Love and Hate

Chapter 1: Tristan Meets Isolde.

When our story begins, King Anguish is the king of Ireland, and King Mark is the king of Cornwall. Ireland is a bigger country than Cornwall, and so every year King Mark must give money to King Anguish's brother, Morold, and his men. One year, King Mark is late with the money. Morold is angry when he comes to Cornwall for it.

"The money for my brother is late," he says, "so this year you must pay more."

Tristan, King Mark's nephew, is angry with Morold.

"You must fight me," he says, "before you can take the money."

Morold fights Tristan. Morold's sword has poison on it, but Tristan kills him. Morold's men take his dead body home. Now Cornwall and Ireland are at war. Tristan's wound does not get better. His servant, Cervinal, puts him in a boat, and they go to look for help. They go across the sea to Ireland. There, Tristan meets Isolde, the daughter of King Anguish.

"What's your name?"

she asks. He doesn't give his true name to her.

"Trantris," he says. When Isolde sees Tristan's wound, she wants to help him.

"Drink this," she says, and she gives him a potion. With her potions, Isolde makes Tristan better. At the same time, they fall in love. But one day, Isolde is looking at Tristan's sword. A little piece of it is missing. She goes and finds a little piece of a sword. It comes from her uncle Morold's dead body. It is the missing piece from Tristan's sword. "So he isn't Trantris.

He's Tristan, my uncle's killer," she says. At first, Isolde is angry. She wants to kill Tristan. But she's in love with him, so she says nothing to her father. After some time, Tristan goes back to Cornwall. There he tells King Mark all about Isolde.

"She's beautiful," he says. King Mark wants peace with Ireland.

"Tristan," he says, "I must marry Isolde.

Go back to Ireland and bring her to me." Tristan goes back to Ireland. But he isn't happy. Peace with Ireland is important. But Tristan loves Isolde. And he wants to marry her. He doesn't want to get Isolde for his uncle.

Chapter 2: Love and Hate.

In Ireland, King Anguish listens to the message of peace from King Mark.

"And so, my uncle wants to marry Isolde," says Tristan in the end. King Anguish thinks carefully about King Mark's message.

Then he says, "You're right.

Take Isolde to King Mark.

When they marry, our two countries can be at peace." Isolde doesn't want to marry King Mark. But she is a good daughter. And so she says goodbye to her father. That afternoon, Isolde goes sadly on to Tristan's ship with her maid, Brangwain. Isolde loves Tristan. And she wants to marry him. In his heart, Tristan loves Isolde too. But she must marry his uncle. He knows that. And so he is cold and unfriendly to her.

When the ship is out at sea, Isolde tells Brangwain, "Bring my potions to me." The potions come from Isolde's mother. Brangwain brings them at once. Isolde takes two bottles from the box.

"This bottle with a heart is a love potion," she tells Brangwain.

"I must drink it when I marry King Mark.

And this black bottle is poison."

"Poison?" says Brangwain. She is afraid.

"Tristan doesn't love me now," Isolde says angrily. "He's taking me to Cornwall.

And there I must marry his uncle." She gives the black bottle to Brangwain.

"Put this in a cup for Tristan.

I want to kill him," she says. Brangwain is afraid.

"Perhaps Isolde wants to die with Tristan," she thinks.

"What can she do?" Tristan comes and speaks to Isolde.

"Thank you for looking after me in Ireland," he says.

"I don't understand," she answers.

"Why are you cold and unfriendly with me now?"

"I'm sorry," says Tristan.

"But you must marry my uncle.

So our old love is impossible."

"I hate you," says Isolde angrily.

"Then kill me," says Tristan.

And he gives his sword to her.

"No, not with your sword," says Isolde. Just then, Brangwain brings a cup to Isolde. Isolde gives the cup to Tristan.

"Drink this," she says. Tristan takes the cup and begins to drink. He is ready to die. But before he can finish the potion, Isolde quickly takes the cup from his hand. She drinks from it too.

Chapter 3: Isolde's Wedding.

Suddenly, Tristan and Isolde's hearts are full of love again.

"I love you," says Isolde.

