Tristram and Iseult

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Page containing the first several lines of the poem
The poem's first page in the 1852 edition of Empedocles on Etna, and Other Poems

Tristram and Iseult, published in 1852 by Matthew Arnold, is a narrative poem containing strong romantic and tragic themes. This poem draws upon the Tristan and Iseult legends which were popular with contemporary readers.

Overview[]

The poem opens with Tristram upon his deathbed. The monologue of the dying man is shot through by sharp pangs of regret: centering upon his induced passion for Iseult of Ireland – inflamed by his unwittingly imbibing an irresistible love-potion.

Before his decease Iseult of Ireland arrives in time to share his deathbed. Iseult of Brittany, his lawful wife, graciously accedes to their request to be buried near each other – in a splendidly-constructed mausoleum back in King Mark's Tyntagel (sic.) in Cornwall.

Iseult of Brittany survives to raise Tristram's children in isolation. She forgives Tristram his adultery, and with delightful pathos is thankful for the years of happiness that she spent espoused to one of King Arthur's most renowned knights.[1]

Commentary[]

"[C]ritics have convincingly argued that the whole of the poem really belongs to Iseult of Brittany."[2] Arnold changed Iseult of the White Hands from a woman in an unconsummated marriage to a devoted mother. Tristan's obsession with the long-awaited Iseult blinds him to a recognition of "the redemptive power of home" so prized by Victorian domestic ideology. "The castle has warmth and love, but Tristram cannot avail himself of its gifts."[3] Yet Arnold treats this with some ambiguity. Iseult of Brittany's commitment to her role as a dutiful wife and mother can neither save her husband nor bring her happiness. "Arnold both acknowledges the appeal of the domestic feminine ideal and seriously questions the capacity of that model of femininity to sustain either a marriage or an entirely vital human self."[2]

Notes[]

  1. ^ Arnold, Matthew. Poetic Works. London: Oxford University Press, 1950. pp. 130-ff.
  2. ^ a b Ranum, Ingrid. "A woman's castle is her home: Matthew Arnold's Tristram and Iseult as domestic fairy tale", Victorian Poetry, vol. 47, no. 2, 2009, p. 403+
  3. ^ Farrell, John P., "Matthew Arnold and the Middle Ages: The Uses of the Past," VS 13 (1970) : 336

External links[]

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