Monday, October 4, 2010

Can one Love so, as to transcend Death?

In the Spanish lyrics Herido esta Don Tristan, Tristan and Isolde’s, or here Iseo, love surpasses all and neither of the lovers are willing to let Tristan’s demise keep them apart. Iseo goes to her lover when she hears of his fate and weeps bitterly over him, covering his death bed with tears of mourning and kissing him sweetly. This portrayal of such complete love for someone shows a side of Arthurian legend that is often left out in the old days, the side of compassion and true feeling for another person. Might it be of interest that this fate was brought on from the root of Arthurian writings, the battling aspect. But one must also take into account the way the outcome of these so-called acts of heroism affect the ones who love their knights so deeply. The ladies that are not willing to let their lovers go, even in death. Iseo does not let her lover’s death keep her from being with him as long as she possibly can be. If only there were more thought put towards reason than pure malice, would Tristan have ended up with such a fate as death by a poisoned lance thrown by the hand of a jealous king? I wonder how the king feels to make Queen Iseo weep so? Perhaps had he listened to the voice of Reason that speaks wisely and not brashly like the voice of Jealousy, this tragedy could have been avoided. But for how long? As it is a knight’s duty to bring himself in harms ways for the betterment and protection of his people. It is his chosen path and though Iseo may weep so due to the cruel hand of the King, it may have been that someone else’s cruel hand would have given him the same fate. But would it have been such a tragedy, had it been done by another knight? I believe it especially stings because the King acted out of ill will, as a way to stop the lovers. But no mortal can stop a love that transcends through death, such that Tristan and Iseo share.

1 comment:

Isolde said...

I agree with you Marie de France, this act was done out of pure Jealousy and King Mark acted out of sorrow for his lost love. However, I do not think that if the King were to have acted out of Reason the outcome would have been different, for I betrayed his trust and honor, for that I believe he would have acted this way no matter what. This does not mean that I do not feel great pain and longing for my Tristan, Oh! how I've wept for his love and affection.

What I have not mentioned though is the white lily bush that grew from my tears. Which reminds me of the moral lesson of some fairy tales I have heard as a girl. Interestingly there is a leap from our story of our love living on, but also that of a kind of warning or lesson and so is told through my own ill fate for loving too deeply or betraying King Mark?

I do not know, but I do know that the author of this poem will have many and many of hardships as a single mother.