Tristan and Iseult

Tristan and Iseult, also known asTristan and Isoldeand other names, is a medievalchivalric romancetold in numerous variations since the 12th century.Of disputed source, usually assumed to be primarilyCeltic, the tale is a tragedy about the illicit love between theCornishknightTristanand the Irish princessIseultin the days ofKing Arthur. It depicts Tristan's mission to escort Iseult fromIrelandto marry his uncle,King MarkofCornwall. On the journey, Tristan and Iseult ingest alove potion, instigating a forbidden love affair between them.
The legend has had a lasting impact onWestern culture. Its different versions exist in many European texts in various languages from the Middle Ages. The earliest instances take two primary forms: the so-called courtly and common branches, respectively associated with the 12th-century poems ofThomas of BritainandBéroul, the latter believed to reflect a now-lost original tale. A subsequent version emerged in the 13th century in the wake of the greatly expandedProseTristan, merging Tristan's romance more thoroughly with the legends of King Arthur, with Tristan becoming one of hisKnights of the Round Table. Finally, after the revived interest in the medieval era in the 19th century under the influence ofRomantic nationalism, the story has continued to be popular in the modern era, notablyWagner's operatic adaptation.
The story and character ofTristanvary between versions. His name also varies, although Tristan is the most common modern spelling. The earliest known tradition comes from the French romances ofThomas of BritainandBéroul, two poets from the second half of the 12th century, based on uncertain origins. A later medieval tradition comes from the vastProseTristan(c.1240) that is markedly different from the tales of Thomas and Béroul.
After defeating the Irish knightMorholt, the young prince Tristan travels toIrelandto bring back the fairIseult(often known as Isolde, Isolt, or Yseult) for his uncle KingMark of Cornwallto marry. Along the way, Tristan and Iseult ingest a love potion, which causes them to fall madly in love.The potion's effects last a lifetime in the legend's so-called courtly branch. However, in the so-called common branch version, the potion's results end after three years.
In some variants (including Béroul's), Tristan and Iseult ingest the potion accidentally after it was given to her by her mother to use on her wedding night. In others, the potion's maker gives it to Iseult to share with Mark, but she gives it to Tristan instead. Although Iseult marries Mark, the spell forces her and Tristan to seek each other as lovers. The King's advisors repeatedly try to charge the pair withadultery, but the lovers use trickery to preserve their façade of innocence. In Béroul's poem, the love potion eventually wears off, but the two lovers continue their adulterous relationship for some time, until returning to the kingdom of Cornwall.
Like theArthur–Lancelot–Guineverelove trianglein the medievalcourtly lovemotif, Tristan, King Mark, and Iseult all love one another. Tristan honours and respects his uncle King Mark as his mentor and adopted father. Iseult is grateful for Mark's kindness to her. Mark loves Tristan as his son and Iseult as a wife. However, every night each has horrible dreams about the future. Simultaneous to the love triangle is the endangerment of a fragile kingdom and the end of the war between Ireland andCornwall(Dumnonia).
King Mark eventually learns of the affair and seeks to entrap his nephew and wife. Mark acquires what seems to be proof of their guilt and resolves to punish Tristan byhangingand Iseult byburning at the stake. However, Mark changes his mind about Iseult and lodges her in aleper colony. Tristan escapes on his way to the gallows, making a miraculous leap from a chapel to rescue Iseult.
The lovers flee into the forest of Morrois and take shelter there for several years until Mark later discovers them and takes pity on their exile and suffering. They make peace with Mark after Tristan agrees to return Iseult to Mark and leave the country. Tristan then travels toBrittany, where he marries  Iseult of the White Hands, daughter ofHoel of Brittany, for her name and beauty. In some versions, including Béroul and theFolie Tristan d'Oxford, Tristan returns in disguise for Iseult of Ireland, but their dog, Husdent, betrays his identity.
