Ivanhoe, Chapter 18 summary

What happens

1. Oswald cannot find Ivanhoe, learns that attendants have removed him in a lady’s litter, and takes Gurth into custody.
2. Cedric rejects Rowena’s defense of Ivanhoe, attends the banquet with Athelstane, and orders Gurth bound before departing.
3. After hospitality at St. Withold, the travelers encounter Fangs, whose howling alarms Athelstane and whose shoulder Cedric wounds.
4. Gurth declares that he renounces Cedric’s service, despite Wamba’s attempts to soften his anger.
5. Cedric presses his Saxon plans, but Athelstane lacks initiative and Rowena rejects the marriage meant to unite their claims.
6. A leisurely midday meal delays the party, which increases its pace because Rotherwood remains too far away.

In this chapter

What to notice

Gurth separates Cedric’s power to punish from any claim on his loyalty. The attack on Fangs turns his suffering into open rejection of service.

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