Tristan and Isolt - Beroul

During the reign of Henry II an Anglo-Norman minstrel arrived in Cornwall from his native France, earning his living by entertaining and by bringing news from lands afar to that wild and isolated land. On his travels he became so intrigued by a story often told by the local people that he decided to write a poem about it. The story that so excited his imagination became perhaps the earliest recorded version of the tale of Tristan and Iseult. The minstrel was Beroul and, even though it has been told in countless forms and guises through the centuries, this story still remains one of the greatest love stories ever told. The tale of thwarted love, of Tristan ...  Read the complete review

#What is a myth? A myth is a story, a symbolic fable, simple and striking, summarizing an infinite number of more or less similar situations. It translates the rules of a social group or religious: its origin must be obscure. #The myth of Tristan and Iseult falls under the rules of the knighthood. The myth is set in the 12th century during a time when the elites make a vast effort of setting a social and moral order. #In this context the loves of Tristan and Iseult and especially their life in the forest of Morois seems a pure scandal for this 12th century society. They have a wild life, far from the ideals of the society and ...  Read the complete review