Tristan

The text frames Isolde as a perfect counterpart to Tristan, suggesting that they are destined for one another even before they drink the love potion. Just as Tristan is an exemplar of male beauty, Isolde is described as uniquely and surpassingly beautiful; her beauty is a “magic which took thoughts prisoner suddenly, and, taking them, fettered them with desire” (148). Isolde is also similar to Tristan in that following Tristan’s tutoring of her, she becomes a virtuosic musician and a fluent speaker of many languages.

Although Isolde’s talents are not as prevalent a feature of the story as Tristan’s are, this is largely owing to her comparatively passive function—a reflection of both the status of women and of the conventions of courtly love, which emphasized the male lover’s desire for a remote beloved. Where Tristan continually travels to different kingdoms, often in various disguises, and takes part in heroic adventures, Isolde’s movements and the roles she occupies are far more restricted. Both in Ireland and in Cornwall, she remains largely within the domain of the court. Isolde’s lack of movement demonstrates that women’s behavior is a matter of strict societal surveillance and control.

Isolde’s passivity is also evident in the way her beauty and rank make her an object coveted and traded by powerful men. Her father promises her to anyone who can slay a dragon that terrorizes his kingdom. When a steward claims to have killed the dragon, he expects to be rewarded with Isolde’s hand in marriage. Later, Mark gives Isolde to Ganlin after promising to give Ganlin anything he wants in exchange for playing some music. Isolde thus inspires covetousness in men, who scheme to obtain her.

Nevertheless, within the confines of her position, Isolde proves capable of scheming effectively herself. It is her idea, for example, to trick Mark into sleeping with Brangane to circumvent the perceived problem of Isolde’s “lost virginity” (believed to be physically detectable at the time). Isolde’s cleverness also enables her to piece together the clues as to her uncle’s killer, and she is not above seeking revenge when she learns the killer’s identity, though Gottfried assures readers she is too kindhearted to follow through on her plans.

Gottfried’s interjection is significant; like Tristan, Isolde at times behaves unscrupulously, but the text is reluctant to condemn her. Isolde even plays a role similar to that of Eve in the Bible: She is the first to give into amorous temptation and depart from propriety when she leans against Tristan after the two of them have drunk the love potion, and she also recklessly invites Tristan to the garden bed where Mark finds them. She is thus principally responsible for the initiation of the couple’s physical relationship and for the encounter that leads to the discovery of the affair. As in Tristan’s case, however, her actions are not entirely her own: The love potion acts as a kind of fate that is imposed upon her and takes away her agency.

Mark is Tristan’s uncle and Isolde’s husband. The text describes him as good and just, although it also makes clear that Tristan’s virtues eclipse his own. For example, while Mark submits to the humiliation of the tribute Morold demands, Tristan categorically refuses to submit or to see others humiliated in kind. While Tristan eagerly risks his life rather than see a perceived injustice continue, Mark is unwilling to take such a bold step. Similarly, the skill that Tristan demonstrates in cutting up and presenting the deer immediately awes Mark’s court and first gains Tristan Mark’s favor. Such episodes imply Mark’s generosity of spirit, as Mark does not envy Tristan his superior qualities but rather wishes for Tristan’s success, even making Tristan his heir.

Mark’s character undergoes a significant change after his marriage to Isolde, when rumors of her affair with Tristan cause Mark to become consumed with jealousy and paranoia. He is surrounded by people seeking to ruin the reputations of Tristan and Isolde, notably Marjodoc and Melot, and seeks to ensnare his nephew and wife in traps to confirm the rumors of their affair. Although he has not taken a magical drink, he is nevertheless radically altered by his love for Isolde and its attendant suspicions. He vacillates between deepest anguish at the thought that his wife and his nephew are carrying out an affair behind his back and the deepest guilt and regret for having suspected them. The relative equanimity and sobriety of mind that characterize him in the first half of the story vanishes, and apart from his role as an impediment to the relationship between Tristan and Isolde, he ceases to play much of a role in the second half of the story.