Poetry
The Romance of Tristan
Tristan et Iseut
Béroul · 1170
Synopsis
Tristan and Iseut, the wife of King Mark, Tristan's uncle, have loved each other since they mistakenly drank the potion that Iseut's mother had intended for the wedding night. Barons jealous of the favour Tristan enjoys with the king spy on them. Mark obtains what seems to be proof of their guilt and condemns them, Tristan to the rope and Iseut to the stake, then hands her over to lepers. Tristan snatches her from them and flees with her into the forest of Morois.
Context
The poem survives only in French manuscript 2171 of the Bibliothèque nationale in Paris, lacking its beginning and its end: 4,485 lines remain. It is dated to the second half of the twelfth century, between 1170 and 1190 according to some. The story, rough and realistic, stands apart from the courtly version composed by the poet Thomas at the same period, of which only fragments also survive.
Who it is for
An incomplete poem in Old French, to be read in a bilingual edition or a modern translation.
Prizes and reception
It is the oldest surviving representation of the legend in its so-called common form, which is more brutal than the courtly form.