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Definition of Simile
A simile is a figure of speech that directly compares two unlike things. To make the comparison, similes most often use the connecting words "like" or "as," but can also... read full definition
A simile is a figure of speech that directly compares two unlike things. To make the comparison, similes most often use the connecting words "like... read full definition
A simile is a figure of speech that directly compares two unlike things. To make the comparison, similes most often... read full definition
Volume 1, Chapter 5
Explanation and Analysis—Lighted Charcoal:
When Bois-Guilbert visits Cedric in Chapter 5 of Volume 1, Scott uses a simile and visual imagery to depict the intensity of his gaze upon Rowena when he first sees her. This highlights the extreme discomfort his gaze causes both her and her guardian Cedric:
When Rowena perceived the Knight Templar’s eyes bent on her with an ardour, that, compared with the dark caverns under which they moved, gave them the effect of lighted charcoal, she drew with dignity the veil around her face, as an intimation that the determined freedom of his glance was disagreeable. Cedric saw the motion and its cause. ‘Sir Templar,’ said he, ‘the cheeks of our Saxon maidens have seen too little of the sun to enable them to bear the fixed glance of a crusader.’
In this scene, Bois-Guilbert's gaze is so hungry and desirous that Cedric feels compelled to tell him to look away. Describing Bois-Guilbert's eyes as being like "lighted charcoal" conveys the intense, dangerous quality of his gaze. This imagery does more than just inform the reader that his face is dark, intense, and “cavernous.” It suggests that the “darkness” of his appearance actually reveals something about Bois-Guilbert’s character. His eyes are so penetrating that they seem to glow from within, as if they are shedding an uncomfortable amount of heat onto Rowena. She actually draws her veil as a shield between herself and the Knight Templar, signaling her desire to protect herself from his metaphorically burning eyes.
Cedric's intervention extends the metaphor of heat and intensity. He chastises Bois-Guilbert for staring at Rowena, suggesting that Rowena’s “cheeks” are not used to burning either from the “sun” or the “fixed glance of a crusader.” This comparison also subtly invokes a cultural contrast between the Norman Bois-Guilbert and the Saxons Rowena and Cedric. Cedric's words reinforce the notion that Bois-Guilbert's gaze, like that of any Norman crusader, is as potentially harmful as burning, excessive sunlight. He subtly critiques Bois-Guilbert and the Crusaders in general, while also further illustrating the discomfort and danger the other man’s stare represents to Rowena.
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Volume 2, Chapter 8
Explanation and Analysis—Bed of Down:
In the dungeons of Torquilstone, Front-de-Boeuf attempts to terrify the imprisoned Isaac by vividly describing how he plans to torture him. He describes how he intends to do so using a simile and a metaphor referring to cooking meat:
‘Seest thou, Isaac [...] the range of iron bars above that glowing charcoal? – on that warm couch thou shalt lie, stripped of thy clothes as if thou wert to rest on a bed of down. One of these slaves shall maintain the fire beneath thee, while the other shall anoint thy wretched limbs with oil, lest the roast should burn.'
Front-de-Boeuf’s descriptions of his impending actions are deliberately vague and delicate, as if even he can’t bear to literally describe roasting Isaac alive. The simile here compares the iron bars of the stove heated by charcoal to a "bed of down” upon which Isaac will lie. This serves to underscore the cruelty and sadism of the planned torture in a manner that's chillingly understated. By presenting the searing-hot stove as a pleasant place to rest, Front-de-Boeuf mocks Isaac's pain. If Isaac cannot produce the enormous ransom he demands, Front-de-Boeuf states, he will roast him alive. This contrast between the expected comfort of a bed of down and the reality of a torture device ingeniously plays on Isaac's fears, amplifying the horror of the situation through the use of language that minimizes the horrifying pain to come.
The metaphor Front-de-Bouef then uses adds another dimension to the shocking imagery. Isaac is forced to listen to an explanation of how his roasting flesh will be prevented from “burning” by being daubed with oil. Comparing Isaac’s living body to meat that is being carefully cooked provides a grim visual and tactile sense of the torture for the reader. This depiction is also very dehumanizing, reducing Isaac to nothing more than a piece of meat to be cooked. The detail of slaves maintaining the fire and anointing Isaac's limbs with oil to prevent burning adds a grotesque realism to his torturer’s threats. This brutal passage reinforces Front-de-Boeuf’s cruelty and the extremity of the peril that Isaac faces, making the reader feel a nauseating sense of dread.
Related Themes:
Volume 2, Chapter 10
Explanation and Analysis—Pearly Teeth:
In the tower at Torquilstone, Scott employs simile and hyperbole to convey Bois-Guilbert's attempt to seduce Rebecca, emphasizing the extent to which he sees her as a potential possession rather than a person:
‘Fair flower of Palestine,’ replied the outlaw, ‘these pearls are orient, but they yield in whiteness to your teeth; the diamonds are brilliant, but they cannot match your eyes; and ever since I have taken up this wild trade, I have made a vow to prefer beauty to wealth.’
The simile comparing Rebecca's teeth to pearls and her eyes to diamonds objectifies her by reducing her to a series of valuable objects. She is not a person to Bois-Guilbert, but a collection of prized possessions. This simile reflects Bois-Guilbert's materialistic values, but also his desire to own and control. By equating Rebecca's physical features with jewels, Scott underscores the commodification of her beauty. Rebecca is a wise and educated character. However, the author implies here that to men like Bois-Guilbert, her physical appearance is her most valuable asset.
The hyperbole in describing Rebecca's teeth as “surpassing the whiteness” of pearls and her eyes outshining “diamonds” is part of the Knight Templar’s flattery. This exaggeration is not meant to be taken literally: instead, it amplifies his admiration of her and his fixation on possessing her beauty. The hyperbolic comparison elevates Rebecca's features to an impossible degree. This rhetorical strategy reveals even more of Bois-Guilbert’s shallow appreciation for Rebecca. He claims to value “beauty” more than “wealth,” but treats Rebecca like just another piece of valuable material.
Related Themes:
Volume 2, Chapter 14
Explanation and Analysis—Golden Bezants:
As he discusses Ivanhoe’s health, Isaac uses a simile to express his concern for the knight’s wellbeing, though the comparison plays into antisemitic stereotypes:
‘Nay,’ said Isaac, releasing his hold, ‘it grieveth me as much to see the drops of his blood, as if they were so many golden bezants from mine own purse [...]'
The simile Isaac uses here equates seeing Ivanhoe's blood spilled to losing golden coins from his own purse. It is intended to convey his real distress over Ivanhoe's injury and potentially impending death. This comparison attempts to express the depth of Isaac's concern using the precious commodity of gold coins—a universal symbol of something valuable—to illustrate how seriously he takes Ivanhoe’s suffering. However, this simile, while aiming to communicate Isaac's emotional distress, also reinforces negative and antisemitic stereotypes around Jews and money. By comparing Ivanhoe's lifeblood to gold coins, the novel inadvertently suggests that Isaac's concern for the young knight is measured in monetary terms. Read in this way, the simile might even suggest that Isaac values money more than human life. In the period in which this novel is set, this comparison would align with negative (and historically pervasive) stereotypes about Jewish people prioritizing wealth over personal relationships or human welfare.
Related Themes:
