Important moments in Tristan and Iseut

The episode of the sleeping lovers in the Morrois forest (vv. 1774-2132)

Howard Bloch: ‘This is the scene in which Marc, informed of the exiled couple’s whereabouts, hesitates to kill his wife and nephew because of the presence of Tristan’s sword between the two sleeping bodies. According to those who view the legend as myth, the sword that lies between Tristan and the queen offers certain proof of unconsummated passion. The lovers do not care for one another physically; they are are more in love with the idea of love itself than with each other.’

• Criticise the final sentence: the crux of the plot is the lovers evading prying eyes. Their rendez-vous take shape as trysts, often in a sequestered setting, e.g. in the woods, in Iseut’s bedroom. Beroul does not dwell on the intimacy of the love narrative too much, but that is not to say that the lovers are not physically in love either. (Tristan climbs through a window to reach Iseut and leaves blood - symbolic bleeding heart, desperation)

Tristan’s disguises

Iseut calls upon Tristan to dress up as a leper and carry her across a stream on her back.

Tristan disguises himself as a leper, a fool, a nightingale and a pilgrim.

• enables Iseut to prove to Marc that him and a leper have been “between her thighs,” not Tristan.

Disguised as a leper he mocks mark and humiliates the barons (3563-864) - could he do this as Tristan? - Blakeslee claims he ‘plays a capering, simian, demonic trickster who derives immense pleasure from the ridiculous discomfiture that he inflicts on his enemies.’

Tristan’s prowess

This is criticised as 'prooise’

Blakeslee: He announces his readiness to demonstrate his innocence through an ordeal by fire (Dame, ore li dites errant / Qu’il face faire un feu ardant, / E je m’en entrerai el ré. / Se ja un poil en ai bruslé / De la haire qu’avrai vestu, / Si me laist tot ardoir u feu ; / Qar je sai bien n’a de sa cort / Qui a bataille o moi s’en tort.’ (vv. 149-56)

Blakeslee: He later rescues Iseut from the lepers to whom Mark has delivered her, although he does so without recourse to arms (vv. 1233-70) (Yvain and Gouvernal)

• Tel gent vos tienent entre mains, / De ce soient il toz certains, / S’il ne vos laisent en present, / Tel i ara ferai dolent. / Fiert le destrier, du buison saut, / A qant qu’il puet s’escrie en haut : / “Yvain, asez l’avez menee. / Laisiez la tost, qu’a cest’espee / Ne vos face le chief voler.” (vv. 1241-1249) (strictly speaking not without recourse to arms, though he does brandish his sword in a threatening attempt to force Yvain and Gouvernal to let Iseut go. And the lepers brandish crutches in front of Tristan and Gouvernal hits Yvain [who is holding Iseut] with a branch and he bleeds)

Tristan’s letter requesting the restitution of Iseut

Tristan writes a letter to Marc requesting Iseut’s restitution, via the mediator of Ogrin (voice of Christian doctrine, right passage etc) 

He blames the potion on his wrongdoing. This leads to the famous reconciliation scene (around vv. 2750) where Iseut is handed back to Marc with rapturous response, apart from the barons)

Previously, the lovers had been banished from court and forced to live in exile in the forest. 

The first tryst under the pine tree

Iseut spots Marc’s reflection in a pool of , unbeknownst to his prying eyes. 

Sargent-Baur: ‘King Marc, perched up in his pine-tree, thinks he can without being detected spy and eavesdrop on his wife and his nephew, and so learn once and for all whether their relationship is illicit. Yseut, having come out to a nocturnal rendezvous with her lover at his request (60–61, 357, 415–417), grasps that their meeting is being witnessed, and by Marc. She must and does speak first (3–4, 352), and must so choose her words as to convince Mark of her innocence, at the same time warning Tristran that something is amiss.’

Iseut pleads innocence by claiming that if it had been fol amor (396), he would have seen evidence of it. Marc is convinced by her logic and agrees to a pardon for Tristan. 

This scene is ‘first presented through narration and dialogue, then twice and varyingly retold by Yseut to two different interlocutors, and at last recapitulated by Marc in considerable detail.’ 

The very beginning

Iseut vents her vexation with Tristan for the inconvenience of this tryst, and she pretends to cry (demonstrating her manipulation, cunning from the very beginning): Sire Tristran, por Deu le roi, / grant pechié avez de moi, / Qui me mandez a itel ore ! / Or fait senblant con s’ele plore.’ (vv. 5-8)

Li rois pense que par folie, Sire Tristran, vos aie amé ; Maix Dex plevis ma loiauté […] Ne je, par Deu omnipotent, / N’ai corage de drüerie / Qui tort a nule vilanie.’ (vv. 32-34) At this beginning stage, she claims she would not love any other man than her husband (negation of the potion and of any fol amour) - so why the rendez-vous with Tristan? 

amor vilaine (v. 56)

‘Tristran, gardez en nule place / Ne me mandez por nule chose ; / Je ne seroie pas tant ose / Que je i osase venir.’ (vv. 60-63) (stop making me come to see you, I am not brave enough to do this)

Tristran, certes, li rois ne set / Que por lui par vos aie ameit (vv. 69-70) (the king doesn’t know that it’s because of him that I am fond of you)

Iseut prepares to leave and becomes aware of Mark’s presence : ‘Mais l’en puet home desveier : / Faire le mal et bien laisier ; / Si a lo’on fait de mon seignor. / Tristran, vois m’en, trop i demor.  […] Quant out oï parler sa drue, / Sout que s’estoit aperceüe. (vv. 89-91, 97-98)

Tristan emphasises the hardships and torment he has been enduring, and believes death is the only reprieve. (we will never find out if this will be their fate, but in the extant fragment they are spared from an imposed death) : Dame, or vos vuel merci criër / Qu’il vos membre de cesr chaitif  / Qui a traval et a duel vif ; / Qar j’ai tel duel c’onques le roi / Out mal pensé de vos vers moi / Qu’il n’a e el fors que je muere.’ (vv. 106-111)

Iseut feels completely alone and reveals that Marc blocked access to bed chambers because of her. Tristan resolves to behave more like Marc’s vassal, shortly after calling Marc ‘si fol’ (v. 127)

What happens to the forestier who dobs the lovers in?

He is killed by Perinis, and Beroul writes that God intervened, wishing to crush his idle pride and avenge the lovers.