Tristan and Isolde - a tale of irony and tragedy

            Around 1170 AD, Gottfried von Strassburg wrote Tristan, an adapted German version of the 12^th century tale of Tristan and Isolde, which originated in France. Strassburg’s Tristan, especially well-known for its irony, tells the story of an orphan who becomes a warrior, falls in love, and is banished for this love. While Tristan fits well into its historic time frame, during the formation of chivalry and the growth of German literature in the 12^th and early 13^th centuries, Strassburg’s version contains some strong themes that make it unique and unusual.

            During the 11^th and 12^th centuries, the Crusades and local battles between lords resulted in a militarized aristocratic class. With an aristocracy largely made up of warriors, the idea of chivalry developed. This new form of conduct determined what behaviors were right and set up a strict honor code. Writers incorporated chivalry into their works, which helped them develop elaborate stories of honor and love. Along with a growing class of ministeriales, serfs who were given greater responsibilities and a higher social status, there became more opportunities to have a career as a professional poet or writer. Tristan, a narrative poem, fit well in this time period of growing chivalry and expanding artistic work in courts.

            Despite the similarities Strassburg’s Tristan shares with the period it was written, it contains many themes, which would be considered unusual at the time. First, the character of Tristan does not exactly fit the criteria of “chivalrous,” as he follows his passions and uses reasoning more often than his physical strength. This story also differs from literature at that time because the love between Tristan and Isolde the Wise was forged accidentally by a love potion; Tristan did not choose Isolde for her beauty, intelligence, or virtue, as was the case in other chivalrous stories. Strassburg’s portrayal of love as the most important factor in Tristan is also questionable when compared to its time period, in which placing love over virtue or honor would be unusual, perhaps even blasphemous. Overall, Strassburg’s Tristan is a fascinating piece of work, not only for its gripping story, full of irony and tragedy, but also for its distinguishing features that both place it in and separate it from the literature of the 12^th century. 

Picture Source: Edmund Leighton, The End of The Song. 1902. Digital Image. From Wikipedia. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Leighton-Tristan_and_Isolde-1902.jpg (accessed June 10, 2016)