Tristan and Iseult Questions 

Birta Breiðdal 

 
Chapter 1 
1. Why did King Rivalin go to Cornwall? 
King Rivalin thought it was time his fighting men were blooding their spears again so he 
called them together and sailed with them around Britain. Rivalin offered Marc a help to 
fight for Cornwall. 
2. Who is Governal? 
Governal was a young man that was supposed to teach and train Tristan, King Rivalin´s 
son. 
3. Where did Tristan go when he was 16? Why did he go there? 
Tristan had learned everything that he could learn from Governal so he had to go to 
another country to learn more. Tristan wanted to visit his mother´s country, Cornwall 
because his old nurse had told him story´s about the place.  
4. What did King Marc and Tristan think of each other when they first met? 
When Tristan first saw King Marc he knew that Marc had gift for loving and gift for 
hating and Marc thougt that to about Tristan. They liked each other for the first sight. 
Marc welcomed Tristan to his place. 
5. Why did Tristan not want the King to know who he really was? 
Tristan didn´t want the King to know who he really was because he wanted to make a 
name for himself in the world beyond Lothian.  
 
Chapter 2 True/False 
 
The Morholt was the King of Ireland - ​False 
The tribute had been paid in cabbage and cattle - ​True 
Now the tribute had to be paid in slaves - ​False 
The Morholt had a poisonous sword - ​True 
The Morholt only wanted to fight the King of Cornwall - ​False 
Tristan did not tell King Marc who he was so he would allow him to fight the 
Morholt - ​False 
The fight took place in Ireland - ​False 
When Tristan and the Morholt met, it was hate at first sight - ​True 
The Morholt offered Tristan to get away alive - ​True 
A piece of the Morholt’s sword got stuck in Tristan’s arm - ​False 
 
Chapter 3 
 
1. Who is Princess Iseult? 
Princess Iseult was the daughter of the King of Ireland. For in all the land there was 
none that had her skill in the healing craft. She had all the knowledge of physic herbs 
and their uses, the secret of spells to cool fevers and staunch bleeding, and the ancient 
magic of the healer priests that men would have called witchcraft if she had not been a 
princess. 
2. What was wrong with Tristan?  
Tristan got really sick because of the poisoned sword. He got weaker day by day and 
was near the death. 
3. What did Tristan ask for? 
Tristan asked if he could have a little boat for one, food and harp so he could sail to find 
someone that could heal him. 
4. Where did Tristan end up? 
Tristan ended up in Ireland. 
5. Why would Tristan die “if these people find it is from Cornwall that I 
come”?(p28) 
If the people from Ireland knew that Tristan was from Cornwall and killed Morholt their 
best men, then they would not try to save him. 
6. Who saved Tristan and how? 
Princess Iseult saved Tristan by making a herb drink and a healing salve.  
 
 
 
 
Chapter 4  
 
1. Why did Tristan want his uncle to marry? 
Tristan wanted his uncle to marry so he could have a son that would be a heir insted of 
him. Tristan didnt want all the hate and jelousy from people around him.  
2. He said that he would marry – but on what condition? 
He said that he would marry if he would find The Princess of the Swallow´s Hair to 
marry her. 
3. How did Tristan convince the Coast Marshal that he and his men had not 
come from the enemy country, Cornwall? 
Tristan convinced the Coast Marshal that he and his men were not from the enemy 
country, Cornwall by saying that they were selling things from Brittany. He gave him a 
gold cup that he accepted. 
4. What terrible sorrow had fallen upon Ireland? 
The terrible sorrow that had fallen upon Ireland was a fire dragon. 
5. Why did Tristan decide to try to kill(slay) the dragon? 
Tristan decided to try to kill the dragon so the King of Ireland would scarcely have them 
killed, even if he discovers after all that they were from Cornwall. 
6. What happened to Tristan’s horse? 
Tristan´s horse plunged on into the heat and the poison-fumes, and crashed against the 
spikes and iron-hard breast scales and the horse dropped death beneath him. 
7. What did Tristan do after his fight with the monster? 
Tristan turned himself to the wild and slipped into a stream of water and lay down still 
fully armed under the bank, with only his head above the surface. Cooling his wounds 
and he slipped into a deep, black nothingness, half-sleep and half-swoon. 
 
Chapter 5 True/false 
 
Iseult wanted to marry the King’s Steward - ​False 
The Steward cut off the dragon’s tongue - ​False 
The Steward said he had killed the dragon - ​True 
Perenis and Iseult found Tristan lying in a stream - ​True, but Brangian found him 
first. 
Iseult removed a splinter of iron from Tristan’s skull - ​False 
Tristan told Iseult that he had killed the Morholt - ​False 
For a while Iseult wanted to avenge Ireland’s champion - ​True 
Iseult told her father the Steward was an honest man - ​False 
Iseult told her father that she had found the true dragon-slayer - ​True 
Tristan was to stand before the Assembly and prove his right to the kill - ​True 
 
Chapter 6 
1. What did Governal find in the dragon’s lair?  
Governal found a headless dragon in the dragon´s lair. 
2. What sort of trial was the king of Ireland planning?  
It was a trial to find out who could have the princess. Stewart and Tristan had to fight for 
the truth. 
3. What happened at the Assembly?  
At the Assembly the King held a great three-yearly gatherings of his clan chieftains, and 
gave justice, and feasted the embassies of foreign lands. 
4. What did the king and Tristan decide would become of Iseult? 
The decided that the King would give Iseult to be Cornwall´s Queen. 
 
Chapter 7 
1. What happened on the journey to Cornwall?  
On the journey to Cornwall they started sailing but the weather got bad so they had to 
sail to a headland so they would not die in the storm. They waited for two days on the 
land and slept there. Tristan and Iseult told each other that they loved each other. Then 
the weather got better. 
2. Why was Tristan glad that the storm was still raging? 
Tristan was glad that the storm was still raging so he would spend more time with Iseult. 
 
 
Chapter 8 
1. What did King Marc think of Iseult when he first saw her?  
When King Marc first saw Iseult he fell right away in love. 
2. Who is Andret? What did he see?  
Andret was a nephew of the King that was jealous of Tristan. 
3. Did the king believe Andret’s story at first?  
The King did not believe Andret´s story at first, he would only believe him if he would 
see it with his own eyes. 
4. How were Tristan and Iseult able to meet after the king had found out about 
them?  
Tristan sent signs in the lake to Iseult at night, if she would see it they would meet under 
the pear tree. 
5. How were they able to trick the King into thinking there was nothing going on 
between them? 
The acted like Tristan wanted her help to ask the King if he could forgive him.