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L'amour, la jalousie et la mort

Le roi Gurman a demandé à ses hommes de préparer son bateau royal, car il a accepté de donner sa fille en mariage au roi Mark de Cornouailles. Avant le départ du navire la reine Isaud avait préparé une boisson d'amour pour le roi Mark et la nouvelle reine Iseult . Mais plus tard, une catastrophe s'était produite!  Maintenant, nous allons découvrir ce qui est arrivé!

That night Queen Isaud called her daughter’s servant and gave him a bottle of red wine. Then the queen talked secretly to the servant and informed him that she had prepared a love drink so King Mark and her daughter should drink the wine on the wedding day. She also added that the wine would make them love each other strongly and forever until the ending of the world.  However she warned the servant not to allow anybody else to drink from the wine.  In the early morning, the ship left Ireland and sailed straight towards Cornwall. Tristram and Iseult spent many hours together speaking and laughing. In the meantime, the servant felt asleep so he went to his room and lay on his bed. After a while, Tristram saw the bottle of the wine so he invited Iseult for a drink.  That time both Tristram and Iseult drank from the wine and immediately began to love each other. When the ship reached Cornwall, King Mark welcomed cheerfully both Tristram and Iseult. After a short period, he married Iseult. But Iseult did not forget her lover Tristram; in fact they met many times in a small forest just near the castle. At first they thought that no one saw them but people began to talk about their illegal relationship. Immediately, and when the news reached King Mark he called both Tristram and his wife, then with a displeased face he  ordered Tristram to leave his castle as soon as possible. He also decided to send Iseult to a nunnery so she would never see a man’s face again. All the knights and their ladies in King Arthur’s hall remained silent, then everybody heard Sir Lancelot crying. King Arthur stood up and asked the minstrel how  he knew that sad story! The tears began to fall from the minstrel’s eyes as he informed King Arthur that he was Tristram of Lyonesse. Later King Arthur asked Sir Tristram to stay in his castle and become one of the Knights of the Round Table. So Sir Tristram spent a great deal of time in Camelot and he did many good actions. But he did not forget Iseult the Fair, in fact he wanted to see her again. After several years, Tristram married a beautiful lady named Iseult of the White Hands. They spent many years together ; Tristram did not love his wife but he respected her. In fact he was still loving Iseult the Fair and even his wife Iseult of the White Hands knew his love story. King Mark died several years later, but Tristram was not able to see Iseult the Fair because he was married to Iseult of the White Hands. One day, Tristram was seriously wounded by a poisoned spear during a fight with a strong knight.  Shortly later, Tristram called his servant and informed him that only Iseult the Fair could heal his injuries because her mother Isaud had taught her how to heal poisoned wounds. Then he ordered him to go and look for her. He also asked him to raise a white sail on his ship if she accepted to come, or a black sail if she refused. Iseult of the White Hands heard her husband’s speech, and then she felt jealousy in her heart.  When the servant finally found Iseult the Fair he informed her about Tristram’s story so she agreed to help him and they sailed back to Lyonesse.  Tristram became very sick in fact; he was not able to rise from his bed, so he asked his wife if she saw any ship come along the shore! Iseult of the White hands looked out from the window and saw a ship with a white sail on the sea. But because she was jealous she said that the colour of the sail was black. When Tristram heard that news he turned his face and died. Later, Iseult the Fair entered his room but she found him dead without any movement so she knelt down and she died too. Tristram and Iseult were buried together in one grave. Later Iseult of the White Hands planted two roses on the grave. With the passage of  time the two roses grew together and became one. To be continued/ À Suivre

Characters

Personnages

Iseult of the White Hands: A beautiful maiden, also the wife of Sir Tristram Iseult aux Blanches Mains: Une belle jeune fille, aussi l'épouse de Tristram

Illegal relationship: Relation illicite	A displeased face: Un visage mécontent	The tears: Les larmes	A white sail: Une voile blanche
A black sail: Une voile noire	To plant: planter	The shore: Le rivage

Beginners
English exercise "Love, jealousy and death" created by matrix_hamdi (02-08-2009) with The test builder
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-'That night Queen Isaud called her daughter’s servant and gave him a bottle of red wine' Then, what did she inform her daughter's servant about? The queen informed her daughter's servant that she had prepared a love drinkshe had prepared a white wineshe had cast a love spell.
-'However she warned the servant not to allow anybody else to drink from the wine' In your opinion, why did the queen warn the servant not to allow anybody else to drink from the wine? In my opinion, the queen warned the servant not to allow anybody else to drink from the wine because it was poisonedit had been especially prepared for King Mark and her daughterit was unhealthy.
-'After a while, Tristram saw the bottle of the wine so he invited Iseult for a drink' What did happen when both Tristram and Iseult drank from that bottle of wine? When both Tristram and Iseult drank from the bottle of wine they immediately fell dead on the tableimmediately began to love each otherimmediately felt asleep so they went to their beds.
-'When the ship reached Cornwall, King Mark welcomed cheerfully both Tristram and Iseult. After a short period, he married Iseult' After this marriage, did Iseult forget about her lover Tristram? Yes, she did!No, she did not!More over they met many times in a secret forestNo, she did not!But she was not able to meet him again.
-'People began to talk about their illegal relationship. Immediately, and when the news reached King Mark he called both Tristram and his wife' So, what did King Gurman order Tristram to do? King Gurman ordered Tristram to leave his castle as soon as possibleto return back to Irelandto commit suicide.
- What about his wife Iseult! Did King Gurman forgive her? No, he did not! Instead he decided to send her to a nunneryNo, he did not! He ordered his guard to kill herYes, he did! Because he was a white hearted man
-'Tears began to fall from the minstrel’s eyes as he talked to King Arthur' What did the minstrel inform King Arthur about? The minstrel informed King Arthur that he was Tristram of Lyonessehe was Iseult's servanthe was King Mark of Cornwall.
-'After several years, Tristram married a beautiful lady named Iseult of the White Hands' Did Tristram forget about his first love Iseult the Fair? No, he did not!Yes he did! But he wished to meet her againNo, he did not! He met her many times secretly.
-'Iseult of the White hands looked out from the window and saw a ship with a white sail' When Tristram asked his wife to tell him what colour the sail was, did his wife tell him the truth? No, she did not! She informed him that the sail was blackNo, she did not! But she informed him that the sail was whiteYes, she did!
-'Tristram and Iseult were buried together in one grave' After the death of Tristram and Iseult the Fair, what did Iseult of the White Hands do? she planted many red roses on the graveshe planted one rose on the graveshe planted two roses on the grave