The earliest surviving Tristan poems already include references toKing Arthurand his court. Mentions of Tristan and Iseult are also found in some early Arthurian texts. Writers expanded the connection between the story and the Arthurian legend over time. Shortly after the completion of theVulgate Cycle(theLancelot-Grailcycle) in the first half of the 13th century, two authors created the ProseTristan, which establishes Tristan as one of the most outstandingKnights of the Round Tablein a cycle rivalling the Vulgate. Here, he is also portrayed as a former enemy turned friend of Lancelot and a participant in the Quest for theHoly Grail. The ProseTristan, with (eventually, in the later versions) its distinctive take on the Grail Quest, evolved into the familiar medieval tale of Tristan and Iseult that became a part of thePost-Vulgate Cycle. Two centuries later, it became the primary source for the seminal Arthurian compilationLe Morte d'Arthur.
In the popular extended version of the ProseTristan, and the works derived from it, Tristan is attacked by King Mark while he plays the harp for Iseult. Mark strikes Tristan with a poisoned or cursed lance, mortally wounding him, and the lovers die together. The poetic treatments of the Tristan legend, however, offer a very different account of the hero's death, and the short version of the ProseTristanand some later works also use the traditional account of Tristan's death as found in the poetic versions.
In Thomas' poem, Tristan is wounded by a poisoned lance while attempting to rescue a young woman from six knights. Tristan sends his friendKahedinto find Iseult of Ireland, the only person who can heal him. Tristan tells Kahedin to sail back with white sails if he is bringing Iseult and black sails if he is not (perhaps an echo of the Greek myth ofTheseus). Iseult agrees to return to Tristan with Kahedin, but Tristan's jealous wife, Iseult of the White Hands, lies to Tristan about the color of the sails. Tristan dies of grief, thinking Iseult has betrayed him, and Iseult dies over his corpse.
French sources, such as the ones chosen in the English translation byHilaire Bellocin 1903, state that a bramble briar grows out of Tristan's grave, growing so thickly that it forms a bower and roots itself into Iseult's grave. King Mark tries to have the branches cut three separate times, and each time the branches grow back and intertwine. Later versions embellish the story with the briar above Tristan's grave intertwining and a rose tree from Iseult's grave. Other variants replace the intertwining trees with hazel and honeysuckle.
Later versions state that the lovers had several children, including a son and a daughter named after themselves. The children may have adventures of their own, as in the epilogue of theSaga af Tristram ok Isodd. In the 14th-century French romanceYsaÿe le Triste(Ysaÿe the Sad), the eponymous hero is the son of Tristan and Iseult. He becomes involved with the fairy kingOberonand marries a girl named Martha, who bears him a son named Mark. The 16th-century SpanishTristan el Joven, also known asI Due Tristani, features Tristan's son referred to as Tristan of Leonis.Yet another son of Tristan and Iseult has leading role in the 16th-century PortugueseMemorial das Proezas da Segunda Tavola Redonda.
There are several theories about the tale's origins, although historians disagree over which is the most accurate.
The mid-6th century"Drustanus Stone"in southeast Cornwall close toCastle Dorehas an inscription referring toDrustan, son ofCunomorus(Mark). However, not all historians agree that the Drustan referred to is the archetype of Tristan. The inscription is heavily eroded, but the earliest records of the stone, dating to the 16th century, all agree on some variation of CIRVIVS / CIRUSIUS as the name inscribed. It was first read as a variation of DRUSTANUS in the late 19th century. The optimistic reading corresponds to the 19th-century revival of medieval romance. A 2014 study using 3D scanning supported the initial "CI" reading rather than the backward-facing "D."
There are references to March ap Meichion (Mark) and Trystan in theWelsh Triads, somegnomic poetry, theMabinogionstories, and the 11th-century hagiography ofIlltud. A character called Drystan appears as one of King Arthur's advisers at the end ofThe Dream of Rhonabwy, a 13th-century tale in theMiddle Welshprose collection known as theMabinogion. Iseult is also a member of Arthur's court inCulhwch and Olwen,an earlierMabinogiontale.
