The Tristan Myth from the Middle Ages to Today with an Emphasis on the German Tradition

From the early Middle Ages, but mostly the late twelfth century, the love story involving Tristan and Isolde (also Yseut) attracted much attention, originating in the Celtic world but fully developed first by the Old French poet Béroul (ca. 1160) and Thomas of England, of Britain, or of Brittanny, around 1170. It was rendered into virtually every European language since then and has also appealed to artists and musicians throughout time. We know, for example, of tiles, tapestry, sculptures, paintings, musical tunes, manuscript illuminations, and other visual representations of the intense but highly problematic relationship between these two young people. In essence, while Yseult is married to the King of Cornwall, Mark/Marke, a love potion, a metaphorical symbol of their deep feelings, bonds her with Tristan for the rest of their lives (a limited number of years in the earlier versions). Ultimately, at least in most versions, they are destined to die because of their love, which is incompatible with the social norms of their time, and this Romantic theme has hence also played a huge role in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and is perhaps highly important also today, as expressed by modern movies and music engaging with this love story. This study first traces in rough brushstrokes the history of the reception of this literary theme from the twelfth to the twenty-first century; then, it returns to the various medieval versions to investigate the critical issues contained in this highly popular story, which has never lost its relevance and attraction for audiences throughout time. Since the focus rests on the history of reception, less on comparative literature, the main tradition to be traced will be the German one.