Medieval adultery, part 2 (with Kat Tracy): Tristan and Iseult and a late twelfth-century "National Enquirer" story

'tis but a scratch: fact and fiction about the Middle Ages

This is the second of a three part series with my very special co-host, Dr. Larissa 'Kat' Tracy, about adultery in the Middle Ages. In the previous episode, Kat and I talked about the Lancelot and Guinevere story. In this episode, we tackle the other great medieval tale of adulterous love, Tristan and Iseult. We begin, however, with a possible contemporary historical analogue, a scandal involving Countess Elizabeth of Vermandois, wife of Count Philip of Flanders, and a very unfortunate household knight. If true, the adultery of the countess and the vengeance taken by her husband emphasizes the difference between literature and reality--but, the "if" is very much in question.
In the third and concluding episode, we will look at how the stories of Lancelot and Guinevere and Tristan and Iseult have been used in modern literature and movies.
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This episode includes an orchestral snippet of Arturo Toscanini conducting the Liebestod from Richard Wagner's opera "Tristan und Isolde" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBFcDGTzgAI)

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Intro and exit music are by Alexander Nakarada
If you have questions, feel free to contact me at [e-mail]