Scholars have given much attention to possible Irish antecedents to the Tristan legend. An ill-fated love triangle is featured in several Irish works, most notably inTóraigheacht Dhiarmada agus Ghráinne(The Pursuit of Diarmuid and Gráinne). In this literary work, the ageingFionn mac Cumhaillis to marry the young princess,Gráinne. At the betrothal ceremony, she falls in love withDiarmuid Ua Duibhne, one of Fionn's most trusted warriors. Gráinne gives asleeping potionto all present butDiarmuid Ua Duibhne, and she convinces him to elope with her.Fiannapursues the fugitive lovers across Ireland.
Another Irish analogue isScéla Cano meic Gartnáin, preserved in the 14th-centuryYellow Book of Lecan. In this tale, Cano is an exiled Scottish king who accepts the hospitality of King Marcan of Ui Maile. His young wife, Credd, drugs all present and convinces Cano to be her lover. They try to keep a tryst while at Marcan's court, but they are frustrated by courtiers. In the end, Credd kills herself, and Cano dies of grief.
TheUlster Cycleincludes the textClann UisnighorDeirdre of the Sorrowsin whichNaoise mac Usnechfalls for Deirdre. However, KingConchobar mac Nessaimprisons her due to a prophecy thatUlsterwill plunge into civil war due to men fighting for her beauty. Conchobar agrees to marry Deirdre to avert war and avenges Clann Uisnigh. The death of Naoise and his kin leads many Ulstermen to defect toConnacht, including Conchobar's stepfather and trusted ally,Fergus mac Róich. This eventually results in the Irish epic taleTáin Bó Cúailnge.
Some scholars suggest that the 11th-centuryPersianstoryVis and Rāminis the model for the Tristan legend because the similarities are too significant to be coincidental.The Persian scholarDick Davisalso suggested that the name "Iseut" could be derived from "Wiset", an Arabised pronunciation of "Viseh", the full name of the heroine in the Persian poem.Some suggest the Persian story travelled to the West with story-telling exchanges in a Syrian court during crusades.Others believe the story came West with minstrels who had free access to both Crusader and Saracen camps in theHoly Land.However, some of the evidence for the Persian origin of Tristan and Iseult is very circumstantial.
Some scholars believeOvid'sPyramus and Thisbeand the story ofAriadne at Naxosmay have contributed to the development of the Tristan legend.The sequence in which Tristan and Iseult die and become interwoven trees also parallels Ovid's love story ofBaucis and Philemon, where two lovers transform after death into two trees sprouting from the same trunk. However, this also occurs in the saga ofDeirdre of the Sorrows, making the link more tenuous. Moreover, this theory ignores the lostoral traditionsof pre-literate societies, relying only on written records that were damaged during the development of modern nation-states such as England and France, especially during thedissolution of the monasteries.
The earliest representation of the so-called common (or "vulgar") branch isBéroul'sLe Roman de Tristan(The Romance of Tristan). The first part dates between 1150 and 1170, and the second one dates between 1181 and 1190. The common branch is so named because it represents an earlier non-chivalric, non-courtly tradition of story-telling, making it more reflective of theDark Agesthan the refinedHigh Middle Ages. In this respect, the works in this branch are similar toLayamon'sBrutand thePerlesvaus.
Beroul's version is the oldest known version of the Tristan romances, but knowledge of his work is limited. A few substantial fragments of his original version were discovered in the 19th century, with the rest reconstructed from later versions.It is   considered the closest presentation of all the raw events in the romance, with no explanation or modifications. As a result, Beroul's version is an archetype for later "common branch" editions.A more substantial illustration of the common branch is the German version byEilhart von Oberge. Eilhart was popular but paled in comparison with the later courtly Gottfried.
One aspect of the common branch that differentiates from the courtly branch is the depiction of the lovers' time in exile from Mark's court. While the courtly branch describes Tristan and Iseult as sheltering in a "Cave of Lovers" and living in happy seclusion, the common branches emphasise the extreme suffering that Tristan and Iseult endure. In the common branch, exile is a proper punishment that highlights the couple's departure from courtly norms and emphasises the impossibility of their romance.
