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Definition of Irony
Irony is a literary device or event in which how things seem to be is in fact very different from how they actually are. If this seems like a loose definition... read full definition
Irony is a literary device or event in which how things seem to be is in fact very different from how they actually are. If this... read full definition
Irony is a literary device or event in which how things seem to be is in fact very different from how... read full definition
Volume 1, Chapter 1
Explanation and Analysis—My Gay Garments:
In this exchange from the beginning of the novel, Scott employs personification and verbal irony to humorously demonstrate Wamba’s reluctance to follow Gurth's instructions. When Gurth tells him to get up and fetch the pigs, the jester responds:
‘Truly,’ said Wamba, without stirring from the spot, ‘I have consulted my legs upon this matter, and they are altogether of opinion, that to carry my gay garments through these sloughs, would be an act of unfriendship to my sovereign person and royal wardrobe; wherefore, Gurth, I advise thee to call off Fangs, and leave the herd to their destiny [...]'
Wamba's legs take on a life of their own here, as he tells Gurth he has “consulted them” and they have suggested he not go and get the pigs. The idea of legs having their own opinion humorously highlights his reluctance to get wet and muddy trying to herd the swine. This creative use of personification serves to deflect any responsibility from Wamba for not doing the job, suggesting that he’s at the mercy of his legs’ opinion.
Scott also infuses the scene with some verbal irony in Wamba’s tongue-in-cheek justification for not doing his work. The jester says his “legs” are unwilling to take him pig-herding based on the unsuitability of his "gay garments" for the dirty, muddy work. Wamba cites the preservation of his "sovereign person and royal wardrobe" as being vitally important, and that getting his clothes dirty would be an act of “unfriendship.” This statement is ironic because Wamba doesn’t even have sovereignty over his own body; his actions are totally dictated by whatever Cedric the Saxon wishes, as he is Cedric's property.
There’s more, however. Wamba’s “royal wardrobe” of “gay garments” also plays a role in the verbal irony here. Wamba’s garments have only one purpose. He is wearing the clothes of a jester because he is a jester, but they are torn and muddied already; to suggest they would prevent him from doing that job is ridiculous. Gurth is asking Wamba to do his job (herding the swine), but instead of doing that Wamba performs his own job (telling jokes, as he does to entertain Cedric).
Related Themes:
Volume 1, Chapter 9
Explanation and Analysis—Love and Beauty:
At the end of the Ashby tournament, Scott uses situational irony to highlight the unexpected moment where Rowena, a Saxon, is chosen as Queen of Love and Beauty over all the Norman women present. This causes a stir, as it’s contrary to the expectations of all the watching nobles and their spouses:
There was some murmuring among the damsels of Norman descent, who were as much unused to see the preference given to a Saxon beauty, as the nobles were to sustain defeat in the games of chivalry which they themselves had introduced. But these sounds of disaffection were drowned by the popular shout of ‘Long live the Lady Rowena, the chosen and lawful Queen of Love and of Beauty!’ to which many added, ‘Long live the Saxon Princess! long live the race of the immortal Alfred!’
The irony in this passage stems from the Norman nobles and their wives experiencing a total reversal of fortunes. Not only did the Normans lose the tournament to a Saxon—a physical contest they had introduced and expected to dominate—they also lost the symbolic "beauty contest" that accompanied it to a Saxon woman. This double defeat subverts the expectations of Norman superiority, challenging the established hierarchy and cultural dominance of the Normans over the Saxons in Ivanhoe.
Ivanhoe chooses Rowena as “Queen of Love and Beauty,” an honorary title which tournament winners could publicly bestow on a woman of their choice within chivalric tradition. The Normans don’t expect a Saxon to win a beauty contest, and are “as much unused” to this phenomenon as they are to losing battles against Saxons. The public's enthusiastic response in praising Rowena and her Saxon heritage also emphasizes the irony of the situation, as it further contradicts the expected Norman dominance.
Related Themes:
Volume 1, Chapter 12
Explanation and Analysis—Ivanhoe's Accident:
After the dramatic victory at Ashby, Scott utilizes situational irony to emphasize the unexpected outcome of Ivanhoe's triumph in the tournament. He wins, but is horribly injured in the process and quickly collapses:
The knight stooped his head, and lay prostrate at Rowena's feet. There was a general consternation. Cedric, who had been struck mute by the sudden appearance of his banished son, now rushed forward, as if to separate him from Rowena. But this had been already accomplished by the marshals of the field, who, guessing the cause of Ivanhoe’s swoon, had hastened to disarm him, and found that the head of a lance had penetrated his breastplate, and inflicted a wound upon his side.
Ivanhoe, who is the novel’s hero and shining example of chivalry and martial skill, wins the tournament at Ashby only to be incapacitated by his injuries. Instead of showcasing his strength, his victory publicly demonstrates his vulnerability. The situational irony here is that after this point, Ivanhoe, the novel's best warrior, must rely on others for rescue and recovery. It’s emphasized by the fact that—having just won a tournament—he collapses in front of Rowena. Instead of celebrating his victory, the novel’s strongest man is literally “prostrate” on the ground in front of its most traditionally feminine woman.
Related Themes:
Volume 2, Chapter 10
Explanation and Analysis—Earth and Sea and Sky:
In this passage, Walter Scott employs an idiom and situational irony to convey Bois-Guilbert's response to Rebecca's threats to kill herself rather than submit to him. As he tries to coax her down from the tower, he makes the following vow:
The Templar hesitated, and a resolution which had never yielded to pity or distress, gave way to his admiration of her fortitude. ‘Come down,’ he said, ‘rash girl! – I swear by earth, and sea, and sky, I will offer thee no offence.’
Bois-Guilbert's use of the idiom "I swear by earth, and sea, and sky" to reassure Rebecca is a very odd one in this context. The idiom comes from the English pagan tradition, invoking the forces which make up the world to bear witness to an important promise. For a pagan, this oath might hold a great deal of importance. However, Bois-Guilbert is a Knight Templar, the most orthodox and unyielding of the Christian militias of the medieval period. In a situation as intense as this one—Rebecca is threatening to kill herself rather than let him touch her— a reader would expect him to invoke the Christian God to persuade her of his sincerity and good intentions.
However, instead of invoking the Christian Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), Bois-Guilbert swears by the pagan triad of “earth, and sea, and sky.” Bois-Guilbert is so flustered by Rebecca’s bravery that he offers her a promise based on a belief system neither of them follow. His choice to use a non-Christian oath in such a critical moment is quite revealing. It suggests a disconnect between Bois-Guilbert's religious identity and his desires. His state of intense alarm and panic, driven by Rebecca's courage and his obsession with her, leads him to offer an oath that seems weighty, but that might not mean anything at all.
Related Themes:
