Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Themes and bias in Tristan

The Romance of Tristan is an interesting story to follow. Its engaging yet it contradicts itself often enough that I find myself alienated from the text. It constantly talks of God but only in favor of Tristan and Yseut, anyone opposing them is apparently to be damned even though they are adulterous and arguably traitors to their king. Yet all who opposed them are deemed evil connivers, and no matter how great or how many their sins Tristan and Yseut are always "in God's favor. "Cursed be all such magicians! Whoever would have thought of such wickedness as this Dwarf did? May God curse him!"(The Romance of Tristan, Beroul pg 61). Another prevalent theme is the class association of good and evil, Tristan, born of noble blood, is better than all the students around him rises to the top of society where lepers are used as a personification of evil. The class system also is shown with the servitude of Governal and Brangain. As simply servants they live only for their noble masters and even when faced with death Brangain chooses to defend her master and though by this she is further enabling Yseut and Tristan's sin.

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