Tristan and Iseult are similar to Romeo and Juliet, they are madly in love but it is frowned upon. Tristan is a Cornish Knight of Round Table, he is also the son of Blancheflor and Rivalen. Tristan’s uncle is King Mark of Cornwall and the reason Tristan and Iseult fell in love was evidently King Mark’s fault. Iseult was the princess of Ireland. She wasn’t really relevant until her love story with Tristan came along. The story of these two is just a sappy love story where the couple wants to be happy, but cannot have their wish.
The story of Tristan and Iseult was one of the most influential romance stories of the medieval period. There are many versions of this love story, but the story is often told like this . In the beginning, King Mark of Cornwall sent his nephew, Tristan, to fetch Iseult because she was set to wed King Mark. On the journey there Tristan had to slay a dragon in order to acquire Iseult. On the way back Tristan and Iseult accidentally drank the love potion that was meant for King Mark and Iseult. The king and Iseult were already set to be married, so her love for Tristan didn’t change anything. The two were forced to hide their love from the king and the cornish court. King Mark found out and tried to punish the two for their sinfulness. Tristan is able to save the both of them
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There are operas and symphonies based off the story. Many operas include some type of betrayal, usually adultery. There is a symphony called, “Tristan und Isolde” which is presumably about the story but it is told in German. Wilhelm Richard Wagner, a German composer, wrote the opera for this. Apparently the story broke his musical ground. The story is used all over, not specifically with the names, but these type of stories are very common for operas. Tristan and Iseult are also expressed through paintings, songs, stories etc. The medieval romance is still told to this day all over the world in all forms of