lustful Bois-Guilbert, the ignorant and violent "hedge-priest" Friar Tuck, the unscrupulous Malvoisin, the fanatical Beaumanoir, the greedy and treacherous Abbot Wolfram who betrays Athelstane. Indeed, there is not a single completely ''decent'' cleric in the whole novel. To be fair, few are completely unsympathetoic villains. Prior Aymer's faults are made up for to a large degree by his good nature. He is fonder of the wine, the women and the hunt more then a churchman should be but he is not cruel like many of the characters and not a KnightTemplar. Beaumanoir for his part ''is'' one, but is portrayed as [[LawfulStupid completely sincere]] rather than deliberately malicious, while Bois-Guilbert gets CharacterDevelopment and becomes almost a NobleDemon. And of course, corrupt priests like this ''did'' exist--rather, it's the bias in favor of it without any good ones which is telling.

** Lampshaded by Wamba, who tells Cedric that repeating "Pax vobiscum" will be enough to make him seem like a authentic friar.

* CorruptChurch: Sir Walter, being a conventional if not convicted Presbyterian, invented quite a few corrupt churchmen as [[TakeThat Take Thats]] against the Roman Catholic Church: the worldly Prior Aylmer, the proud, cruel, and lustful Bois-Guilbert, the ignorant and violent "hedge-priest" Friar Tuck, the unscrupulous Malvoisin, the fanatical Beaumanoir, the greedy and treacherous Abbot Wolfram who betrays Athelstane. Indeed, there is not a single completely ''decent'' cleric in the whole novel. To be fair, few are completely unsympathetoic villains. Prior Aymer's faults are made up for to a large degree by his good nature. He is fonder of the wine, the women and the hunt more then a churchman should be but he is not cruel like many of the characters and not a KnightTemplar. Beaumanoir for his part ''is'' one, but is portrayed as [[LawfulStupid completely sincere]] rather than deliberately malicious, while Bois-Guilbert gets CharacterDevelopment and becomes almost a NobleDemon. Of course, corrupt priests like this ''did'' exist-rather, it's the bias in favor of it without any good ones which is telling.

* CorruptChurch: Sir Walter, being a conventional if not convicted Presbyterian, invented quite a few corrupt churchmen as [[TakeThat Take Thats]] against the Roman Catholic Church: the worldly Prior Aylmer, the proud, cruel, and lustful Bois-Guilbert, the ignorant and violent "hedge-priest" Friar Tuck, the unscrupulous Malvoisin, the fanatical Beaumanoir, the greedy and treacherous Abbot Wolfram who betrays Athelstane. Indeed, there is not a single completely ''decent'' cleric in the whole novel. To be fair, Prior Aymer's faults are made up for to a large degree by his good nature. He is fonder of the wine, the women and the hunt more then a churchman should be but he is not cruel like many of the characters and not a KnightTemplar. Of course, corrupt priests like this ''did'' exist-rather, it's the bias in favor of it without any good ones which is telling.

* BeautyEqualsGoodness: Rebecca.

* RealityIsUnrealistic: The almost impossibly noble Rebecca is said to be the only character based directly one of Scott's contemporaries -- a friend of Scott's friend Washington Irving -- a Jewish lady from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, named Rebecca Gratz.

* ArtisticLicenseHistory: Until the fourteenth century, more than a hundred years ''after'' the novel takes place, the Catholic Church actually judged belief in witchcraft as heretical, so Rebecca wouldn't have been put on trial for it. The idea of lingering animosity between the Saxons and Normans by the time of the novel is also ahistorical, except for some diehard eccentrics.
* AttemptedRape: Bois-Guilbert is foiled in this by Rebecca's threatening to throw herself off the tower. See DrivenToSuicide, below.

* CharacterTitle

%%* DiesWideOpen: [[spoiler: Bois-Guilbert.]]

