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Critical Analysis
Sydney M. Smith
December 1, 2010
Edu 24803
Tristan and Isolde as a Character basis for the Arthurian Tales
The Arthurian tales have been a know legend for centuries. They deal with kings and
queens, knights and wizards, love and adventure. However, before these tales were ever in
existence there was a story about a knight and his lieges’ lady that fell in love due to a magic
potion; and because of that love almost destroyed the kingdom of Cornwall. The love story of
Tristan and Isolde predates the Arthurian Tales. Le Morte d’Arthur is said to have been written
between the years of 1469-1470, by Sir Thomas Mallory, according to the bibliographical note.
(Mallory 99) Within the Arthurian tales one will find reference as well as an altered story of
Tristan and Isolde in chapter XXIV of Le Morte d’Arthur. This tale of the characters from
Tristan and Isolde combine their story with the story of King Arthur, even going so far as having
Sir Tristram save King Arthurs life in a further chapter. The Arthurian Tales are similar to the
love story of Tristan and Isolde, this being that the characters of Tristan, Isolde and King Mark
are the basis of the characters from Le Morte d’Arthur’s Sir Lancelot, Guinevere and King
Arthur.
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The character of Tristan is known to be the nephew of King Mark, he is a part of King
Marks court, a trusted advisor, and is loved by his king. Tristan is the one who goes to win Isolde
for his is King but because of Isoldes trickery he drinks a love potion that ensures that he will
love Isolde until his dying days. Tristan loves her beyond his love for his king yet tries to banish
his feeling and himself from court to ensure that he does not do wrong against his king. Similar
is his character to that of Sir Lancelot the trusted knight of King Arthur who falls in love with
Queen Guinevere. Sir Lancelot is one of the most trusted knights to King Arthur, he goes on
many quests and saves King Arthurs life on many occasions only to be banned from his court
due to his feelings for Queen Guinevere. Queen Guinevere requests that Sir Lancelot remain
away from court so they do not commit treason however, like Tristan he cannot stay away from
his lady love and henceforth dooms himself to live his life loving a woman he can never have.
“But the joy that La Beale Isoud made of Sir Tristram there might no tongue tell, for of all men
earthly she loved him most.” (Mallory 831) In Le Morte d’Arthur, when told by his barons that
he should take a wife King Arthur goes to Merlin for advise, Merlin says to marry her but with
that advise gives him a warning “But Merlin warned the king covertly that Guenever was not
wholesome for him to take to wife, for he warned him that Launcelot should love, her, and she
him again.” (Mallory 329) As if fated the character of Lancelot his destined to commit treason to
his king, as is the case with Tristan.
The character of King Mark of Cornwall is told to take a wife, his nephew Tristan
responds that he will go and win whoever his king so wishes to marry. King Mark chooses Isolde
as his bride, due to her beauty. He shows compassion to both his queen and his nephew upon
hearing about their betrayal, after he begins to punish them. When handing down the punishment
an outside force thwarts his plan to avenge his ego, from there Tristan and Isolde runaway
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together. King Mark later finds them and shows mercy, with a sad heart the couple returns
Tristan hands over Isolde to her husband and leaves with his own company. Similar is the
scenario about how King Arthur chooses his bride. “My barons will let me have no rest, but
needs I must take a wife, and I will none take but by thy counsel and by thine advise.” Similar to
King Mark, King Arthur must first seek the advice of an outside source relying on what his
advisors have to say before making a decision about his own life. When asked who he wants to
be his wife he chooses for beauty similar to the scene in Tristan and Isolde, where King Mark
tells Tristan to bring him back the lady to which this strand of hair belongs. “I love Guenever the
king’s daughter. Leodegrance of the land of Cameliard, the which holdeth in his house the Table
Round that ye told he had of my father Uther. And this damsel is the most valiant and fairest lady
that I know living, or yet that ever I could find.” (Mallory 329) King Mark chooses Isolde strictly
on what he could gain by way of land as well as people opinion, same is it with the character of
King Arthur. In the story of Tristan and Isolde, King Mark is forgiving taking back his wife and
allowing his nephew to leave and prosper outside of his kingdom offering him still a place in
court. King Arthur takes back his wife banishes Sir Lancelot, yet brings him home upon his
command, knowing that forever Guinevere will love Sir Lancelot above all.
The character of Isolde is a damsel in distress, she is uprooted from her home, forced to
marry a man not of her choosing and loves a man that is not her husband. She makes sacrifices
however for her husband’s kingdom choosing to remain at his side to promote peace and a united
front. Forever loving a man she can never have. She leaves the kingdom of Cornwall for a brief
time and lives with Tristan never truly committing adultery. She loves Tristan until his dying day
leaving her king long enough to be at his death bed and making it too late to say goodbye. Queen
Guinevere is based off of the character of Isolde because she is in the same circumstance as
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Isoldes character. She is married to a great king, who is so good that he offers her back her home
upon arriving back from living with Sir Lancelot. She is forever in love with a man that is not her
husband but remains at her husband’s side to keep the kingdom together. Although there are
many changes to the character of Guinevere the love triangle remains intact. Guinevere is more
selfish in some ways than Isolde, Isolde loves Tristan because of a love potion where Guinevere
loves Sir Lancelot of her own free will. Upon her death similar to that of the death of Tristan,
Guinevere’s death is of the same circumstance, she awaits her love Sir Lancelot only for him to
be to late, and knowing that he did not make it to see is lady love one last time. He does however
bring her back to be buried with her husband whereas Tristan is brought back and is later
reunited with his lady love in death. Both the characters of Guinevere and Isolde both love there
other men until their deaths.
Though the stories are drastically different the characters of Tristan, Isolde and King
Mark are still the inspiration that gave way to the legendary characters of Sir Lancelot,
Guinevere and King Arthur. The personalities as well as the circumstances remain the same as
well as the love triangle between the king his lady love and his trusted friend. The Arthurian tales
have been renowned for centuries yet the inspiration for these stories never would have occurred
if not for the love story of Tristans and Isolde. The character of Sir Lancelot would not come to
be without the character of Tristan and his love for his king and his woman. The character of
King Arthur may not have been a forgiving, and great king if not for the inspiration of a king
before his time. And Guinever may not have been the love of Sir Lancelots life if not for the
character of Isolde first being in love with Tristan. Mallory gained his characters from a previous
novel “ The Romance of Tristan and Isolde”.
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Citation Page:
Mallory, T. (1484). Le morte d'arthur.
Bieder, J. (2004). The romance of tristan and isolde .
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