The themes of misinterpretation and passivity are intertwined throughout Beroul's text "The Novel of Tristan": characters often misread signs and events, as well as each other . There are several key misinterpretations in the story that reveal where the author's true sympathies lie. Since most of what happens to Tristan can be attributed to people or events beyond his control, he is blamed neither by the other characters nor by himself, and never takes on a truly penitent role. While this may be Tristan's love story by title, it's certainly not the character readers should empathize with. King Mark also often misinterprets circumstances, but to very different ends. His indecisiveness is endearing at times, and although he is our "hero's" enemy, his character is ultimately presented in a more positive light than the main protagonist. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayThe events that unfold in the text are rarely motivated by Tristan's hand: Tristan makes few, if any, decisions on his own. A pattern emerges in which Broul repeatedly reveals Tristan's ineffectiveness to the reader, but because the other characters in the text do not see Tristan's flaws, he remains the hero. He is in love with Isolt, but it is only because of one potion: "[t]he wine they drank, which caused them so much torment" (Broul 250) is to blame. The fact that Tristan, despite loving Isolde, can choose not to give in to her desires is never discussed. In fact, "as a symbol, the potion is entirely rude since it represents an emotion totally alien to courtly values" (Kunzer 149); the means through which Tristan finds love also cast him in a negative light. It is Governal who provides Tristan with a way to escape his execution, giving him a sword and mail and urging him to refrain from returning to save Isolde: "If his master had not urged him not to go, he would have returned in spite of everything the people of Tintagel, without fear for their lives" (Broul 238). Tristan is ready to make a hasty and unwise decision, and only stops because he is advised against it, which allows him to reunite with his lover. Subsequently, Isolt devises a plan (Broul 262) in which Tristan dresses as a leper, thus freeing them from the justified accusations made against them. Nothing that happens is Tristan's doing: he is a fugitive, at odds with his lord and uncle, but only because the king's barons are intent on destroying him out of hatred. Although they are completely within the bounds of their duties in informing the king of Tristan's illicit activities, having actually witnessed "Isolde with Tristan in a compromising position; and had several times seen them lying naked in King Mark's bed" (Broul 234) , they are cursed as "evil men". Once Tristan and Isolde become outcasts and outlaws, the lovers flee with Governal to hide in the forest. At one point, Governal beheads a baron who had been one of Tristan's enemies and brings the head to Tristan (Broul 246). When the Baron's hunting party finds him torn to pieces, they retreat to court and the incident becomes public knowledge throughout Cornwall. Broul's wording is particularly important here: he writes that the people realize that the beheaded baron was one "who had caused trouble between Tristan and the king" (Broul 246). They don't know who actually committed the murder, but since the Baron is only identified in relation to Tristan, Tristan becomes the one responsible in the citizens' minds. “All the people were afraid and avoided the forest…[they feared] that the valiant Tristanwould have found them" (Broul 246). The Baron's hunters, along with the people of Cornwall, assume that Tristan is the one who eliminated the Baron. They not only misinterpret the event, but they do not hesitate to quickly place responsibility on the most convenient head. The Baron's murder moves along the plot; with people afraid to enter the forest, Tristan and Isolde are given free rein in the area, with little fear of being discovered. However, the fact that they reside alone in the forest casts them in a rather negative light: the forest is associated with evil and darkness, and is now home to two people who, despite having won the sympathy of the population, are actually criminals. The fact that Broul uses the word "fear " to refer to people's feelings towards Tristan tells the reader how they feel about the lovers. Although people may interpret their fear as admiration for a "valiant" knight, the author describes it differently. Tristan is truly dangerous, even if he didn't commit the crime he was accused of. This is perhaps why Broul doesn't simply ask Tristan to kill the Baron: because Broul offers glimpses of Tristan's character that the other characters in the text are unaware of, the reader is allowed to be more objective when making moral judgments . Although the reader sees Tristan as inactive, the other characters in the text do not see him this way. Because of his inaction, the reader begins to see Tristan in a very negative light: “Tristan and Isold[e]'s accidental love, a feeling initially unwelcome to both, is unkind” (Kunzer 149). Love is neither welcome nor earned. According to the criteria of courtly love, man must earn affection by "purifying labor in its service... before becoming worthy and entitled to its reward" (Kunzer 142). Tristan obtains Isolde's love without any evidence in his service; basically, it's undeserving. Courtly virtues include