Tristan

Tristan is tormented over whether Isolde has remained faithful to him and whether he should marry Isolde of the White Hands. In the end, he decides to marry her, in part to distract him from his anguish and in part to know what Isolde’s experience of being married while in love with another is like.

Tristan and Isolde of the White Hands marry. As Tristan undresses on the night of the wedding, he notices the ring that Isolde gave him before their parting. Tristan is torn on whether he should sleep with Isolde of the White Hands: If he does, he will betray Isolde, but if he does not, he will betray his wife. When he is in bed with Isolde of the White Hands, Tristan tells her that he has an injury that causes him pain when he exerts himself so that he must refrain from making love.

Isolde’s last news of Tristan was that he killed a giant in Spain. A rich count, Cariado, comes to Mark’s court try to seduce Isolde, but she rebuffs him. He tells her that Tristan has married another woman, and this distresses Isolde.

Tristan has a giant and its minions build statues of Isolde, Brangane, and others in a cavern. He spends a lot of time in reverence of the statue of Isolde. Tristan, Isolde, Mark, and Isolde of the White Hands are all miserable at not being with their loved ones or not having their love returned.

Tristan is riding to a festival along with Isolde of the White Hands and her brother, Kaedin. Isolde’s horse slips into some water, and Isolde laughs when she is splashed. Kaedin demands to know why she laughs, and she says that it is a joke she made to herself: In reaching her thighs, the water has touched her more intimately than Tristan. Kaedin is offended that Tristan has not consummated the marriage and confronts Tristan, who tells him he loves someone more beautiful than Kaedin’s sister. Kaedin does not believe this, so Tristan promises to show him proof.

Tristan takes Kaedin to the statues in his cavern, and Kaedin falls in love with Brangane. He at first thinks the statues are living and demands Brangane’s hand in marriage. Tristan consents and agrees to take Kaedin to the real Brangane.

They travel to England and see the retinues of Mark and Isolde passing along a road. They hide in a tree, and Tristan sends Kaedin to Isolde with the ring she gave him. She recognizes the ring and understands Kaedin to be Tristan’s messenger. That night, Tristan and Kaedin gain entry into the castle where Mark and Isolde are staying, and Tristan sleeps with Isolde. Kaedin courts Brangane, but she uses a magical pillow to put him to sleep. After Isolde recommends Kaedin to Brangane, Brangane accepts Kaedin as her lover. After Tristan and Kaedin’s presence is discovered, the two of them escape unseen.

Cariado and others search for Tristan and Kaedin but only find their two pages, whom they mistake for the knights. When the pages run away from them, Cariado says that Brangane disgraced herself by sleeping with a coward. Brangane blames Isolde for her misfortunes and promises to take revenge on Isolde.

Brangane and Isolde argue, and Brangane threatens to tell King Mark of Isolde’s affair. She goes to Mark and says that Isolde has been deceiving him. She says that although Isolde never loved Tristan, she is on the point of taking Count Cariado as her lover and that she even tried to have Cariado assassinate Tristan. Mark is worried and puts Brangane in charge of Isolde’s affairs.

Tristan disguises himself as a person with leprosy and begs Isolde for alms as she is on her way to church on a festival day. At first, she does not know him, but she then recognizes him by the bowl he is holding. Brangane, who also recognizes him, threatens Isolde and has Tristan forced away.

Tristan falls asleep in the cold under some stairs, where a porter’s wife discovers him. The porter takes pity on him, gives him food and a room, and sends a message from him to Isolde. Isolde begs Brangane to go see Tristan. At first, Brangane refuses, but then she relents and visits him. Tristan convinces her that Cariado lied about Kaedin, and he promises to bring Kaedin back to prove it. They reconcile and go back to Isolde. Tristan and Isolde spend the night together, and Tristan leaves for Brittany at daybreak.

Tristan and Kaedin return to England, disguised as penitents. Tristan and Kaedin perform well in various competitions at court, and Kaedin kills Cariado in a jousting match. The two of them narrowly escape overseas after they are discovered.

As Tristan and Kaedin return one day from a hunt, they see a knight, “Dwarf Tristan,” who happens to be looking for Tristan. He asks for Tristan’s help in getting back his mistress, whom another knight has taken captive.

Tristan goes with him, and they battle the knight and his brothers outside the knight’s castle. They kill them, but Dwarf Tristan is also killed and Tristan is wounded by a poisoned spear. Upon his return, no doctors can successfully treat Tristan.

Tristan enlists Kaedin to go to England and bring back Isolde, who is the only one who can cure him. He tells Kaedin to disguise himself as a merchant to gain access to her and to bring the ring that she gave Tristan so that she will recognize him. As Kaedin is returning he is to put up a white sail if Isolde is on the ship with him and a black one if she is not.

Isolde of the White Hands has been eavesdropping on this conversation and begins to plot her revenge upon Tristan for betraying her love.

Kaedin reaches England and gains entry to Isolde. He shows her the ring, and she recognizes him. After hearing about Tristan’s condition, Isolde agrees to go with Kaedin. Together with Brangane, they escape the castle by boat at night.

A storm disrupts Kaedin and Isolde’s arrival when they are close to Brittany. After the storm a lack of wind leaves them stuck in place. The white sail is not visible from the coast. Tristan is in anguish, uncertain whether Isolde will come or not. Isolde of the White Hands tells him that she sees Kaedin’s ship returning and that its sail is black. Tristan dies of anguish.

When Isolde arrives, she sees demonstrations of mourning for Tristan. She laments having arrived too late, goes to his body, and dies of grief in his arms.