Torquilstone Castle
The castle of Torquilstone achieves a symbolic significance the lifts it the level of metaphor by virtue of becoming almost the personification of the crimes which have sowed the discontent and mistrust between the Saxons and the Normans. In addition to being the actual location where oppression of the Saxon culture was carried out by those loyal to the Norman interests, it is also the site where Rebecca is held captive and her father threatened with torture. As if that weren’t enough, its status as metaphorical center of all the evil left in the wake of the King’s departure is cemented by the fact that its very name derives from the same Latin word that gave the English language the word torture.
"like a man who has received news that sentence of execution has been passed upon him."
This simile describes the reaction of Prince John upon receiving word from a messenger that his brother, the King, has escaped from prison is on his way back to England. The simile is a little more literal than figurative since the Prince’s reaction reveals his awareness of the extent of trouble his actions in the King’s absence has gotten him into should the King ever actually make it back home.
Robin of Locksley and His Band of Outlaws
In the hands of Prince John, the English monarchy is on the verge of collapse, thus exposing a significance weakness in the concept of monarchy: the potential for a villain to arrive out the womb of the Queen. In sharp contrast to the misguided reliance upon investing so much power and authority in the hands of the fate of just one person is the well-oiled governance of Robin of Lockley and the wisdom of an economy based on more equitable distribution of a nation’s wealth. In the story of Ivanhoe, Robin of Locksley becomes not just Robin Hood, but a metaphor for a better way of doing thing.
Swine and Pork
The pig is perhaps the single greatest animal metaphor engaged in the narrative of Ivanhoe, but the meaning is entirely dependent upon connotation. The Normans considered themselves more cultured than the crude and simple Saxons and engage the pig as a negatively implied metaphor intended to cover the entire Saxon culture when referred to as swine. However, when the exact same pig considered mere swine is butchered and cooked, the metaphorical connotation transforms into a positive commentary on the Norman’s more refined palate capable of enjoying what has become pork.
The Lion
The absent King is, of course, King Richard the First. Or, as he also known: Richard the Lion-Hearted. Ivanhoe includes well over two dozen direct references to lions within the context of everything from the Biblical story of Daniel in their den to the authority with which a male lion woos his mate. The lion’s significance gradually takes on more and more symbolic weight until its recurrence becomes obvious as a metaphor for Richard and his return to primacy.
