Free «Differences between Tristan and Isolde’s Story and Film» Essay

The film Tristan and Isolde is a true event and romance based on a story of Isolde and Tristan written during the medieval period under King Arthur’s reign. The story is an influential tragedy and romance excerpt, which has been retold in many different variations. It is about an adulterous love affair between Tristan and Isolde. In the story, Tristan and Isolde fall in love with each other upon accidentally drinking a portion of love. After this, they cannot manage to live without one another. However, after some time, the portion partly abates. Therefore, all versions of this legendary story revolve around themes of romance, love, and political loyalty coming into conflict, but these themes as portrayed by the various versions emerge differently using characters bringing out different meanings altogether in line with the modern times.

The film in essence has dropped the love portion out entirety with the names of all the main characters changed. For example, from the story excerpts, a character Morholt, in the medieval tales, engages in a duel with Tristan to gain Cornwall’s freedom. Tristan kills Morholt and, therefore, wins this battle, but a poisoned spear wounds him with no one to assist him in Cornwall. The film has different versions of the incidents from those narrated in the story. In the latest version of the film, Lord Marke raises Tristan who is a Cornish warrior upon the death of his parents. When he grows older, he engages in a fight with the Irish Morholt, whom he defeats. In the process, however, he is poisoned, and this poison dulls his senses. His colleagues believe he is dead, so he is sent off using a boat for his body to be cremated.

One fantastic aspect regarding the film is the director’s choice of portraying King Mark as a sympathetic character. In the legend of King Mark, he is portrayed as a tyrant and a cruel old man who forced Isolde into acts that were against her will. Tristan and Isolde often appear in Arthurian story in the same context. The movie has given the characters a refreshing twist whereby Marke is portrayed as a gentle lover, friend, and close confidante to Tristan.

Hollywood has managed to foul an exceedingly good story making it quite different from what the story was. The film director, Kevin Reynolds has given the romance story together with the characters an identity and a life of their own. The modifications done in the movie likely suggest that the movie director intended to produce the movie for a teen-based audience. The film story does not revolve around violence and sex but rather emotion and action. Reynolds in the film maintains focus of these episodes to where it is most essential without bringing out intense moments. The fight choreography and the battles leave something to think about. Solid acting covers the lackluster skirmishes during the sequences making the film more of a love story rather than a war movie as it is shown in the legendary storyline.

In conclusion, different people have told Tristan and Isolde story with a similar storyline talking of love, romance, and political loyalty. The film and the original story have the same storyline, but the film has changed the name of the characters and modified some excerpts to make it more appealing to the modern day audience. However, it ceases from being a war movie and is being seen as more of a love story essential for the modern audience or family view.