French medievalistJoseph Bédierthought all the Tristan legends could be traced to a single original: a Cornish or Breton poem. He dubbed this hypothetical original the "Ur-Tristan."BédierwroteRomance of Tristan and Iseultto reconstruct what this source might have been like, incorporating material from other versions to make a cohesive whole. An English translation of Bédier'sRoman de Tristan et Iseut(1900) by Edward J. Gallagher was published in 2013 byHackett Publishing Company. A translation byHilaire Belloc, first published in 1913, was published as aCaedmon Audiorecording read byClaire Bloomin 1958 and republished in 2005.
The earliest representation of what scholars name the "courtly" branch of the Tristan legend is in the work ofThomas of Britain, dating from 1173. Unfortunately, only ten fragments of hisTristanpoem survived, compiled from six manuscripts. Of these six manuscripts, the ones in Turin and Strasbourg are now lost, leaving two in Oxford, one in Cambridge, and one in Carlisle.In his text, Thomas names anothertrouvèrewho also sang of Tristan, though no manuscripts of this earlier version have been discovered. There is also a passage describing Iseult writing a shortlaiout of grief. This information sheds light on the development of an unrelated legend concerning the death of a prominenttroubadourand the composition of lais by noblewomen of the 12th century.
The essential text for knowledge of the courtly branch of the Tristan legend is the abridged translation of Thomas made byBrother Robertat the request of KingHaakon Haakonsonof Norway in 1227. King Haakon had wanted to promoteAngevin-Normanculture at his court, so he commissioned the translation of several French Arthurian works. The Nordic version presents a complete, direct narrative of the events in Thomas'Tristanwith the omission of his numerous interpretive diversions. It is the only complete representative of the courtly branch in its formative period.
Chronologically preceding the work of Brother Robert is theTristan and IsoltofGottfried von Strassburg, written circa 1211–1215. The poem was Gottfried's only known work and was left incomplete due to his death, with the retelling reaching halfway through the main plot. Authors such asHeinrich von FreibergandUlrich von Türheimcompleted the poem at a later time, but with the common branch of the legend as the source.
A contemporary of Béroul and Thomas of Britain,Marie de Francepresented a Tristan episode inher lais, "Chevrefoil". The title refers to the symbiosis of the honeysuckle and hazelnut tree, which die when separated, similar to Tristan and Iseult. It concerns another of Tristan's clandestine returns to Cornwall, with the banished hero signalling his presence to Iseult with an inscribed hazelnut tree branch placed on a road she was to travel. This episode is similar to a version of the courtly branch when Tristan places wood shavings in a stream as a signal for Iseult to meet in the garden of Mark's palace.
There are also two 12th-centuryFolies Tristan,Old Frenchpoems known as the Berne (Folie Tristan de Berne) and the Oxford (Folie Tristan d'Oxford) versions, which tell of Tristan's return to Marc's court under the guise of a madman.Besides their importance as episodic additions to the Tristan story and masterpieces of narrative structure, these relatively short poems significantly restored Béroul's and Thomas' incomplete texts.
Chrétien de Troyesclaimed to have written a Tristan story, though it has never been found.Chrétien mentioned this in the introduction to hisCligès, a romance that is anti-Tristanwith a happy ending.Some scholars speculate hisTristanwas ill-received, prompting Chrétien to writeCligès—a story with no Celtic antecedent—to make amends.
After Béroul and Thomas, the most noteworthy development in French Tristania is a complex grouping of texts known as theProseTristan. Extremely popular in the 13th and 14th centuries, these lengthy narratives vary in detail. Modern editions run twelve volumes for the extended version that includes Tristan's participation in theQuest for the Holy Grail.The shorter version without the grail quest consists of five books.The ProseTristansignificantly influenced later medieval literature and inspired parts of thePost-Vulgate Cycleand theRoman de Palamedes.
The earliest complete source of Tristan's story in English wasSir Tristrem, ac.1300romantic poem in the courtly style with 3,344 lines. It is part of theAuchinleck manuscriptat theNational Library of Scotland. As with many medieval English adaptations of French Arthuriana, the poem's artistic achievement is average. However, some critics have tried to rehabilitate it, claiming it is a parody. Its first editor,Walter Scott, provided a sixty-line ending to the story that was included in every subsequent edition.