"And I love you too," says Tristan. They kiss.

"What's happening?" asks Isolde.

"It's the work of the love potion and not the poison, my lady," says Brangwain.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry, Brangwain," smiles Isolde.

"I feel happy because my heart is full of true love for Tristan again."

"Cornwall!

We're arriving in Cornwall!"

cries Curvanal. Tristan and Isolde can see King Mark's castle up on the hill.

"Oh no, Tristan.

What can we do?"

cries Isolde.

"Now I must marry your uncle." Tristan takes Isolde into the castle.

"Welcome to Cornwall, Isolde," says King Mark.

"Tristan, you bring my new wife across the sea from Ireland to me.

Thank you, my nephew." Tristan looks at Isolde and their eyes meet. They feel bad. The next day is King Mark's wedding day. Isolde marries the king, but in her heart she doesn't love him. She loves Tristan. At the wedding feast, Isolde calls Brangwain to her.

"Brangwain, you must help me after the feast," she says.

"Of course, my lady," says Brangwain. King Mark is drinking with Tristan and Tristan's friend, Melot. The king is very happy. Later, King Mark and his new wife Isolde leave the wedding feast.

"Good night, Tristan.

Good night, my good friends," says the king.

"Good night, Tristan," says Isolde quietly. King Mark and Isolde go to the king's room. Brangwain goes with them. In the king's room, Isolde gets ready for bed.

"Brangwain," says Isolde, "put out the torches for us."

"Yes, my lady," says Brangwain. In the dark, Brangwain goes to the king's bed, and Isolde leaves the king's room.

Chapter 4: Melot Is Not a True Friend.

Tristan is a good singer, and he plays the harp well. All the ladies in King Mark's castle like him a lot. King Mark likes Tristan a lot, too. They often hunt together. At the castle, Melot is Tristan's best friend. But Melot is not a true friend. He is jealous of Tristan.

"Everyone loves Tristan," he thinks, "but I don't.

I hate him." When King Mark meets his lords in the castle, Tristan often meets Isolde in the garden. They walk and talk and laugh together. Melot watches them. When King Mark is hunting, Tristan often meets Isolde in the castle. He plays the harp and sings to her. Melot watches them there, too. After some time, Melot goes to the king.

"Be careful, King Mark.

Tristan and Isolde are in love," he says. The king doesn't believe Melot's stories.

"Tristan is my good nephew.

He looks after Isolde when I'm busy.

They aren't lovers.

You're wrong," he says. One evening, Melot is in the garden near Isolde's room. Isolde is talking with Brangwain, and Melot listens.

"King Mark is busy tonight, Brangwain," says Isolde.

"He's hunting with his lords."

"Is Tristan coming to your room, my lady?"

asks Brangwain.

"Of course," says Isolde. "Brangwain, put out the torch by my window and give him the signal."

"Yes, my lady," says Brangwain. She goes and takes the torch from Isolde's window. At the same time, Tristan is looking out of the window in his room. He sees Brangwain at Isolde's window. She puts out the torch.

"Good," thinks Tristan.

"I can visit Isolde now." Tristan goes quickly to Isolde. They kiss when they meet. Melot sees Tristan and Isolde together. He watches their kiss.

"I must tell the king about this."

He thinks.

Chapter 5: Melot Tells the King.

Again, the king does not believe Melot's story.

"It isn't true," he says. "Tristan is my nephew, and he loves me."

"You're lying."

"You don't believe me, my lord?

I can see," he says.

"So, shall we test your nephew?"

"Test Tristan," says King Mark.

"Yes, my lord," says Melot. And he tells his plan to the king. Some days after that, King Mark and Isolde are eating in the early evening.

"Isolde, I'm hunting with my lords tonight," says the king.

"We want to hunt all night.

And we're coming back to the castle early tomorrow morning."

"Good night."

"Good night, my lord," says Isolde. And she kisses the king. The king rides out of the castle with twelve of his lords. Melot is riding next to him. Later that evening, Isolde speaks to her maid.

"Brangwain, the king is busy tonight.

Put out the torch.

