ABSTRACT
In one of the best versions of the Tristan material, Gottfried von Straßburg examines throughout his entire romance how the young protagonist is exposed to many different trails, which take him often to surprising goals, but which at the end force him, together with his beloved Isolde, to leave the court of King Mark and to retire to the love cave in the wilderness. Their trail has come to an end at that point, but only temporarily, and yet, when it reappears, meaning, that when they return to the court, they run into the situation of finally having been caught in flagrante. Tristan then leaves, and the entire love story falls apart, except that Isolde stays behind, always true to her love. Tracing the lovers’ trails allows us to understand the property of their love and its ethical, moral, and even religious implications.
