Tristan und Isolde
Quick Summary
The romance of Tristan und Isolde, as retold by Gottfried von Strassburg, is a classic medieval tale of tragic love. The story centers on Tristan, a knight who travels to Ireland to secure Princess Isolde for his uncle, King Mark of Cornwall. During their return journey, Tristan and Isolde accidentally drink a love potion intended for Isolde and King Mark. This binds them in an unbreakable, passionate love that defies all obstacles, yet they remain loyal to the king.1
Gottfried's version, considered a masterpiece of medieval German poetry, emphasizes the ennobling, albeit tragic, nature of love. It portrays love as an obsessive and destructive passion, distinct from earlier ideals of love as an educational force. The narrative highlights the lovers' skill in deception to hide their affair and includes an idyllic episode in a "cave of lovers". The work's sophisticated language and classical allusions elevate it as a significant achievement in medieval literature.23
Ask Britannica AI about this topic
Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.
German literatureGottfried von StrassburgGottfried’s Tristan und Isolde is an unfinished masterpiece of some 19,000 lines. Its source was the Roman de Tristan by the Anglo-Norman poet Thomas. Gottfried died about 1210 without completing it. In almost every point it is the opposite of Wolfram’s work. It is a tragedy…
Read MoreGottfried’s Tristan und Isolde is an unfinished masterpiece of some 19,000 lines. Its source was the Roman de Tristan by the Anglo-Norman poet Thomas. Gottfried died about 1210 without completing it. In almost every point it is the opposite of Wolfram’s work. It is a tragedy…
Read More- romanceThe Tristan story
>Tristan und Isolde (c. 1210), based on Thomas, is one of the great courtly romances of the Middle Ages; but, although love is set up as the supreme value and as the object of the lovers’ worship, the mellifluous and limpid verse translates the story…
Read More>Tristan und Isolde (c. 1210), based on Thomas, is one of the great courtly romances of the Middle Ages; but, although love is set up as the supreme value and as the object of the lovers’ worship, the mellifluous and limpid verse translates the story…
Read More 
Tristan and IsoldeA mellifluous German version of Thomas’ adaptation, by Gottfried von Strassburg, is considered the jewel of medieval German poetry. Short episodic poems telling of Tristan’s surreptitious visits to Isolde at King Mark’s court appeared in the late 12th century. Of these, the most important are two versions of…
Read MoreA mellifluous German version of Thomas’ adaptation, by Gottfried von Strassburg, is considered the jewel of medieval German poetry. Short episodic poems telling of Tristan’s surreptitious visits to Isolde at King Mark’s court appeared in the late 12th century. Of these, the most important are two versions of…
Read More