Tristan and Iseult

Cultural

Two lovers in the legends of Britain and Ireland. A common version of their story is that Tristan brought the maiden Iseult from Ireland to Britain to be the bride of his uncle, King Mark. On the voyage they drank a potion that made them eternally in love with each other. When King Mark learned of their love, he banished Tristan. Tristan sent for Iseult as he was dying, but she arrived after his death and died herself beside his corpse.

Example Sentences

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English Heritage said plans for its "outdoor interpretation scheme" received planning permission last year, and include plans for "several artistic installations inspired by the legends of Merlin, King Arthur and Tristan and Iseult".

From BBC • Mar. 18, 2016

It’s like the medieval legend of Tristan and Iseult, except with ugly people.

From Salon • Mar. 14, 2015

Undated clip of Birgit Nilsson performing the Liebestod Tristan und Isolde is based on the Arthurian legend Tristan and Iseult, a favourite romance in early medieval French poetry.

From The Guardian • May 22, 2013

Tristan and Iseult were also favored by scores of poets, including Chaucer, Matthew Arnold, Swinburne, Tennyson, Hardy, Edwin Arlington Robinson and by Composer Richard Wagner, who built the legend into an opera.

From Time Magazine Archive

The characters of Tristan and Iseult are primarily taken from a French legend.

From The World's Great Men of Music Story-Lives of Master Musicians by Brower, Harriette

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023