Kenilworth is a romance novel written by Walter Scott. First published on January 8, 1821, the novel tells the story of the secret, tragic marriage of Amy Robsart to Robert Dudley and Robsart's eventual death. Whilst much of the novel is a true telling of the events at Elizabethan court, the depiction of Robsart's death from a fall and also many other events are a product of Scott's imagination. Portrait of Sir Walter Scott, by Sir Edwin Henry Landseer Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (14 August 1771–21 September 1832) was a prolific Scottish historical novelist and poet popular throughout Europe during his time. ... January 8 is the 8th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1821 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... The examples and perspective in this article may not represent a worldwide view. ... Amy Robsart was born in 1534 in Norfolk. ... Robert Dudley, by Nicholas Hilliard, 1576. ... Death is the cessation of physical life in a living organism, or the state of the organism after that event. ... The Elizabethan Era is the period associated with the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558 - 1603) and is often considered to be a golden age in English history. ...

The Kenilworth of the title refers to Dudley's Kenilworth Castle in Kenilworth, Warwickshire. The castle, as seen from the gatehouse Kenilworth Castle is in Kenilworth, Warwickshire, England. ... Map sources for Kenilworth at grid reference SP295715 Kenilworth is a town in Warwickshire, England. ...

The plot of Kenilworth centers on the secret marriage of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, and Amy Robsart, daughter of Sir Hugh Robsart. The tragic series of events begins when Amy flees her father and her betrothed, Tressilian, to marry the Earl. Amy passionately loves her husband, and the Earl loves her, but is driven by ambition. He is courting the favour of Queen Elizabeth I, and only by keeping his marriage to Amy secret can he hope to rise to the height of power he desires. At the end of the book, the queen finally discovers the truth, to the shame of the Earl. But the disclosure has come too late, for Amy has been murdered by the Earl's even more ambitious steward, Varney.

Perhaps the finest point of this work is its characterization. The Earl is shown as an ambition-driven man who will stoop to deceit and almost anything else in order to attain his goals, but with one saving grace--he loves Amy, and in the end gives up his pride and ambition to confess their marriage. Amy Robsart is a pretty, spoiled child whose tragic circumstances teach her maturity and determination, although such lessons come too late to save her. Tressilian is the serious, steadfast lover of Amy, and continues to try to save her from herself throughout the book and finally dies of a broken heart. Varney is the chief villain of the work. His greed and ambition know no bounds. It is he that pushes the Earl beyond what he would normally do to secure power, and it is he that finally murders Amy Robsart.

Kenilworth is a novel of selfishness versus selflessness and ambition versus love. Amy and the Earl both struggle internally with selfishness and love, while Varney and Tressilian each typify the extremes of the two qualities. In Kenilworth Sir Walter Scott created a novel of conflicting characters and passions.

References

• Synopsis from the Walter Scott Digital Archive at Edinburgh University

Resources

• The complete book in digital format from Project Gutenberg
• Online edition at eBooks@Adelaide