The Romance of Tristan By Beroul Richelle Runyon HUMN520 Fall 2012 Tristan’s Homeland Tristan hailed from Lyoness, which is shown in blue. There is debate as to whether the kingdom truly existed. www.tristanandisolde.net/articles/article/lyonesse Tristan’s Travels Cornwall and Ireland map courtesy of www.lonelyplanet.com/maps/europe Brittany map courtesy of www.discover.brittany.info Brief Synopsis King Rivalen of Lyoness married King Mark of Cornwall’s sister, Blanchefleur gave birth to a son, Tristan. After learning warlike and peaceful arts required of noble youth by his tutor, Governal, he sought out his uncle, King Mark, in Tintagel in an attempt to see other lands and seek adventure. Yet, he did so without revealing his identity. With his brevity and prowess, he launched himself to high status with the king. Tristan eventually revealed his royal lineage, but became wounded while fatally injuring Morholt, the brother of the Queen of Ireland. Giving all trust to God, he set out on a boat in faith that he would be sent somewhere to receive healing. Ironically, this journey took him to Ireland, where he received healing. This is where we first meet the barons, who quickly become Tristan’s enemies. Fearful that Tristan would inherit Mark’s riches, they pleaded with the king to find a wife. Begrudgingly, the king agreed to marry the woman who possessed the hair matching that of a strand he received from a swallow. Once again, we find our hero in route to Ireland, as the Irish king offered his daughter, Yseut as reward to any who could kill a dragon which had been reaping havoc on their land. Yseut was the owner of the hair King Mark desired. After a smattering of confusion and quarrels, Yseut agreed to become the wife of King Mark. On the travels back to Cornwall, both of our lead characters were mistakenly subjected to a love potion that was meant for Yseut and King Mark. This began a three year ordeal of secrecy, lies, deception, captures, escapes, murders, and exiles without the luxury of a happy ending. King Mark’s barons continued to fight the idea of Tristan’s favor and repeatedly try to expose Tristan and Yseut’s trysts. After successfully thwarting discovery under a tree, they were discovered after trickery involving flour concocted by an ill-fated dwarf. Our lover’s capture and escape ensued. After exile in the wilderness with Tristan’s tutor, Governal, the dreaded three year love potion wears off. Although they seek reconciliation with King Mark, it becomes clear that although the potion wore off, their love did not. Yseut is eventually vindicated, and Tristan completes his vengeance on the three barons. Yet, Tristan must still flee, eventually finding solace in Brittany. Ironically, he finds himself with another Yseut, this time the daughter of Duke Hoel. Yet, he cannot forget Mark’s Yseut and was riddled with guilt over what he did to his uncle. He tried to return to his love, but knew that it could not be. While helping another attempt to carry on an affair, Tristan was badly wounded, and sought for help from his own love interest. His current wife knew of this, and through her own deceitfulness cause him to think that Yseut the Fair had forsaken him. This caused Tristan to die. Learning of this, Yseut the fair died as well. Yet, they were never separated, as the branches of the trees where the two were buried insisted on being intertwined. Personality Traits Crucial to the Story: Is our Hero the Strong One, or Is it His Love? Tristan Brave? While he fights battles, kills a dragon, and earns favor with King Mark, he tends to cower in fear of him later. Yet, one must remember that King Mark is powerful. Once the potion wears off, Tristan does seem to remember his rank as a knight. Loyal? Tristan begins the story very loyal to King Mark, but once the potion has been consumed, he is more concerned with carrying out his affair, and concealing said affair rather than being honest and loyal to his king. Yet this loyalty to his uncle causes feelings of guilt many times in the story (Noble 750). Clever? Our hero seems willing to take part in some of the scheming in the story, yet it seems to be others who design these schemes. His part in the scheme placing him in the position of leper does carry much creativity! Vindictive? It would be difficult to argue with this point. Tristan definitely carries out vengeance on those who have wronged him. The barons met a murderous fate. Ysuet Tender? She takes care of Tristan when he is