loyalty, discipline, and patience, none of which lovers possess. Although the other characters in the text overlook his notable flaws, Tristan is loyal to no one and demonstrates notable impatience and immobility. From the beginning, King Mark is described as the opposite of Tristan: a constantly changing character: a "well-known characteristic of the king is his rapidly changing mood, the duality of his feelings" (Tyson 69). This is revealed from the first lines of the text, where we see Marco for the first time leaning against a tree, listening to the fake moans of his wife and nephew. "He was so overcome with pity that nothing could keep him from crying. His grief was great, and he hated the dwarf of Tintagel" (Broul 230). Mark is an emotional character, easily moved by feelings and passions. He is inspired to hate the dwarf within moments, despite the fact that this tiny person is only trying to help him. The reader is also aware that the dwarf is telling the truth. This tactic of revealing truths to the reader while hiding them from the characters not only creates tension, but allows the reader to recognize the characters' human folly. We immediately see that Mark is as susceptible to deception as anyone else. Like Tristan, he often makes decisions based on what others tell him, rather than his own thoughts and beliefs. He is also extremely impressionable, and the language he uses when first meeting him in the text warns the reader to be wary of this tendency. He cries, "the dwarf deceived me! He made me climb this tree and completely shamed me. He made me believe a lie" (Broul 230). The fact that someone managed to "get" the king up a tree is the first sign that perhaps the king trusts a little too much. The dwarf certainly did not force the king to believeto your information; it was freely received and believed. Mark could easily have chosen not to trust her truthfulness. Instead, he feels like a fool for believing the dwarf. Mark is very easily deceived, and although it is a flaw, the fact that he recognizes his faults makes him more likable: "[He] is himself aware that he is naive and that this compromises his judgment...he regrets having believed to be a dwarf” (Tyson 70), so much so that he vows that “[n]ever again would he distrust them because of what a slanderer said” (Broul 232). While he is sensitive to the opinions of others, when he makes judgments himself, they generally stem from pity or kindness. When Mark meets the lovers in the forest, they are not touching the bodies, they are dressed and a sword lies between them. They. Seeing this, Marco assumes that he has been wrong and that Tristan and Isolde are not really lovers; he exchanges rings with Isolde and swords with Tristan, and leaves his gloves as a sign that he means no harm to the two (Broul 249). Mark's gross misinterpretation of the situation occurs for several reasons. On the one hand, it is a technique used to delay the end of the story. Without confrontation, characters must continue to read each other's behaviors (often incorrectly) rather than duel or communicate through words. More than anything, however, Mark's interpretation of the situation is meant to show us that he has feelings - feelings that are his own and that come from true love, without the help of a potion. He admits to himself that "[n]ow that I've seen how they act together, I don't know what to do" (Broul 249). This admission is in direct contrast to Tristan's tendency to make hasty decisions without thinking or even feeling. Marco's madness is that he is human: we also see it in his sincere desire for the approval of others. He says that if he woke them up and someone was killed, “people would condemn my actions” (Broul 249). Even in the heat of passion, Mark is able to stop, change his mood, and alter his emotions. This is something that Tristan not only doesn't do, but doesn't even attempt. Mark is profoundly naive, swayed in every direction by even a mildly persuasive argument, and naively blind to the illicit love nurtured by Tristan and Isolde. Mark is also, however, an extremely understanding and kind person. He says, “I don't want them to be killed, not by me or any of my men” (Broul 248), even though he is completely within his rights to kill them both on the spot for their betrayal. “In the episode of the forest cabin, his tenderness in wanting to protect [Isolde] from the sun is evident” (Tyson 71): “he delicately positioned [his] gloves so as to block the sun's rays from Isolde's face” ( Broul 249) . Mark's misinterpretation of the scene is just that: a pure, human, naive misinterpretation. She leaves him exactly as he was before: a kind, slightly naive cuckold. When Tristan and Isolde awaken, Tristan makes his most crucial misinterpretation of a situation. Although Mark left his possessions in good will, Tristan comes to a very different conclusion. He tells Isolde that "[Mark] left us only to come back and capture us later...I'm sure he plans to capture us" (Broul 250). Tristan's assumptions are in stark contrast to Mark's comments just moments earlier. Tristan doesn't stop to think; he is hasty, irrational and does not ask questions. Why would Mark leave a sword if he came back to capture them? Why would he give Isolde his ring? Why shouldn't he kill them in their sleep, as was his right? The lovers also misinterpret Marco's character: Broul writes that they "knew that the king was of a violent nature and 20 (1981): 67-75