Tristan and Isolde have an affair despite Tristan being married to White Hands. Tristan is wounded in battle and only Isolde's healing powers can save him. Caerdin is sent to retrieve Isolde but White Hands lies and tells Tristan the sails are black, indicating Isolde cannot come. Upon hearing this, Tristan dies of grief. When Isolde arrives and finds Tristan dead, she too dies of a broken heart.

1. Tristan
Chapter 30: The Wedding

2. Tristan dithers and rationalizes over
whether or not to marry white hands

3. Because he is
lonely – and a bit
angry – he
proposes to white
hands.

4. The wedding is planned

5. The wedding takes place

6. But the wedding night goes awry…
Tristan has imagined
sexual satisfaction.

7. when he saw Isolde’s gold ring on his
finger

8. Although he tried to be strong
He couldn’t do the deed.

9. White Hands is not
pleased.

10. But Tristan tells her he has a painful old
groin injury

11. Chapter 31: Cariado

12. The last Isolde had heard of Tristan, he had
been wounded fighting a giant in Spain

13. Count Cariado comes to woo Isolde

14. Cariado tells Isolde that Tristan has a wife
Isolde tells Cariado
she despises him.
Isolde is in despair.

15. Chapter 32: The Hall of Statues

16. Tristan captures a giant and orders him to
carve statues inside a cave

17. The statues are of Isolde and Brangane
Tristan often goes
into the cave and
hugs the statue of
Isolde.

18. Mark suffers, Isolde suffers, Tristan suffers, and
Isolde of the white hands suffers.
Who suffers the most?

19. Chapters 33-40

20. Chapter 33: The Bold Water

21. Tristan, Caerdin and White Hands ride to a
festival

22. When crossing a stream, water splashes
high on White Hands’ thigh

23. White Hands laughs

24. Caerdin wants to know the reason for her
laughter
He threatens to
withhold his love if she
refuses to answer.

25. White Hands tells her brother the truth:
She laughed because the bold water traveled
higher up her thigh than the hand of a man—
including her husband—had ever reached!

26. Caerdin is shocked
Angry at this affront to
his family
honor, Caerdin
demands an
explanation from
Tristan.

27. Tristan doesn’t use the “groin injury”
excuse
He tells Caerdin he
loves a far more
beautiful Isolde.
Caerdin demands
proof.

28. Chapter 34: Tristan’s Return

29. Tristan takes Caerdin to the Hall of Statues
He points out
Brangane to
Caerdin, then hugs
the statue of Isolde.

30. Caerdin falls in lust with Brangane
Tristan promises Caerdin he
shall “have” Brangane, and all
is forgiven.
Family
honor, apparently, doesn’t
matter all that much, to
Caerdin…

31. Disguised as
pilgrims, Tristan
and Caerdin
head to England.

32. They spy on Mark’s retinue
Caerdin agrees
that Isolde is
more beautiful
than his sister.

33. Caerdin takes Tristan’s ring to Isolde

34. Isolde tells Caerdin she will sleep at the
next castle

35. Isolde feigns illness, and sleeps in a
chamber near the forest

36. Tristan and Caerdin sneak into the
chamber and join Isolde and Brangane
A night of revelry
ensues, though Brangane
slips a magic pillow under
Caerdin’s head that makes
him fall asleep early…

37. No nookie for Caerdin that night, and the
next, but
Caerdin gets teased and is
really bummed, so
Brangane takes pity on
him the third night.

38. Warned of the approach of
enemies, Tristan and Caerdin flee in
such a hurry they cannot take their
horses

39. Chapter 35: Brangane’s Revenge

40. Carido and his men find the horses

41. When the pages run, Carido assumes the
runners are Tristan and his pal

42. Carido tells the ladies their lovers are
cowards
Brangane is really angry, and curses both Tristan
and Isolde. She brings up the fact that Isolde
once ordered her killed.
Brangane vows revenge.

43. Brangane threatens to tell Mark all
She will recommend
he cut off Isolde’s
nose.

44. Brangane tells Mark that Isolde is in love
with Carido!
Mark vows to rid the
court of Carido.
Mark orders Brangane
to watch Isolde 24/7.

