Other characters
- Brangien is Isolde's servant, faithful and devoted.
- The governor is Tristan's mentor, a wise educator, a faithful servant.
- King Mark is Tristan's uncle, ruler of Cornwall, Isolde's husband.
- Morkhult is a mighty warrior, brother of the Irish queen, mother of Isolde.
- Isolde White -armed is the wife of Tristan, the daughter of King Hoel.
- Audre is a loyal servant of King Mark, whom the king trusted very much.
Summary
Birth of Tristan
The queen, the wife of Meliaduc, king of Loonua, gave birth to a wonderful boy. However, the birth was very difficult, and the queen died in suffering. Before her death, she managed to kiss the baby and name him Tristan (French for “sad”), since he was “born out of sadness.”
The widowed King Meliaduc ordered to find for his son “a worthy nurse and began to take care of him like the apple of his eye.”
Tristan's childhood
Soon King Meliaduc “married the daughter of the Nantes King Hoel, a beautiful but treacherous woman.” She fiercely hated Tristan, who grew up as a strong and handsome boy. After the death of Meliaduc, the queen stopped hiding her feelings for her stepson, and the teacher Guvernal decided to take the boy to Gaul, to the court of King Pharamon.
The governor told his pupil “not to tell anyone who he is, where he is coming from, and who his parents are, and to answer all questions that he is a foreigner.” The boy received an excellent education and upbringing befitting a knight.
Morhult Irish
Having matured, Tristan went to Cornwall to serve his uncle, King Mark. At that distant time, Cornwall annually paid Ireland “a tribute of one hundred girls, one hundred boys over fifteen years of age, and one hundred thoroughbred horses.”
To free himself from the terrible tribute, it was necessary to fight the mighty warrior Morkhult, but in Cornwall there was “not a single brave man who would dare to fight Morkhult.” Upon learning of this, 15-year-old Tristan expressed his readiness to free the country from Irish slavery, and King Mark knighted the young man.
Battle with Morkhult
When Morhult, the brother of the Irish queen, once again came to King Mark for tribute, young Tristan challenged him to a duel. Their battle took place on the island of St. Samson. In the first clash, the knights wounded each other with spears. The weapon of the insidious Morkhult turned out to be poisoned, but before the poison could take effect, Tristan dealt a crushing blow to the enemy. Morhult was defeated, and Cornwall was freed from tribute.
Tristan wanders the sea
Tristan received severe wounds in the battle with Morkhult. Soon, thanks to the efforts of the healers, they healed, but the brave knight continued to be bothered by the wound into which the poison had penetrated.
Tristan “suffered so much that he knew no peace day or night.” One lady, unable to look at the torment of the young man, advised him to go to distant lands to find the necessary medicine there. Having listened to her advice, Tristan went on a journey by sea all alone.
Two weeks later, Tristan's boat washed up on the shores of Ireland, where the castle of King Angen and the queen, the sister of the murdered Morkhult, was located. Their daughter, 14-year-old Isolde, was not only very beautiful, but also strong “in the art of healing, for she knew all the herbs and their properties.”
Having learned that he found himself in Ireland, Tristan did not give his name - “if they recognize him as the murderer of Morkhult, he will inevitably die.” The king ordered his daughter to care for the sick knight, and Isolde managed to expel the poison from his body. Two months later, Tristan was completely healthy and “became even more beautiful than before.”
Fight with the dragon
Meanwhile, Ireland found itself in the grip of a terrible dragon, which appeared at the castle, “devouring everyone he could seize, so that no one dared to go beyond the gates for fear of the serpent.” In desperation, the king promised half of his kingdom and his daughter Isolde as a wife to the one who would defeat the dragon.
Tristan, who was hiding behind the name Tantris, secretly left the palace and fought the dragon. Having cut off the tongue of the defeated snake, he went to the king, but due to the strong poison that the tongue exuded, he fainted.
The courtier decided to take advantage of this, cut off the dragon's head and declared himself the savior of the kingdom. However, Isolde did not believe the cowardly courtier. Taking the guards with her, she went to examine the dragon's corpse. Nearby she saw Tristan's lifeless body.
The courtier's deception was revealed, "and Tantris received honors and praise, for everyone knew that he had killed the snake."
Notch on the blade
A relative of the queen accidentally discovered a notch on Tantris’s sword - exactly the same shape as the fragment that “was lodged in Morkhult’s skull and was now, wrapped in silk, kept in the queen’s casket.”
Tristan's secret was revealed, and the enraged queen vowed to kill the knight with his own sword. However, Tristan appeared before the king's court, and he, remembering his merits, demanded that he immediately leave Ireland as punishment.
In Cornwall, Tristan "was received with great joy, like the Lord God descended from heaven." King Mark elevated him, making him the chief and steward of his castle.
Matchmaking of King Mark
Soon, King Mark fiercely hated the noble Tristan, “for he feared him more than before.” He thought for a long time about how to get rid of the hated knight, and eventually announced his decision to marry.