Thomas Malory'sThe Book of Sir Tristram de Lyonesis the only other medieval handling of the Tristan legend in English. Malory provided a shortened translation of the French ProseTristanand included it in his Arthurian romance compilationLe Morte d'Arthur. In Malory's version, Tristram is the son of the King ofLyonesse. Since theWinchester Manuscriptsurfaced in 1934, there has been much scholarly debate on whether the Tristan narrative, like all the episodes inLe Morte d'Arthur, was intended to be an independent piece or part of a more extensive work.
The WelshYstorya Trystanexists in eleven manuscripts of mixed prose and verse dating from the late 16th to the mid-17th century.It seems to a derivative of an original Welsh tradition rather than the later French stories.
In Italy, manycantarior oral poems performed in the public square about Tristan or referencing him. These poems includeCantari di Tristano,Due TristaniQuando Tristano e Lancielotto combattiero al petrone di Merlino,Ultime Imprese e Morte Tristano, andVendetta che fe Messer Lanzelloto de la Morte di Messer Tristano, among others.
There are also four versions of the ProseTristanin medieval Italy, named after the place of composition or library where they are housed:Tristano Panciaticchiano(Panciatichi family library),Tristano Riccardiano(Biblioteca Riccardiana), andTristano Veneto(Venetian).The exception to this isLa Tavola Ritonda, a 15th-century Italian rewrite of the ProseTristan.
In the first third of the 14th century,Arcipreste de Hitawrote his version of the Tristan story,Carta Enviada por Hiseo la Brunda a Tristán.Respuesta de Tristánis a unique 15th-century romance written as imaginary letters between the two lovers.Libro del muy esforzado caballero Don Tristán de Leonís y de sus grandes hechos en armas, a Spanish reworking of the ProseTristanthat was first published in Valladolid in 1501.
The popularity of Brother Robert's version spawned a parody,Saga Af Tristram ok Ísodd, and the poemTristrams kvæði. Two poems with Arthurian content have been preserved in the collection ofOld Norseprose translations of Marie de France's laisStrengleikar(Stringed Instruments). One of these is "Chevrefoil", translated as "Geitarlauf".
TheAustrian National Libraryin Vienna is in possession of a 158-line fragment of ac.1250Dutch version of Thomas'Tristan.
A 13th-century verse romance based on the German Tristan poems by Gottfried, Heinrich, and Eilhart was written inOld Czech. It is the only known verse representative of the Tristan story in Slavic languages.
TheOld BelarusianprosePovest' o Tryshchane[be]from the 1560s represents the furthest Eastern advance of the legend. Some scholars believe it to be the last medieval Tristan or Arthurian text period. Its lineage goes back to theTristano Veneto. At that time, theRepublic of Venicecontrolled large parts of theCroatian languagearea, encouraging a more active literary and cultural life than most of the Balkans. The manuscript of thePovest'states it was translated from a lost Serbian intermediary. Scholars assume the legend travelled from Venice through its Balkan colonies, finally reaching the last outpost in this Slavic language.
Various art forms from the medieval era represented Tristan's story, from ivory mirror cases to the 13th-century SicilianTristan Quilt. In addition, many literary versions areilluminatedwith miniatures. The legend also became a popular subject forRomanticistpainters of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
In English, the Tristan story generally suffered the same fate as theMatter of Britain. However, after being ignored for about three centuries, a renaissance of original Arthurian literature took place in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Revival material includesAlfred Tennyson's "The Last Tournament" which is part of one of hisIdylls of the King,Matthew Arnold's 1852Tristram and Iseult,andAlgernon Charles Swinburne's 1882 epic poemTristram of Lyonesse. Other compilers wrote Tristan's texts as prose novels or short stories.
