Tristan

Gottfried von Strassburg, believed to have died around 1210, is renowned for his adaptation of the Tristan and Iseult legend, the Middle High German courtly romance “Tristan.” The work, comparable with the “Nibelungenlied” and Wolfram von Eschenbach’s “Parzival,” is a narrative masterpiece of the German Middle Ages. The work later inspired Richard Wagner’s opera “Tristan und Isolde.”

Little is known about Gottfried’s life except for his association with Strasbourg where he probably held significant municipal office. His honorific of “Meister” and not “Herr”, and his somewhat critical view of knightly accomplishments, indicate that he was unlikely to have been a knight.

Gottfried’s education appears to have been extensive, and given his deep knowledge of Latin literature and rhetoric, was likely of a monastic nature. He demonstrated a detailed understanding of music and hunting, showing a greater inclination towards medieval humanism than the chivalric tradition. Influences from contemporary Christian mystics, particularly Bernard of Clairvaux, are evident in his work.

The earliest manuscripts of “Tristan” displaying Alsatian dialect features, support his connection to Strasbourg. His writing style is marked by complex rhetorical structures and sophisticated use of literary devices including rhyme, alliteration, and assonance. His use of irony, possibly to veil social critique, is a notable aspect of his work.

Gottfried credited Thomas of Britain’s “Tristan” as his source, claiming it presented the story correctly. Despite the fragmentary nature of what remains of Thomas’s work, it’ is clear Gottfried expanded and refined his source material. The work spans 19,548 lines, primarily in rhyming couplets. The prologue is in quatrains, with acrostics revealing names related to the poem.

In his so-called literary excursus within “Tristan”, Gottfried critiques and praises contemporary poets, marking the first instance of literary criticism in German. He lauded poets such as Reinmar von Hagenau and Walther von der Vogelweide for their musicality, a feature of his own style, while subtly criticising the obscurity of that of Wolfram von Eschenbach.

“Tristan” ends abruptly, and based on accounts by Ulrich von Türheim and Heinrich von Freiberg, who provided their own conclusions to the story, Gottfried died before its completion. A more authentic conclusion than theirs is however offered by the extant later fragments of Thomas’s work.

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