History Literature / TristanAndIseult

* PortmanteauCoupleName: In-universe. Iseult's brother Alcardo renames himself Lantris after the two greatest knights in the world, Tristan and Lancelot.

* MeaningfulName: Tristan's name is explained in-story as derived from the French "triste", meaning "sad" or "sorrowful". In reality, it's derived from the Pictish name "Drystan" (latinized "Drustanus").

%% * EverythingsBetterWithPrincesses

%% * DeathByDespair

* ArrangedMarriage

* DeathByDespair

* EverythingsBetterWithPrincesses

* LovePotion

* KickTheDog: Tristan manages to convince a neighboring king to part with a prized "fey dog" whose fur changed color and wore a magic bell. The net effect is to act as a CareBearStare that can cheer up anyone, which was for the king his sole comfort. So Tristan gives it to Iseult to help console her during his absences. The little dog comforts her... and she kills it, because she prefers to be in anguish over his absence than have a moments comfort.

** Mark also gets a rather literal one: after Tristan and Iseult have run off together, he tries to hang Tristan's dog

* WeCouldHaveAvoidedAllThis: In some versions, Tristan wasn't even aware of Iseult's feelings, and would have remained so if he hadn't been [[LovePotion thirsty]].

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There may have been a historical basis to the legend, but it was largely the invention of medieval [[ChivalricRomance romancers]], who also decided that Tristan should be a Knight of the Round Table, as this was the proper place for talented knights who had affairs with their queens (''cf''. Lancelot and Guenevere). There are numerous versions of the legend, almost none of which end happily. It has spawned poems, plays, opera and even a [[TristanAndIsolde recent film]].

* PortmanteauCoupleName: Iseult's brother Alcardo renames himself Lantris after the two greatest knights in the world, Tristan and Lancelot.

* OneSteveLimit: Ther is another Iseult. [[spoiler: She marries Tristan and often brings about his death]]

* OneSteveLimit: [[spoiler:Another Iseult marries Tristan and often brings about his death]]

* ShroudedInMyth: There is a 6th century pillar in Cornwall bearing a Latin inscription that translates in English as "Here lies Drustanus son of Conomorus, with the lady Ousilla". In at least one medieval source, Mark is identified with Conomorus.

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* ShroudedInMyth: There is a 6th century pillar in Cornwall bearing a Latin inscription that translates in English as "Here lies Drustanus son of Conomorus, with the lady Ousilla". In at least one medieval source, Mark is identified as Conomorus.

* ProtagonistCenteredMorality: Tristan and Isolde are guilty of horrible crimes by Medieval standards -sleeping with the king's wife is a blatant case of treason. Yet it is the baron's of king Mark, who correctly suspects the adultery, whom the narrator refers to as "traitors" -because they are loyal to their king and try to catch the protagonists for a crime they did and continue to do. Also, then the "traitors" demand that Isolde to through and ordeal to prove her innocence she avoids lying by a clever technicality (ExactWords) and God himself covers for her by miraculously letting her hold red-hot iron without hurting her hands.

There may have been a historical basis to the legend, but it was largely the invention of medieval [[ChivalricRomance romancers]], who also decided that Tristan should be a Knight of the Round Table, as this was the proper place for talented knights who had affairs with their queens (''cf''. Lancelot and Guenevere). There are numerous versions of the legend, but this troper could find only one that ended happily. It has spawned poems, plays, opera and even a [[TristanAndIsolde recent film]].

* OneSteveLimit: [[spoiler:Another Iseult marries Tristan and often brings about his death]]

There may have been a historical basis to the legend, but it was largely the invention of medieval romancers, who also decided that Tristan should be a Knight of the Round Table, as this was the proper place for talented knights who had affairs with their queens (''cf''. Lancelot and Guenevere). There are numerous versions of the legend, but this troper could find only one that ended happily. It has spawned poems, plays, opera and even a [[TristanAndIsolde recent film]].

''Tristan and Iseult'': the OlderThanPrint tale of two StarCrossedLovers, namely Tristan/Tristram, a Cornish knight, and Iseult/Isolde, an Irish princess. Although she is married to his uncle, a series of mishaps generally involving a LovePotion cause them to fall hopelessly in love. Emphasis on hopelessly. Various shenaningans ensue until their eventual, inevitable and very tragic deaths.

* TogetherInDeath: [[spoiler:In many versions, a hazel tree springs from Tristan's grave and a honeysuckle twines around it from Iseult's grave. Aww.]]

* AcceptableTargets: Iseult is saved from being burned at the stake by virtue of a group of lepers [[AFateWorseThanDeath offering to "abuse" her.]] They get killed by Tristan.

** Although, include secondary characters in amorous pursuit of one or the other titular characters such as [[spoiler:Iseult White Hands, Palomides, Bellise, a Steward, Karhedins]], and you have yourself a LoveDodecahedron.

* MeaningfulName: Tristan's name is aptly derived from the French "triste", meaning "sad" or "sorrowful".
** Unless it's merely a corruption of the Pictish name "Drustanus".

* TearJerker: Pretty much the entire main plotline. Reading this story for the first time had this troper crying for ''hours'', and depressed for days afterward.