By the 19th century, the Tristan legend spread across the Nordic world, from Denmark to theFaroe Islands. However, these stories diverged from their medieval precursors. For instance, in one Danish ballad, Tristan and Iseult are brother and sister. In two popular Danishchapbooksof the late 18th century,Tristans Saga ok InionuandEn Tragoedisk Historie om den ædle og Tappre Tistrand, Iseult is a princess of India. The popularity of these chapbooks inspired Icelandic poetsSigurður Breiðfjörðand Níels Jónsson to writerímur, long verse narratives inspired by the Tristan legend.
Cornish writerArthur Quiller-Couchstarted writingCastle Dor, a retelling of the Tristan and Iseult myth in modern circumstances. He designated an innkeeper as King Mark, his wife as Iseult, and a Breton onion-seller as Tristan. The plot was set in Troy, the fictional name of his hometown ofFowey. The book was left unfinished at Quiller-Couch's death in 1944 and was completed in 1962 byDaphne du Maurier.
Rosemary Sutcliffwrote two novels based on the story of Tristan and Iseult. The first,Tristan and Iseult, is a 1971 retelling of the story for young adults, set in Cornwall in the southern peninsula of Britain. The story appears again as a chapter of Sutcliff's 1981 Arthurian novel,The Sword and the Circle.Thomas Bergerretold the story of Tristan and Isolde in his 1978 interpretation of the Arthurian legend,Arthur Rex: A Legendary Novel. Dee Morrison Meaney told the tale from Iseult's perspective in the 1985 novelIseult, focusing on the magical side of the story and how the arrival of the Saxons ended the druidic tradition and magical creatures.
Diana L. Paxson's 1988 novelThe White Raventold the legend of Tristan and Iseult (named in the book as Drustan and Esseilte) from the perspective of Iseult's handmaiden Brangien (Branwen), who was mentioned in various of the medieval stories.Joseph Bédier'sRomance of Tristan and Iseultis quoted as a source byJohn Updikein the afterword to his 1994 novelBrazilabout the lovers Tristão and Isabel.Bernard Cornwellincluded a historical interpretation of the legend as a side story inEnemy of God: A Novel of Arthur, a 1996 entry inThe Warlord Chroniclesseries.Rosalind Mileswrote a trilogy about Tristan and Isolde:The Queen of the Western Isle(2002),The Maid of the White Hands(2003), andThe Lady of the Sea(2004).Nancy McKenziewrotePrince of Dreams: A Tale of Tristan and Essylteas part of her Arthurian series in 2003.Tristan 1946(1967), is a novel by Maria Kuncewiczowa (in Polish), and according to the publisher it tells the story inspired by the fate of the unhappy marriage between the writer's son and an English actress, presented as the Celtic legend taking place in modern times.
InBengaliliterature,Sunil Gangopadhyaydepicts the story in the novelSonali Dukkho("সোনালী দুঃখ"). InHarry Turtledove's alternate historyRuled Britannia,Christopher Marlowewrites a play calledYseult and Tristanto compete with his friendWilliam Shakespeare's immensely popularHamlet.
In 1832,Gaetano Donizettireferenced this story in his operaL'elisir d'amore(The Elixir of LoveorThe Love Potion)in Milan. The character Adina sings the story to the ensemble, inspiring Nemorino to ask the charlatan Dulcamara for the magic elixir.
Premiering in 1865,Richard Wagner's influential operaTristan und Isoldedepicts Tristan as a doomed romantic figure, while Isolde fulfills Wagner's quintessential feminine role as the redeeming woman. Swiss composerFrank Martinwrote the chamber opera, intended as an oratorio,Le Vin herbébetween 1938 and 1940.
Thomas Hardypublished his one-act playThe Famous Tragedy of the Queen of Cornwall at Tintagel in Lyonnessein 1923.Rutland Boughton's 1924 operaThe Queen of Cornwallwas based on Thomas Hardy's play.
Twentieth-century composers have often used the legend with Wagnerian overtones in their compositions. For instance,Hans Werner Henze's orchestral compositionTristanborrowed freely from the Wagnerian version and other retellings of the legend.
