Tristan And Isolde Similarities Between Romeo And Juliet

In Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, Pyramus and Thisbe by Ovid, and Tristan and Isolde by Gottfried von Strassburg, the universal themes of love and death are explored in many different ways. The plot of each story revolves around the main characters and their forbidden love, only to end with how fate leaves all three pairs plagued in sorrow as partners take their own lives in despair at the loss of their one true love.
Romeo and Juliet were born into two different families, the Capulets and the Montegues, who were constantly at each other's throats. The Capulets and Montegues hated each other to the point of provoking the other whenever the chance arose (Shakespeare A1S1).
When Romeo and Juliet met, they fell in love with each other

Romeo and Juliet were separated by Romeo's exile, Pryamus and Thisbe were separated by unfortunate timing and a wild beast, and Tristan and Isolde were separated by Tristan's departure to explore elsewhere in the world (Shakespeare A3S1)(Ovid 73-76)(Strassburg 9). Towards the ending of all three texts, one of the lovers from each pair would attempt to reunite with their partner only to, for some reason or another, assume them dead. In Romeo and Juliet, Romeo returned from his exile under the pretense that Juliet had passed; in Pyramus and Thisbe, Pyramus made his way to where the pair had planned to meet only to find a blood stained cloth and the tracks of a wild beast; and in Tristan and Isolde, Tristan, upon being told the lie that Isolde would not be returning, succumbed to illness (Shakespeare A5S1)(Ovid 73-78)(Strassburg 9). As the story goes, Romeo and Pyramus both took their own lives upon seeing their lovers bodies, while Isolde fell dead for unknown reasons (Shakespeare A5S3)(Ovid 95-97)(Strassburg 9). Once Julliet awoke and Thisbe and Isolde returned, all in hopes of reuniting with their lovers with tales of the trials they had faced, they were faced with the similar sight of their loved ones dead. Both Juliet and Thisbe end their tales by taking their lovers' knife to their own chests as Isolde falls dead for an unknown reason (Shakespeare A5S3)(Ovid 149-151)(Strassburg