Ivanhoe · Chapter
Chapter III explained
Cedric the Saxon prepares to host Norman guests, Prior Aymer and Brian de Bois-Guilbert, while expressing his resentment towards Normans and lamenting his son Wilfred's disobedience.
What happens
Cedric the Saxon prepares to host Norman guests, Prior Aymer and Brian de Bois-Guilbert, while expressing his resentment towards Normans and lamenting his son Wilfred's disobedience.
Themes in this chapter
Norman-Saxon Conflict
Cedric's bitter remarks about Normans, the curfew, and the usurpation of Saxon lands highlight the deep ethnic and political tensions.
Power and Tyranny
Cedric perceives Norman lords as tyrants who use the curfew to enable theft and oppression, reflecting the abuse of power.
Love and Loyalty
Cedric's lament for his son Wilfred reveals a conflicted love, while his concern for Gurth and Wamba shows loyalty to his dependants.
Characters to notice
- Cedric the Saxon
Cedric reluctantly extends hospitality to Norman guests, muttering about their insolence and reflecting on his son's disobedience.
- Brian de Bois-Guilbert
The Templar knight arrives as a guest at Rotherwood, described by Cedric as valiant but stained with pride, arrogance, cruelty, and voluptuousness.
- Prior Aymer
The jovial Prior of Jorvaulx arrives with Bois-Guilbert, known for loving wine and the hunt more than religious duties.
- Lady Rowena
Rowena is expected to join the banquet later, as she wishes to hear news from Palestine, though Cedric initially suggests she might not attend.
- Gurth
Gurth is mentioned as being late returning from the fields, causing Cedric to worry about his herd and suspect Norman interference.
- Wamba
Wamba has gone out with Gurth, and Cedric fears he may have been carried off by Normans.
Key passages
“Norman or Saxon, the hospitality of Rotherwood must not be impeached; they are welcome, since they have chosen to halt—more welcome would they have been to have ridden further on their way”
Cedric insists on offering hospitality to the Norman guests, though he would have preferred they continue traveling.
Cedric's conflicted sense of duty versus his personal resentment.
“The son who has disobeyed me is no longer mine; nor will I concern myself more for his fate than for that of the most worthless among the millions that ever shaped the cross on their shoulder”
Cedric disowns his son Wilfred for defying him, refusing to care about his fate.
Cedric's stubborn pride and pain over his son's disobedience.
“The curfew; which compels true men to extinguish their lights, that thieves and robbers may work their deeds in darkness!”
Cedric condemns the curfew as a tool that forces honest people into darkness while criminals thrive.
Symbol of Norman oppression and Cedric's outrage.