Alongside Gawain and the Green Knight and Beowulf, Tristan and Isolde's tale of doomed love is a classic medieval story whose themes of love, betrayal, honour and courage have weathered the test of time. Modern movies, theatre and Wagnerian opera productions tell many variations of the Irish maiden who, instructed to marry another, instead falls in love with the Cornish prince tasked to bring her to her betrothed.
A love triangle with strong echoes of the Arthurian legend of Queen Guinevere and Lancelot, Tristan and Isolde is heavily linked to many branches of Celtic legend, from Irish lore to the Welsh Mabinogion and, with Tristan taking part in the Quest for the Holy Grail, in the epic tales of Arthur too.