* [[GratuitousFrench Gratuitous Norman French]]: ''Mort de ma vie!'' The Normans here are always bursting out with Gallic oaths and phrases -- in fact, the novel practically opens with a long discussion between [[ThoseTwoGuys Gurth and Wamba]] of the intermingling of French words with English and the subtle distinctions of meaning between them both.

* [[HonorBeforeReason Honour Before Reason]]: Wilfred tries to explain this concept to Rebecca, who still insists on Reason before Honour.

%%* KnightInShiningArmour: In effect, if not in fact.
* KnightTemplar: Averted, oddly enough, by most of the actual [[UsefulNotes/TheKnightsTemplar Templars]] in the story, at least the named characters (who are presented more as {{hypocrite}}s, with or without [[StrawHypocrite straw]]), but played ''absolutely straight'' by Lucas de Beaumanoir, who is a KnightTemplar in both senses of the term — indeed, the Grand Master of the Order.

%%* MatzoFever: Rebecca

* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: A lot of these. The Templar Preceptor Albert de Malvoisin ("bad neighbour").and his brother Philip; Reginald Front-de-Boeuf ("Or 'Beef-head'" as Richard Armour put it, in ''The Classics Reclassified''). Waldemar Fitzurse's last name means "Son of the {{Bear|sAreBadNews}}" -- which was also the surname of the ringleader of St. Thomas Becket's [[RhetoricalRequestBlunder assassins]]. Scott states outright that Waldemar is the assassin's son.

* [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere Screw This -- I'm Outta Here]]: Maurice de Bracy's reaction to [[spoiler:King Richard's return]].

* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: Rebecca and Rowena are universally and rather incorrectly treated this way among Rebecca/Ivanhoe shippers, including Thackeray -- with [[WhatMeasureIsANonBadass all the venom the trope brings]] to "Girly Girl" Rowena. In Scott's novel, while Rebecca is unquestionably the most awesome by a landslide, Rowena actually resembles [[Disney/{{Aladdin}} Princess Jasmine]] more than some {{Ingenue}} PrincessClassic, and not to mention Rebecca isn't mentioned to be overly tomboyish either.

* UnrequitedLove: Quite a lot. See LoveDodecahedron, above.

* [[WarriorPrince Warrior King]]: [[UsefulNotes/RichardTheLionHeart Cœur-de-Lion]] takes part in the melee and leads the Merry Men in the Battle of Torquilstone. He is even the one to deliver the fatal blow to the brutish Front-de-Bouef.
* [[WellExcuseMePrincess Well, Excuse Me, Princess]]: Rowena, especially when she tells off de Bracy.

* ClearMyName: Bois-Guilbert covers up his own betrayal of Richard by claiming it was Ivanhoe who committed said betrayal, leaving Ivanhoe to try and salvage his name and reputation.

* HistoricalHeroUpgrade: Somewhat played with, as is the HistoricalVillainUpgrade. Near the end of the series Eleanor of Aquitaine confronts both her sons and chews out not only John, but Richard as well. If anything she's more annoyed with the latter, since he's spent all but three or four months of his reign in the Holy Lands and has near bankrupted England to pay for his wars - leaving John to do the unpleasant but necessary task of raising the money for the aforesaid wars ''and'' his ransom, as well as keeping the country running. As she points out, 'John may be a miserable little runt, but at least he's ''' ''been'' ''' here!'

* AdaptationDistillation: A number of the various adaptations have successfully reinterpreted the original in the terms of their own eras. The 1952 version was extremely popular in an age which demanded spectacle. The 1982 version attempted a sort of ''[[Film/TheAdventuresOfRobinHood Adventures of Ivanhoe]]'' approach, and featured some striking performances. The 1997 A&E/BBC version went for a DarkerAndEdgier, de-romanticized interpretation that captured more of the sense of suspense and tragedy in the novel than other versions. As is the way with most great works, each age will get the kind of ''Ivanhoe'' that best suits it.