45. Chapter 36: Reconciliation
Tristan disguises
himself as a leper and
heads back to Mark’s
court.

46. (warning: tacky leper cartoon)

47. Tristan follows Mark and Isolde into the
chapel

48. At first Isolde is disgusted by the leper

49. Then she recognizes the bowl as belonging
to Tristan
Brangane watches as
Isolde gives the leper
her gold ring.

50. Furious, Brangane orders the leper
removed from the chapel
Distressed and weeping, Tristan languishes
under an old stairway in the castle yard.

51. The porter’s wife finds Tristan

52. The porter rescues Tristan and sends a
message to the queen
After much begging, Isolde convinces Brangane
to visit Tristan.

53. Tristan tells Brangane Carido lied;
Brangane, reconciled, brings Tristan to
Isolde

54. Tristan and Isolde enjoy a night of passion

55. At dawn, Tristan leaves the court and sails
back to Brittany, where White Hands has
been pining in his absence

56. Chapter 37: Tristan returns again
Queen Isolde sorrows after Tristan leaves.

57. She wears a leather corselet as penance
and punishment

58. Isolde sends a fiddler
to Tristan to tell him
how she suffers.

59. Tristan grows melancholy; he must see this
corselet

60. Tristan and Caerdin set out for England
disguised as penitents

62. The court is
holding a
tournament.

63. Tristan wins all the contests

64. Caerdin comes in second

65. A friend recognizes Tristan and provides
horses for his escape

66. Caerdin kills Carido

67. Pursued, Tristan and Caerdin escape back
to Brittany

68. Chapter 38: The Poisoned Spear
Back in Brittany, Tristan
and Caerdin happily
amuse themselves
with
hunts, tournaments, a
nd many visits to the
statues.

69. While hunting, they come across a knight
who calls himself “dwarf Tristan,” who is
searching for “Tristan the amorous”

70. Dwarf Tristan is depressed, as his mistress
has been stolen by Estult l’Orgillus

71. Estult keeps the lady captive in his castle

72. Tristan offers to set out early the next
morning
Dwarf Tristan accuses Tristan
of being an imposter—the
real Tristan would
understand love and
sorrow, and would not delay.

73. Tristan sends for his arms and rides off
with Dwarf Tristan

74. The haughty Estult and his six brothers
engage the two Tristans in furious battle

75. The seven brothers are slain, but so is
dwarf Tristan
And Tristan is
wounded in the loins
by a poisoned lance.

76. Tristan makes it home, but the venom
spreads
Many doctors try
to help, but
nothing works.
Tristan swells
up, turns
black, and stinks.

77. Chapter 39: Caerdin’s Mission
Tristan and Caerdin
consult about what to do.
White Hands, fearing
Tristan has decided to
become a monk (!), listens
in.

78. Only Isolde can cure Tristan’s groin wound
Caerdin sails to go get her.
He takes the ring.
He must return within 40
days, and if Isolde
accompanies him, put
white sails on the ship. If
she cannot come, then
black sails will be the
signal.

79. Caerdin sails for England
Meanwhile, White Hands now knows all and
seethes with anger.
She takes care of Tristan, but plots revenge.

80. Caerdin, disguised as a merchant, gives the
news to Isolde

81. Brangane and Isolde sneak off in the night
and sail on a fast ship

82. Chapter 40: The Death of Tristan and Isolde

83. Tristan, dying, waits for Isolde

84. First storms, then lack of wind delay the
ship

85. Finally, White Hands tells Tristan she has
seen her brother’s ship

86. She lies, saying the sails are black
Tristan says “Dearest
Isolde” three
times, then dies.

87. Isolde, anxiously waiting on board the
ship, sees land, but also hears the toll of a
bell

88. As Isolde races to Tristan’s bedside, the
Bretons are struck dumb by her beauty

89. Isolde goes to him, lies down beside
him, kisses him, and dies

90. Thus, Tristan dies for love, and Isolde for
tenderness and pity