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Volume 2, Chapter 11
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Ivanhoe, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
The Merits of Chivalry
Disguise and Discovery
Inheritance and Displacement
The Vulnerability and Power of Women
History vs. Romance
Summary
Analysis
Disguised as a Franciscan monk, Wamba presents himself at the castle gates. The warden fetches Front-de-Boeuf, who admits the alleged friar to the castle. The baron asks how many men stand poised to attack the castle and Wamba claims at least 500. Sir Brian suggests that after the monk visits the prisoners, the castle defenders should make him carry a message to De Bracy’s band of mercenaries asking for help.
Continuing the book’s theme of disguises, Wamba now dresses as a Franciscan monk. Unlike the other disguises in the book, his (which he will soon transfer to Cedric) serves more of a utilitarian role than a symbolic one. It sheds no light on the world, but it does allow him to make right the injustice of Cedric’s imprisonment.
Themes
In the former great hall, Wamba reveals himself to Athelstane and Cedric. He offers to trade clothing with Cedric—but not Athelstane—in order to allow his master to escape to join the growing band of would-be rescuers gathering outside. Cedric dons the monk’s habit, then pauses, fearing he doesn’t know enough Norman to pass muster. Wamba tells him to answer all queries in Latin, saying “pax vobiscum” no matter what anyone asks. Promising to either rescue the faithful Wamba and the others or to avenge their cruel deaths, Cedric slips from the room. Almost immediately he encounters Urfried and Rebecca, who wants him to bring news and comfort to the wounded knight (Ivanhoe).
Wamba’s refusal to help Athelstane before Cedric continues to point toward Athelstane’s basic inability to adequately represent or lead the Saxons. Moreover, Cedric’s refusal to learn basic Norman now seems detrimental. From Templeton’s perspective, the conflict ends in the eventual merging of Saxon and Norman cultures, and Cedric’s complete rejection of Norman culture dooms him to eventual irrelevance. “Pax vobiscum” means “peace be with you,” an ironic password considering how Normans and Saxons feel about each other and the violence to come.
Themes
