-In what way and how well are the characters described? Do they strike you as real-life persons or not? Are there any living persons you know of that resemble any of the characters in Ivanhoe?

No, I do not know any modern day counterparts to compare with the characters in Ivanhoe, and although I love the story and the time period, Scott's purpose in writing this novel was to portray a love story rather than the historical period in which it took place. Note though, that this is a work of historical fiction.

If you follow the link below, Cummingsguide has a complete character analysis on all of the novel's characters.