Tristan Doomed Romantic Love

Doomed Romance

The tale of Tristan, a tragic myth of doomed romantic affection, was one of the most influential romances of the Medieval Era. The story itself speaks closely to the success of adultery whether it may be influenced by a potion or not. Nonetheless, throughout the land, and the people met through vast adventures the one emotion that every person could relate to was love. Love as seen throughout Tristan stretched people to their furthest point in order to conquest what their heart truly desires. However, with that being said love, could also turn out to be doomed from the very start, but even then people will do anything to be with their true love.

Throughout the Medieval Era potions were said to put people in a love trance in

order to commit adultery. Tristan himself was said to be a victim of accidentally drinking a love potion with Isolde on their voyage home. The effects of potions like the ones consumed could last forever; which in return leaves Tristan, Isolde, and King Mark in a very conflicting love triangle.

There are no perceived notions of Isolde truly falling in love with King Mark. However, King Mark’s nephew, Tristan will forever be mindlessly chasing Isolde due to a mixture of lust, passion, and love potion that they both shared while venturing back after defeating Morholt. Tristan's uncle eventually learns of the affair between Isolde and Tristan and with that knowledge King Mark plans to entrap his nephew and his bride. Nonetheless, while this love triangle conflict is occurring he endangerment of a kingdom now so fragile, is now cessation of war between Ireland and Cornwall. Mark acquires what seems proof of their guilt and resolves to punish them. King Mark decides that Tristan will face death by hanging and Isolde by burning at the stake. Before their date of death King Mark lodges Isolde in a house of Lazar which harnesses a leper colony. However, with Tristan’s love so strong he escapes on his way to the gallows where he makes a leap from a chapel and rescues Isolde as well. The lovers seek for safety into Morrois a forest not too far from King Mark’s castle. The couple seeks refuge there until discovered by The

King. With a few cunning works the couple makes peace with King Mark after Tristan's agrees to return Isolde to him and leaves the country.Years to come Isolde and Tristan battle their true feelings for each other knowing that it is in fact forbidden. Isolde herself even states, “Why does loving you feel so wrong? (217)”. Deep down inside the pair cannot justify the attraction accordingly, however, their hearts mindlessly lead them together at every moment. In order to try and negate the feelings he has for Isolde Tristan would eventually marry a woman with the same name, however, the weight in his heart was no match for the inner passion Isolde and Tristan share. In regards to the matter at his hands Tristan states, "And because her name was Isolde, whenever he let his eyes go out to her he grew so sad and joyless at the name that you could read his heart's pain in his face, yet he cherished this pain and held it in tender regard-it seemed sweet and good to him  (290-91)”. Within his heart this truly means that he thinks of Isolde, but even a greater factor he is thinking of her through this other woman who shares the same namesake as his true love. However, Tristan would much rather the pain of missing her warmth in his lover's absence than to not feel anything from her at all. With the pain built inside Tristan and Isolde will have no other option, but to fulfill their desires, and maintain a secret relationship behind the laws of marriages back. The couple will continually use trickery in order to maintain a facade of innocence to the people around them.
The forbidden love between the couple continues even when Tristan is sent far away. However after a scuffle with King Mark a poison lance would mortally wound him. Tristan not wanting to engage in fisticuffs with a person that has taken the place of his father. Tristan lies in the dirt awaiting death unless he is to see the one person that can heal him. His one true love, a bond and a love so strong between the two that it is able to heal any wounds. The tale states that, “Apart the lovers could neither live nor die, for it was life and death together (389)”. Therefore in order to live another day Tristan must bear the touch of his beloved Isolde. Tristan sends a friend that was near by named Kahedin to find the woman who moves him to his core. Tristan states to Kahedin that if he was to find his love to return back sailing with black sails, so that he may know that he will be in his true love's arms. Nonetheless Tristan also stated that to return with white sails if Kahedin was unsuccessful in finding Isolde. The idea of the sails for Tristan is a comforting area that would allow him to foreshadow his possible demise. Therefore, when he was awaiting the news of the possible arrival, he’d be able to gauge his life from that point on. However, Tristan’s wife began to get extremely jealous of the true love that the first Isolde has with Tristan. The jealous wretch Isolde of the White Hands begins to lie to Tristan creating him such immense grief in order for herself to feel better about the situation. However, when Isolde of White Hand lies to Tristan about the color of the sails returning back home saying they were white. The feeling in Tristan’s heart was so heavy to think that his one true love has betrayed him that the feeling of a broken heart kills Tristan. Nevertheless, the sails were black when they came over the horizon, and when Tristan’s true love arrives to see his dead body Isolde herself dies swooning over his corpse. The relationship of passion and love is really exemplified when the couple dies without having each other in this world. The passion between the couple shows how strong love really is, and that it can take over the body and harness such emotion that can in return become lethal.
Love as seen throughout Tristan stretched people to their furthest point in order to conquest what their heart truly desires.

However, with that being said love could also turn out to be doomed from the very start, but even then people will do anything to be with their true love. Tristan and Isolde fell for not only their physical bodies, but each others spirit as well. The love was so strong that not even death itself could pry the two away from each other the tale states, When King Mark heard of the death of these two lovers he crossed the sea and came into Brittany; and he had two coffins hewn, for Tristan and Isolde, one of chalcedony for Isolde, and one of beryl for Tristan. And he took their beloved bodies away with him upon his ship to Tintagel, and by a chantry to the left and right of the apse he had their tombs built round. But in one night there sprang from the tomb of Tristan a green leafy briar, strong in branches and in the scent of its flowers. It climbed the chantry and fell to root again by Isolde's tomb. Thrice did the peasants cut it down, but thrice it grew again as flowered and as strong. They told the marvel to King Mark, and he forbade them to cut the briar any more (408)”. Their bodies while in the ground longed for each other, no matter the distance, and no matter the barriers between the Isolde and Tristan, they will eternally find each other which truly makes love eternal, and “death do us part” is simply a myth. Love itself is timeless, and it is

the only emotion that will make the person feeling its warm embrace conquer anything ahead of it in order to stand by its loved one, forever.