At the general meeting, Tristan swore that he would deliver the bride to his master, and then the insidious King Mark announced that his chosen one was Isolde of Ireland.
Hearing this, “Tristan realized that his uncle was sending him to Ireland not for Isolde, but for death.” He boarded the ship, taking with him the faithful Governor and forty knights. Caught in a storm, they were thrown onto the lands that belonged to King Arthur. At that time, King Angen of Ireland was also there, whom Tristan saved from the giant Bloamor. The king forgave Tristan for the murder of Morkhult and promised to fulfill any of his requests.
Tristan was in love with the beautiful Isolde, and dreamed of marrying her, but he could not break his word to his uncle. He told Angen that King Mark wanted to marry Isolde, and the king gave permission for this marriage.
love potion
Before Isolde left, the queen brewed a love drink, and, calling the Governor and the maidservant Brangien, explained that this drink should be drunk by King Mark and Isolde on their wedding day, and no one else. Thanks to this drink, “they will love each other with such a wondrous love that no one can separate them.” But on the way to Cornwall, Tristan and Isolde accidentally drank a love drink and fell madly in love with each other.
Brangien replaces Isolde
King Mark was struck by Isolde's beauty and happily took her as his wife. But Isolde had already given her virginity to her beloved Tristan, and for this act she could have been executed. In order to prevent her death, it was decided to replace her with the faithful Brangjena on her wedding night. Isolde blew out the candles, saying that this was an ancient Irish custom, and she herself gave way to the maid in the dark. The king did not notice the substitution and was very pleased.
Brangien in the forest
Isolde, having become Mark's wife, was forced to deceive him, since she still loved Tristan very much. She was very afraid that Brangien might reveal her secret, and ordered two slaves to kill the maid.
The slaves took Brangien into the forest, but, feeling sorry for the girl, they did not kill her, but tied her to a tree. By that time, Isolde regretted her action. She ordered the slaves to bring at least the body of the maid, but Brangien was not there.
Tristan under the laurel
Looking at Tristan and Isolde, the king suspected their love affair. He assigned a faithful servant named Odre to his wife, so that in case of betrayal he would kill Tristan.
Audre soon learned that the lovers were meeting in the garden, under the canopy of a large tree. He told King Mark about this, and he, armed with a bow and arrows, climbed a tree and began to wait for Tristan and Isolde. Fortunately, the lovers noticed the king in the moonlight and began a conversation so that the king was convinced of Isolde’s loyalty and Tristan’s honesty.
Odre in disgrace
After that meeting in the garden, Audre's servant fell out of favor, and Tristan regained the king's former respect. Good people rejoiced at their reconciliation, and “the slanderers were embarrassed and depressed, seeing the joy of good people.”
Audra's Revenge
Audre was very angry with Tristan and Isolde, and “only thought about how to take them by surprise.” One day he scattered sharp braids in the queen’s bedroom, and Tristan, without noticing them, cut himself badly. Isolde felt that the sheets had become sticky with blood, and unraveled Audre’s insidious plan. She deliberately wounded herself and began to scream loudly so that everyone would think that an attempt had been made on her life. Only two people could do this - Tristan or Audre. Tristan intended to prove his honesty in a duel, and King Mark stopped the proceedings in fear of losing Audre.
Audre did not give up trying to take revenge on Tristan and hid “twenty knights, Tristan’s enemies,” next to the queen’s bedroom. However, Tristan defeated all his enemies. Mark made sure of his wife’s infidelity and imprisoned her in a high tower.
Isolde's bedchamber
Tristan was so upset by the separation from his beloved that he almost died of grief. But Isolde found a way out of this situation: she sent the faithful Brangien to Tristan with a woman’s dress, and he, under the guise of an Irish girl, entered the queen’s bedchamber. The lovers enjoyed their happiness for three days, until Tristan was discovered by Audre.
Tristan's Jump
Taking fifty knights with him, Odre broke into Isolde’s bedchamber and ordered the sleeping Tristan to be tied up. The lovers appeared before King Mark, who ordered “Tristan to be burned and the queen given to the lepers.” When Tristan was brought to a church located on the seashore, he freed himself from his bonds and “he jumped from the church window into the sea. And those who saw it decided that he had drowned.”
Den of Lepers
Isolde, who was given to the lepers, was rescued by the Governor. Together with his faithful people, he went to the church, and from there, looking down, he saw Tristan alive and unharmed on the rock. So the lovers, having avoided a bitter fate, were able to unite again.
Forest of Maurois
The lovers went to the forest of Morois, to the “castle called the Castle of the Wise Virgin.” It was a secluded place, but King Mark became aware of it. Taking advantage of Tristan's absence, he took Isolde away by force.
Tristan was seriously wounded by a poisoned arrow. He hoped that Isolde could heal him, but did not know where his beloved was.
Daughter of King Hoel
Brangien advised Tristan to go to “Brittany, to the palace of King Hoel, who has a daughter named White-armed Isolde.” Tristan hurried to Brittany, where he was healed by the royal daughter. Looking at her beautiful face, he was ready to forget his Isolde for the sake of new love.