English composerRutland Boughtoncomposed the music dramaThe Queen of Cornwall, inspired by Hardy's play. Its first performance was at theGlastonbury Festivalin 1924. Feeling that Hardy's play offered too much-unrelieved grimness, Broughton received permission to import a handful of lyrics from Hardy's early poetical works. In 2010, it was recorded on the Dutton Epoch label withRonald Corpconducted theNew London Orchestraand members of theLondon Chorus, including soloistsNeal Davies(King Mark), Heather Shipp (Queen Iseult),Jacques Imbrailo(Sir Tristam), andJoan Rodgers(Iseult of Brittany).
Olivier Messiaenbuilt his 1948 symphonyTurangalîla-Symphoniearound the story.German power metal bandBlind Guardianhave a song inspired by Tristan and Iseult's story, "The Maiden and the Minstrel Knight", in their 2002 albumA Night at the Opera. English singer and songwriterPatrick Wolffeatured a song about the Tristan and Iseult legend, "Tristan", in his 2005 albumWind in the Wires.American indie rock bandTarkiohas a song entitled "Tristan and Iseult" in their albumSea Songs for Landlocked Sailers.
The story has also been adapted into film many times.The earliest is probably the 1909 French silent filmTristan et Yseult.Another French film of the same name was released two years later and offered a unique addition to the story: Tristan's jealous slave Rosen tricks the lovers into drinking the love potion, then denounces them to Mark. Mark pities the two lovers, but they commit double suicide anyway.There is also a French silent film version from 1920 closely following the legend.
One of the most celebrated and controversial Tristan films was 1943'sL'Éternel Retour(The Eternal Return), directed byJean Delannoywith a screenplay byJean Cocteau. It is a contemporary retelling of the story with a man named Patrice in the role of Tristan, who fetches a wife for his friend Marke. However, an evil dwarf tricks them into drinking a love potion, and the familiar plot ensues.The film was made in France during theVichy regimeunder German domination. Elements of the movie reflectNational Socialistideology, with the beautiful blonde hero and heroine offset by theUntermenschdwarf. The dwarf has a more prominent role than in most interpretations of the legend; its conniving wreaks havoc on the lovers, much like the Jews of Nazi stereotypes.
The 1970 Spanish filmTristanais only tangentially related to the story. The role of Tristan is assumed by the female character Tristana, who cares for her ageing uncle, Don Lope. However, she wishes to marry Horacio.The 1981 Irish filmLovespellfeaturesNicholas Clayas Tristan andKate Mulgrewas Iseult. Coincidentally, Clay went on to play Lancelot inJohn Boorman's epicExcalibur.The German filmFire and Sword(Feuer und Schwert – Die Legende von Tristan und Isolde) premiered at theCannes Film Festivalin 1981 and was released in 1982. The film starredChristoph Waltzas Tristan and was regarded as accurate to the story, though it removed the Iseult of Brittany's subplot.
French directorFrançois Truffautadapted the subject to modern times for his 1981 filmLa Femme d'à côté(The Woman Next Door), while 1988'sIn the Shadow of the Raventransported the characters to medieval Iceland. In the latter, Trausti and Isolde are warriors from rival tribes who come into conflict when Trausti kills the leader of Isolde's tribe. However, a local bishop makes peace between the two and arranges for their marriage.Bollywood directorSubhash Ghaitransferred the story to modern India and the United States in his 1997 musicalPardes.
The legend received a high-budget treatment with 2006'sTristan & Isolde, produced byTony ScottandRidley Scott, written by Dean Georgaris, directed byKevin Reynolds, and starringJames FrancoandSophia Myles. In this version, Tristan is a Cornish warrior raised from a young age by Lord Marke after being orphaned when his parents are killed. In a fight with the Irish, Tristan defeats Morholt, the Irish King's second, but is poisoned during the battle, which dulls his senses. Believing Tristan is dead, his companions send him off in a boat meant to cremate a dead body. Meanwhile, Isolde leaves her home over an unwilling betrothal to Morholt and finds Tristan on the Irish coast.
An animated TV series,Tristán & Isolda: La Leyenda Olvidada,aired in Spain and France in 1998.The 2002 French animated filmTristan et Iseutis a redacted version of the traditional tale aimed at a family audience.