FREE ONLINE SUMMARY: IVANHOE BY SIR WALTER SCOTT

CHAPTERS 35 - 36

Summary

Isaac of York is warned by his relation Nathan that Lucas Beaumanoir, Chief of the Order of Templars, is also present at Templestowe, where Rebecca is being held prisoner. Beaumanoir is a rigid knight who is insistent on Templar principles, a cruel enemy to the Moslems, and a strong hater of the Jews.

Isaac brings a letter from Prior Aymer to Bois-Guilbert, asking for the Prior’s ransom; the Jew is brought to Lucas Beaumanoir. Until Isaac shows up, Beaumanoir is completely unaware of Rebecca’s presence in the castle. He is annoyed that Bois-Guilbert is guilty of sequestering Rebecca for immoral purposes, since he is a strict keeper of the Knights Templar rules of celibacy.

Isaac is oblivious to the fact that the Prior’s letter nastily hints that Rebecca is a “second witch of Endor”; in it, the Prior says Rebecca has cast a spell over the Templar. Malvoisin, the preceptor of Templestowe, seizes on the notion that Rebecca is a witch and defends his friend Bois-Guilbert. In the meantime, Bois-Guilbert finds he is strongly attracted to Rebecca and continues to press her to accept him.

Beaumanoir orders a full-scale trial for Rebecca, thinking this is his only chance to save the reputation of the Knight Templar who has acted so out of keeping with the order’s rules. Bois-Guilbert’s attempts to help Rebecca escape the trial by marrying him are in vain.

Notes

The wily Prior has discovered a way of helping Bois-Guilbert and destroying Rebecca at the same time. As a priest, his word carries weight. When he casts a pall on Rebecca’s reputation, suggesting that she is a witch, many things go against her. The Normans are superstitious and they hate Jews. They also regard women with little respect, considering them to be “but the toys which amuse our lighter hours.” In addition, Rebecca’s beauty and her skill in medicine are strongly distrusted. It is ironic that this woman of very high moral principles, who will die before succumbing to the demands of the despicable Bois-Gilbert, is to be tried as a witch, while her suitor is destined to go free.

CHAPTERS 37 - 39

Summary

The scene is set for Rebecca’s trial. The Grand Master sits opposite a pile of logs, which will form the stake at which Rebecca will be burned alive if she is found guilty. The charges against Bois-Guilbert are read first, but he is excused on the grounds that Rebecca’s evil magic has taken away his power of reason. Others testify to the supernatural powers of Rebecca, her healing of Ivanhoe, and her presence and influence at the attack on Torquilstone. The common people are on her side, deeply affected by her beauty and her defense; but it is not a fair trial. Bois-Guilbert tries to save Rebecca by asking for a champion to fight him on her behalf; however, he suspects no one will come to her aid against him. He then tries in vain to convince Rebecca to run away with him.

Notes

Accusations of witchcraft were very common in the Middle Ages due to ignorance and superstition. The practice of witchcraft was greatly feared by the Christian Church, which treated all those convicted of sorcery with merciless punishment. Witches were normally burned alive at the stake, and many innocent women, whose only fault was their beauty or their skill with herbal medicine, were brutally killed. Not only is Rebecca accused of the terrible sin of witchcraft, she is also a Jewess; therefore, everything about her, especially her foreign ways, are viewed with suspicion. She stands no chance of having a fair trial amongst these Norman accusers.

Bois-Guilbert’s wickedness is somewhat redeemed, for he offers to fight for Rebecca or to run away with her. His generosity, of course, is founded on the fact that he wants Rebecca for his own. The noble Rebecca, however, is full of contempt for him and would rather die than succumb to Bois-Guilbert. Not only is he the reason that she is in such a predicament, she also knows he is a total hypocrite who has broken his vows as a Templar. She accuses him openly, saying that his faith “is ever in thy mouth, but never in thy heart nor in thy practice.”

Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott - Free BookNotes Summary

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