The Romance of Tristan, parts 7-13

The text has once again proved engaging by throwing more twists and turns at the reader; I find the most promising plot point to be the question of whether or not Tristan and Yseut are truly stopping their relationship. It appears as though Tristan and Yseut are ending their romance not because of the worn-off love potion or because of their guilt, but instead because their life together is less convenient than it could be (in which case Tristan would be knight at King Mark’s court and Yseut would live the luxurious life of a queen, which they both contemplate (96)). Furthermore, they still seem to be very loving of each other, even without the love potion: in their parting at the King and Queen’s reconciliation, Yseut begs Tristan to stay close by in the forester’s hut, referring to him as “my love” four times throughout the conversation (110); they even “looked at each other affectionately” (112) before Tristan carried out her wish of staying near to her instead of leaving (once again deceiving the king for Yseut’s sake, displaying his true priorities despite his earlier lamenting of how he “caused [King Mark] so much distress” (96)). Regardless of the fact that the love potion has finished its duration, they still appear to be in love, and are simply tired of running. I believe it is very likely that they are only manipulating everyone around them in order to return to a comfortable lifestyle whilst still continuing their affair.