The Romance of Tristan and Iseult is a powerful romance and tragic story between the warrior Tristan and princess Iseult. Tristan can beat the Irish Morholt whose kingdom was creating problems for King Mark. He then goes to Ireland to seek the fair Iseult for King Mark, who is his uncle to marry. While in the process, Tristan and Iseult accidentally take a love potion, which makes them fall in love with each other. Even though Iseult is wed to Mark, the potion drives them to seek each other secretly. The King advisors give him information about the relationship between Tristan and Iseult, but he does not discover their actions since they use trickery to show innocence. The poem goes ahead to discuss the part where the potion fades away and they are faced with a choice of whether to stop or go on with the adulterous relationship. (BĂ©dier)
The Poem of the Cid talks about Rodrigo Diaz who is referred to as the Cid’s heroic deeds to his country and religion. The poem begins where Cid is exiled since his enemies have managed to convince King Alfonso that he is not trustworthy. He is however successful in exile fighting for the leader of Saragossa in northern Spain. He can send King Alfonso generous rewards from the territories he had conquered thus he humbles himself using his messengers. The King later on calls Cid back and he begins to serve him. The Cid is protective of his family for instance when his daughters are disgraced by the Princes who married them he makes them pay for their actions. He does not mind going against King Alfonso as long as he protects the honor of his family. (Rabb)
The society in the poem reflects that they had a central leader and in this case a King. The King is the leader, no one is allowed to disobey his orders, and the rules set by the administration of the King. A person who dishonors the King is definitely punished. For example in the Romance of Tristan and Iseult, their punishment is death for dishonoring the King. (BĂ©dier)They were however able to escape and had to live in hiding in fear of the King. In the Poem of the Cid, the Cid is exiled for allegations of embezzling money from the King. He had to fight hard to get back his honor from the King and he was later forgiven. This shows a society with set standards that differentiate the subordinates and the rulers. The rulers have large masses of armies that protect the kingdom from any harm. (Rabb)
Another important aspect of the society at the time is religion. In the poem of Romance of Tristan and Iseult, there is various mention of god. The god is seen as a supreme being who is compassionate and defends the poor. The society believed that God was the judge when injustices were committed against another human and thus no deed would go unpunished (BĂ©dier). In the Poem of the Cid, the Cid when in exile prayed in the church of Saint Mary to God to have mercy on him. He is also later the same person who fought many Muslims and drove them out of their land and Christianity flourished in the region. The other incidence occurs when King Alfonso is forced by the society to swear by the holy church that he did not participate in any way in killing his brother. In this way, the society believed in God and thus religion was a very important aspect of their life. (Rabb)
Marriage was an important part of the society of the time. The daughters were privileged to have their family or leaders look for husbands for them. The married couples were expected to respect each other and immorality was not allowed. The Cid is very significant in fighting for the honors of his daughters after their husbands disgraced them. He ensured that law punishes them and that they pay for all the damages done. (Rabb) The King exiles Tristan after he was found guilty of adultery with the wife of King Mark, Iseult. Iseult had to go back to the King because it was the right thing to do since they were legally married. She had the obligation to clear her name before the counsel and promise to remain faithful to King Mark in the future. In this way, the society valued the existence of a respectful marriage between two people who had been married legally before God. (BĂ©dier)
The Romance of Tristan and Iseult is significant because of the story it tells about the two lovers. They two went through immense suffering and humiliation for each other without any regrets. Their love never died even when they were separated for long periods and they went on to seek each other. The story tells of how Iseult had everything a princess wanted but her love for Tristan made her live in sadness. They fought hard and when Tristan died, she lay next to him in grief and when she finally dies the two are buried side by side. (BĂ©dier)The Poem of the Cid is very important because it portrays a very strong hero. The Cid was a generous man and he treated everyone with compassion. He was a fair man and he proved that to King Alfonso as well as to the society. He was a hero in many battles thus becoming an honorable man to the whole society. He did not allow any injustice even from King Alfonso and he would reprimand the King if he did a mistake. The Cid did not sit around because of the favor of the King but rather worked hard for all the good things the people saw in him. This makes this a very significant work today since it shows us how true leaders should behave. (Rabb)
These works allow us to understand the value of the rules and standards in the society. Tristan and Iseult had to let go of their romance in accordance with the norms of the society. The values society holds are very important and need to be preserved for the good of everyone. The Cid was a man who did everything to regain the honor of his King. He gave gifts and offerings to the King to be able to show his humility and desire to be part of his community. In these poems, we are able to see the value of family and how it is important to protect and uphold these values. The poems have very rich cultures for their people that form the basis for their customs. Society must protect its kingdom against invasion by outsiders. The Cid fought for the Kings he served and Tristan fought for the Kingdom of his Uncle Mark. (Rabb)
There are many similarities between the two poems. Both works show how both Cid and Tristan were regarded as heroes in their communities. They both fought for their land and territory to protect their people from any harm. Both Cid and Tristan were exiled by their Kings for wronging the society. The Cid was accused of stealing from the King and was exiled and Tristan was caught for adultery and was exiled from the society. In both poems, the main characters loved their families dearly. Cid was willing to fight for his wife and daughters and Tristan was very respectful to his adopted father Rohalt and his uncle Mark. The poems differ in their themes in which the Cid poem talks about his heroism in the society while the Tristan and Iseult poem talk about their undying love among lovers. They also differ in the case where Tristan defies the King by running away with the queen while the Cid was very humble to King Alfonso at all times. (Rabb)
The interesting issue in the Romance of Tristan and Iseult is the affection the King had for his nephew Tristan. He had given word that whoever would find Tristan should take him to him dead or alive. He was very angry with Tristan and wanted to kill him. However, when he found him dead asleep with Iseult in the forest he could not bring himself to harm him. He was his own flesh and blood and he meant a lot to him and thus he just changed his sword with that of Tristan and left. Tristan awoke later and realized King Mark had seen them and he decided to return Iseult to his compassionate King. (BĂ©dier) In the Poem of the Cid, the Cid loved his family very much and when their husbands dishonored them, he punished them very severely. Cid was also a very generous man and he did not take advantage of Alfonso but worked hard to earn all his possessions.
The two poems have relevance to society today in matters of family and marriage. Today adultery in many societies is not accepted and the institution of marriage is respected. The family setting just like in the Poem of the Cid is very important and all families love and protect their loved ones. The religious aspect is also very important and this has been clearly demonstrated in the poems. The idea of religion being a personâs choice is very significant in the poems and is the case even today. Leadership is also displayed in the poems very intensely and the Kings are there to protect their kingdoms. The Kings in the poem make decisions, their word is final, and all the people are supposed to obey their orders without question. This is very relevant in modern society as leaders are the decision-makers who protect the community.
Works Cited
BĂ©dier, Joseph. M. The Romance of Tristan and Iseult.n.d.Web. 2010.
Rabb, Milner.K. The Story of the Poem of the Cid.n.d.Web. 2010.