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Tristan and Isolde
legendary figures
Also known as: Tristan and Yseult, Tristram and Isolt, Tristrem and Iseult
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Arts & Culture
- Tristan also called:
- Tristram or Tristrem
- Isolde also called:
- Iseult, Isolt, or Yseult
Tristan and Isolde, principal characters of a famous medieval love-romance, based on a Celtic legend (itself based on an actual Pictish king). Though the archetypal poem from which all extant forms of the legend are derived has not been preserved, a comparison of the early versions yields an idea of its content. The central plot of the archetype must have been roughly as follows: The young Tristan ventures to Ireland to ask the hand of the princess Isolde for his uncle, King Mark of Cornwall, and, having slain a dragon that is devastating the country, succeeds in his mission. On ...(100 of 711 words)