Meanwhile, Hoel's castle was under siege. Wanting to repay the king for his kindness, Tristan attacked the army of his long-time enemy, Count Agrippa, and defeated him.
Knight Kaerden
As a sign of special gratitude, King Hoel offered Tristan his daughter as his wife. A magnificent wedding was celebrated, but during the wedding night Tristan remembered Isolde of Cornwall and was unable to fulfill his marital duty. The young wife, “not knowing that there are other pleasures in the world than hugs and kisses,” was very happy.
When Isolde found out about her lover’s marriage, he almost died of grief.
Castle of King Dinas
One day Tristan, with Kaerden, the brother of his wife Isolde, and his comrades set off on a voyage and on the third day reached the possessions of King Dinas. The king gave them a warm welcome.
Tristan asked King Dinas to tell Isolde of Cornwall that he was nearby. The queen, having learned about Tristan's arrival, was very happy, and Kaerden, seeing the beautiful queen, fell madly in love with her.
Tristan's Madness
In the guise of a wandering madman, Tristan entered the possessions of King Mark and liked him so much that the king “sheltered him in his castle and loved him very much for his jokes.” Having waited for an opportunity, he revealed his true face to Isolde, and she was very glad to see her lover. For two months they met every time King Mark was away from the castle. When the time came to say goodbye, Isolde was saddened - she felt that they were not destined to see each other again.
Rivalen and Garjolena
Tristan met Rivalen, the son of King Hoel, who told him about his beautiful beloved named Garjolena. They went together to visit Garzholena while her husband Bedalis was hunting in his lands.
When Bedalis returned, he realized that his wife had guests. Taking the knights with him, he went in pursuit and attacked his friends. Rivalen was killed and Tristan was wounded by a poisoned dart. Seeing that the forces were unequal, Tristan hastened to hide. Garzholena, having learned about the death of her beloved Rivalen, died of grief.
Tristan's illness
Tristan suffered from his wound, but not a single doctor could ease his suffering. Then he sent a message to Isolde of Cornwall so that she would hurry to his aid. He agreed with the shipbuilder that if Isolde was on the ship, he would raise white sails, and if not, black ones.
The shipowner managed to deceive King Mark and take Isolde away on his ship.
Death of Lovers
While waiting for Isolde, Tristan spent whole days in the harbor, but in the end he became so weak that he could no longer get out of bed. His wife, Isolda Belorukaya, learned about the upcoming arrival of her rival and became seriously angry. Seeing a ship with white sails on the horizon, she hurried to her husband and lied to him, saying that the sails were black. This sad news took the last of Tristan’s strength - “he confessed and took communion, and his soul came out of his broken heart.” Upon learning of the death of her lover, Isolde of Cornwall also died.
Tristan's Cross
Before his death, Tristan managed to give his last order - to take his body to his uncle, King Mark, “along with the sword and the casket, and so that no one would dare touch the casket until King Mark unlocks it and sees what is in it.”
The bodies of Tristan and Isolde were taken with honors to Cornwall.
Tristan's message
From Tristan's note, King Mark learned that he did not fall in love with Isolde of his own free will, but was sentenced to this by fate itself when he accidentally drank a love potion. Having learned the truth, the king was deeply saddened - if he had known about everything from the very beginning, he would not have interfered with the love of his nephew and Isolde.
Miracle with thorns
By order of King Mark, the bodies of the lovers were buried in one place. After a while, “a beautiful thorn bush, green and leafy, rose from Tristan’s grave, and, spreading across the chapel, grew into Isolde’s grave.” They tried to cut it down several times, but each time the bush grew back and became even more beautiful.
"Tristan and Isolde": analysis
There are two layers in the novel. One of them lies on the surface - this is the conflict between the love of Tristan and Isolde with the ethical and social norms of their time, and illegal love, since Tristan is Mark’s nephew and vassal, and Isolde is his wife. Therefore, four harsh laws became between them - feudal, marriage, blood and gratitude. The second layer is the fatality of love alone, which can be realized only under the condition of constant division of the soul, tension of feelings, its forbiddenness, illegality.
The author’s attitude towards the moral and social conflict he touches on is ambivalent: on the one hand, he seems to recognize the correctness of the prevailing morality, making Tristan suffer due to the awareness of his guilt. The love of Tristan and Isolde, according to the author, is a misfortune caused by the elixir. On the other hand, he does not hide his sympathy for the lovers, portraying in positive terms everyone who contributed to her, and expresses his satisfaction over the failures or deaths of enemies. The author glorifies love, which is stronger than death, which does not want to reckon with either the hierarchy established by feudal society or the law of the Catholic Church. The novel contains elements of criticism of the foundations of this society.
Tristan and Isolde are among the “eternal images” of world culture. The modern French writer Michel Tournier believed that every eternal image (Don Quixote, Prometheus, Hamlet, Faust) is the embodiment of rebellion against the established order. It.
Source (translated): Davydenko G.Y., Akulenko V.L. History of foreign literature of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. — K.: Center for Educational Literature, 2007
