1) Tristan and Yseut in Morrois
The lovers’ time of exile in the woods is described as “rough and hard” (78), yet neither Tristan nor Yseut feel any hardship because of the love and devotion that they feel towards one another. As such, the theme of true love is paradoxically treated both as an anesthetic and as a source of pain. Another paradox of the story is that the to characters who experience such a strong and pure love must live lives of extreme deceit and hardship.
I see the setting of the forest as symbolic of the pure nature of love in general. Whereas their love was kept hidden for fear of being scorned while they lived in the kingdom, it is accepted in the forest. Therefore, it can be said that Tristan and Yseut’s time in Morrois brought them closer to God. Ogrin, the wise hermit, states that “truly God will pardon the sin of a man who repents in good faith by making confession” (79). If the forest’s natural setting does indeed help to bring one closer to God, then it would make sense that this wise hermit was found in Morrois. (Ogrin also has the added credential of being literate, automatically making him a wise and respectable beacon of truth in the story.)
2) Repentance
Ogrin stresses the importance of repentance in relation to one’s soul as opposed to simply fulfilling mortal duties. He wisely states that “a man who lives in sin is dead, for no one can give absolution to a sinner if he does not repent.” By this he means that a sinner lives as a shell of a human being, as a person without a soul has no hope of living on in the afterlife. I found it interesting that Tristan and Yseut, though fully knowledgeable of the love potion’s role in their devotion towards one another and know that their love should never have been conceived, they still have no intention of making amends while under its spell. Their attitudes here further demonstrate how strong the love potion is - it can make two people, who are otherwise perfectly capable of logical thought, completely disregard logic when threatened with being separated from their lover.
When Tristan and Yseut actually do repent, they do so immediately and to the fullest extent of their ability. This further marks not only their virtue but also the power that their love held if it was able to repress such strong virtues. I was not surprised that the two still expressed love towards one another after the artificial catalyst wore off, but I was a little surprised at their insisting that their love was never dishonorable. Do they mean that because it was the result of an honest mistake that they cannot be held completely at fault? And when they decide to tell King Mark that they never loved each other dishonorably, do they think this is true in some capacity themselves or are they aware of the blatant wrongness of this statement? In my opinion, Tristan and Yseut believe that their repentance and the accidental nature of their love absolves them of having had a truly ‘dishonorable’ love, but they still want to deceive Mark into thinking that they never had an affair because it would make it that much more difficult for them to become absolved in his eyes. Tristan also makes the point, when he is explaining their situation to the hermit Ogrin, that since they were suffering for so long, it can only be concluded that such was their destiny. The narrator similarly states that “No man can turn aside his fate” (86). If this statement is to be taken as true, then Tristan and Yseut can rightly claim that they never had a “wrongful love,” as that would be claiming that the fate designed for them by the Creator was wrong.
3) The Discovery
In the discovery scene at the bower, Tristan’s sword is put between he and Yseut. As this was the same sword that Tristan used to kill Morholt, Yseut’s uncle, it represents the force that originally should have kept them apart. Mark’s replacement of this sword with his own symbolizes the fact that he is now the main figure standing in between the lovers’ happiness. The lovers (who are fully clothed) have their arms are wrapped around each other, though their bodies and lips are not touching, Yseut is wearing King Mark’s ring and light is streaming on her face that makes her shine like glass. When Mark discovers the lover in this state, he is, as he always is, easily swayed, and believes that his indicates that they never intended to have a dishonorable love. He notices the light on Yseut’s face and says “I think it is burning her” (93). This could be a reference to burning in hell for committing sin. He then notices the ring he gave her on her finger, which is considerably thinner than it once was. This could be a reference to the theme of love being incredibly draining and destructive as much as it is rewarding. The presence of King Mark’s ring on her finger also alludes to the fact that he is the one person standing in between an honorable, healthy, fulfilling love and the deceitful love that the lovers now have. Replacing the ring with one that Yseut originally owned conveys Marks wish not to stand between what he views as an honorable relationship. The fact that the ring that Yseut was originally wearing was emerald, however, marks an even deeper meaning in the text. Emerald symbolizes successful love, so Mark’s removal of the ring from Yseut’s finger may have ironically been the symbolic destruction of the lovers’ relationship (until Mark’s discovery of them they were at least able to be together, oblivious of their hardship). I think that Mark’s pity for the lovers, rather than making him appear completely foolish, shows him to be aware of the benevolent powers present in the story. His desire to show Tristan and Yseut that they are safe from his vengeance makes me sympathize with him more than I did before.
4) The Love Potion
I think that the immediacy of Tristan and Yseut’s reactions reveals not only the great strength that the love potion had over their virtues but also how strong their virtues were to begin with. I think that many people, if put in the same predicament, would react much differently (i.e. becoming angry that they had to suffer hardship for something that was not entirely their fault and refusing to repent). What I found most interesting was the fact that their feelings towards one another do not seem to have changed very drastically; that is, they still love each other deeply, though they claim this is now an honorable love. The only thing that has changed is that their love has ‘calmed down’ enough for them to think more clearly about their situation and the effect that their actions are having on people they once held dear. It is very important to the overall message of the story, I think, that their love does not actually ware off when the original catalyst for their love ceases to play a part in the story. Up until this point, the potion has been a metaphor for true love, but there was the problem of the love being artificial. Therefore, the abolition of the potion, yet remainder of the love, brings the theme of true love down to a more relatable level. It also allows the story to progress in a way that shows further hardship on the part of the lovers: ironically, they feel just as much – if not more – hardship when they are forced to separate than when they were living their “rough and hard life” in Morrois, even though they are now allowed to live a relatively more comfortable life.
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