I want to see Tristan."

"Don't call Tristan tonight, my lady," says Brangwain.

"I don't trust Melot."

"What are you saying?" cries Isolde.

"Melot is Tristan's good friend.

Put out the torch, I say."

"No, my lady," says Brangwain. And she runs from the room. So Isolde puts out the torch and waits for Tristan. When Tristan arrives, he and Isolde kiss. Suddenly, Tristan's servant, Carvanhal, arrives.

"The king!

King Mark is coming!"

He cries. Just then, Melot, the king, and his lords arrive. They aren't hunting all night. They are back at the castle early.

"You see, my lord, I am right about Tristan," says Melot with a dark smile. King Mark speaks sadly to Isolde.

"How can you do this to me?

You are my wife.

I am your husband." Isolde says nothing to him.

Then, King Mark says to his nephew.

"Tristan, how can you do this to me?

I am your uncle and your king."

"I don't know," says Tristan sadly.

"But I am ready to die for it."

"And I am ready to die with you," says Isolde. And she kisses Tristan in front of King Mark.

"Lovers forever."

Angrily, Melot stabs Tristan in the back with his dagger. There's poison on it. Tristan falls, but Carvanhal helps him.

"Take my nephew away from here forever," cries King Mark angrily.

"I never want to see him again." Isolde cries and cries, but she can do nothing for her lover. Carvanhal takes Tristan away in his ship. After some time, they arrive in Brittany. There, the daughter of King Howell of Brittany looks after Tristan. Her name is Blanche. Soon, Blanche falls in love with Tristan. But Tristan cannot forget his love for Isolde. He thinks about her all the time. After many months, the wound from Melot's dagger does not get better. Tristan calls Carvanhal and gives a letter to him.

"I can't live without Isolde.

Take this letter to her," he says.

"I'm asking her to come here to me.

And Carvanhal, can you do something when you come back?" asks Tristan.

"Of course, my lord," says Carvanhal.

"What is it?"

"With Isolde on your ship, put up a white sail," says Tristan.

"Then I can know the good news at once when I see the ship far away.

Without Isolde on your ship, put up a black sail."

"Yes, my lord," says Carvanhal. At the door of the room, Blanche listens carefully to Tristan's words. When Carvanhal arrives at King Mark's castle in Cornwall, he speaks with Isolde and gives Tristan's letter to her. Isolde reads the letter.

"Isolde, my love, only you can help me," it says.

"Please come and save me with love from your Tristan." Isolde goes at once and speaks with her husband, King Mark.

"Your nephew Tristan is dying," she tells him.

"The wound in his back is full of poison from Melot's dagger.

Only I can save him.

Can I go to him?" The king loves his wife Isolde very much, but in his heart he also loves his nephew Tristan.

"Yes, Isolde, you can," King Mark says sadly.

"Go to him and help him.

You must save him." Some days later, Carvanhal's ship arrives in Brittany. A shepherd on the hill near King Howell's castle sees it and cries.

"A ship!

A ship!" In his room in the castle, Tristan hears the shepherd's cry. He is very ill and he can't get up from his bed.

"Go to the window," he tells Blanche.

"What can you see?"

Blanche goes to the window and looks out.

"I can see a ship," she says, "and it's coming nearer and nearer."

"Are the sails white or black?" Tristan asks her. Blanche remembers Tristan's words to Carvanhal. She sees the white sails on Carvanhal's ship, but she is jealous of Tristan's love for Isolde.

"The sails are black."

She lies.

"Oh no, I can't believe it.

She isn't coming," cries Tristan. Suddenly, he sits up in bed, puts his hand to his heart and dies. Blanche runs from the room, afraid. Just then, Isolde arrives with Carvanhal and Brangwain. She sits on Tristan's bed and takes him in her arms, but he is dead and she cannot save him now. With a cry, Isolde's heart breaks and her dead body falls next to Tristan's. Carvanhal and Brangwain bury Isolde next to Tristan. From Tristan's grave, a white rose grows, and from Isolde's grave, a red rose grows. The roses grow together. Tristan and Isolde are dead, but their love lives forever.