hurt. Although she is maddened at the discovery of his identity, she fulfills her caretaker duties. She is also very tender with Husdent later in the reading. Intriguing? In addition to King Mark & Tristan, the kingdom’s public seems enamored with Yseut the Fair. Kind? Although she was fearful of the lepers, she was kind to others whom her, Tristan, and Governal met along the way? Clever? Here is where it gets interesting. While much credit is given to our male hero, clues hint towards Yseut’s control of the situations. It is she who notices Mark’s shadow in the tryst under the tree and is able to manipulate the conversation to the lover’s benefit. It is she who reminds Mark of what she has given up to be with him to stoke his sympathies. She is able to deliver monologue that successfully has double meanings: one for Tristan and another for onlookers. It is Yseut who effectively disguises Tristan as a leper, and wonderfully spouts a humorous ramblings which stated: “I swear that no man ever came between my thighs except for the leper who carried me on his back across the ford and my husband, King Mark. These two I exclude from my oath” (Beroul 142) as the only one who knew that the leper was actually Tristan. She also maintains control of the situation be ensuring that her lover stays with the hermit. She is safe, yet she does not have to let her lover go (Noble). Yseut, continued Vindictive? Like Tristan, she seeks revenge on those who have done them wrong: the barons, the forester, the dwarf. She also sought to have Brangain murdered when she discovered that Brangain accidentally served her and Tristan the love potion. King Mark Easily influenced? King Mark seems to be eager to listen to whomever will give him advice, whether it be the barons, the dwarf, Tristan, Dinas, Yseut, or King Arthur. He is quick to change opinions, based on what he is told. Easy to anger? Just as he can be influenced in his beliefs, those who advise him are also able to quickly move him to anger. On page 78, he kills the dwarf who earlier led him to the tree and also created the flour incident (Beroul). Yet, since the dwarf gave him horse’s ears, vengeance may not have been out of line! In love? While Mark does appear to love his fair Yseut, does his desire to keep her stem from this love, or is it a product of his ire at being wronged? Powerful? Although Mark is a king, his people have the appearance of being not completely under his power. On page 66, they cry for mercy on Tristan and seek for the dwarf to be murdered and vengeance on the barons (Beroul). While the lovers had been discovered, the people did not agree with them being punished as the King wished. Governal The Three Barons Vindictive? Governal kills not Vindictive? only the leper to set Yseut free, Jealous? Both of these traits can he also cut up one of the easily be seen in the three barons who had sealed the barons. They seem to be doing lovers’ fate (Beroul 74 & 85). whatever they can to harm Loyal? When the lovers escape Tristan, even if that includes and leave all luxuries to live in disposing of the wife that they the wilderness, Governal does so diligently begged King Mark not hesitate to stay with the to find at the beginning of the couple. In regards to the above story. murder of the leper, the text in Powerful? Although the three Fredrick states that Tristan was make attempts to be powerful “too noble and too courtly to by putting themselves in good kill such people” (75). graces with King Mark, they end up banished and later dead. The people repeatedly admonish their behaviors. Hypocrisy in The Romance of Tristan While it is hard to be against our ill-fated hero and his lover, it is hard to ignore the hypocrisies that are presented. King Mark chose his wife simply based on a hair presented to him by a bird, and wanted one for the “explicit purpose of begetting heirs” (Beroul 16). Yet, she is, by law, his wife. Therefore, is it right that our main characters carry on an illicit affair? Readers are presented the story in a way that we cannot help but be in their corner, especially with the hardships that they endure, yet it is hard to ignore that they are deceiving King Mark and all that they lie to along the way. While the love potion can be blamed, Frederick calls us to a good point when he states, “even if the potion does excuse their passion, however, it is still difficult at times to see how it can excuse what seem to be the lovers’ attitudes towards their illicit love” (17).