Ivanhoe tells the classic story of knights, fierce battles, and beautiful royalty, ideally placed in the medieval times of England. Wilfred of Ivanhoe, a young knight under King Richard the Lionheart, strives to be with his lover, Lady Rowena. Their discouraged relationship forms amidst the tense, and very real, rivalries between the Normans and Saxons, and the Christians and Jews. The novel describes the years after the Third Crusade in the perspective of many contrasting characters, creating an atmosphere of balanced sympathy and curiosity for the reader. Sir Walter Scott ensured that the lives of people from different backgrounds were peered into, showing the flaws and hopes of every individual mentioned. In a similar fashion, each event
