Tristan

Gottfried von Strassburg’s early 13th century retelling of the “Tristan and Iseult” legend is widely regarded as one of the most important works of the German Middle Ages. Left unfinished at the time of his death and subsequently finished by Heinrich von Freiberg and Ulrich von Türheim, Strassburg’s “Tristan” is held out as one of the best examples of the “common”, as opposed to the “courtly”, version of the tale. “Tristan” tells the tale of a young Cornish knight, Tristan, who is tasked with the mission of escorting his Uncle King Mark of Cornwall’s wife to be, the Princess Iseult from Ireland. However during the journey, when the two ingest a love potion, their fortunes are sent unexpectedly in a different direction. The exact origin of this classic and tragic tale of chivalric romance is unknown and thus comes down to us from its numerous retellings, of which Strassburg’s version stands apart in its excellence. This edition follows the prose translation of Jessie L. Weston.