Tristan and Iseult

5 hrs. 35 min.

Romance & Prose

Language Russian

Author Joseph Bédier

Narrator Stepan Starchikov

Description

Probably the most famous love story after “Romeo and Juliet.” The world-famous “Romance of Tristan and Isolde” won popularity through a stylized retelling by the French writer Joseph Bédier (1864–1938).

The romance of Tristan and Isolde goes back to an ancient Celtic legend from the famous Cycle about King Arthur. The legend tells of the love between the knight Tristan and the wife of the Cornish king, the beautiful Isolde.

To bring the bride to his king, the young knight Tristan goes to a foreign country. He is enchanted by his future queen—and she by him—but both must sacrifice their feelings to duty. However, an accidentally drunk love potion awakens in Tristan and Isolde a passion—reckless and boundless. The heroes understand the illegality and hopelessness of their love. Their lot is an eternal return to each other, joining forever in death. From the graves of the lovers, a vine and a pink bush grow—blossoming forever, arms around each other.

The irresolvable conflict between feeling and duty, loyalty and treachery, the fatal accident that leads to a tragic ending—all this makes the heart beat as if we hear this sad story for the very first time. For centuries, this plot has inspired poets and musicians, including unknown monks and trouvères, as well as masters such as Walter Scott, James Joyce, and Richard Wagner.