The Relationship between Ivanhoe and Rowena in Sir Walter Scotta's Book, Ivanhoe

The purpose of this paper is to address the question of whether Wilfred of Ivanhoe, the main character of Sir Walter Scott’s book, Ivanhoe, married the right woman. The two women in the book to be discussed are Rebecca, the kind healer daughter of the rich Jew, and Rowena, the princess of the Saxons living in England. Both women loved Ivanhoe, and at the end of the tale, what he does surprises the reader, marries Rowena, bringing his race together even more fully in England. Ivanhoe has been away a long time fighting the Muslims in Palestine and near areas; his father, Cedric, is the caretaker of Rowena, so Ivanhoe knew Rowena for a good deal of time, and it is hinted at and alluded to that Rowena and Ivanhoe are very much in love and care for each other; this is evidenced by the fact that Rowena was eager to try and find out whether or not Ivanhoe was still alive and kicking, and if would be returning soon or not. Their relationship in the book is a wonderful example of the chivalrous love of knight and lady from the Middle Ages. Another example of how much Rowena cared about Ivanhoe was when the marauder De Bracy tried to make her his wife, and to stop her love for Ivanhoe, he tried to lie and tell her that Ivanhoe was dying. With this she breaks down at the very notion of Ivanhoe being injured, which shows what kind of a softness she has for him. Rowena is also very religious. Ivanhoe and Rowena are still very attached to each other even though they had not seen each other in years. This goes to show the magnitude of commitment between the two. It shows in the book at times that Ivanhoe truly loves and cares about Rowena, while injured and tended to by Rebecca, Ivanhoe learns of Rowena being held captive by De Bracy, and he tries to go out and save her even though he is vitally injured and can barely stand. This makes it seem all the more apparent that Ivanhoe really cares about Rowena, because he is ready to risk his life for her. At another point in