Q 01/05

Which color sail does the dying Tristan's jealous wife falsely claim to see in the medieval poems?

A) White

B) Black

C) Crimson

D) Purple

Answer · why

B) Black

Black meant Iseult was not aboard, but the ship really flew white, the signal that she was coming to heal him. Tristan dies of despair before she land...

Q 02/05

In Béroul's Tristan poem, a dwarf reveals that King Mark has the ears of which animal?

A) A donkey

B) A wolf

C) A horse

D) A goat

Answer · why

C) A horse

A horse is a pun on the king's own name, since marc is a Celtic word for the animal. The tale echoes the Greek story of King Midas and his donkey ears...

Q 03/05

At Pedro II's invitation, which city did Wagner consider for the premiere of Tristan und Isolde?

A) Rio de Janeiro

B) Buenos Aires

C) São Paulo

D) Santiago de Chile

Answer · why

A) Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro would have heard it sung in Italian, the language of Brazil's Imperial Opera, and Wagner even talked of settling there. Nothing came of...

Q 04/05

Which scrambled form of his own name does the wounded Tristan use in Ireland in Wagner's opera?

A) Nartist

B) Sintrat

C) Ristant

D) Tantris

Answer · why

D) Tantris

Tantris simply swaps the two syllables of his name. In the opera, Isolde recalls nursing a wounded stranger of that name and then discovering who he r...

Q 05/05

In most tellings, who provides the love potion meant for Iseult and King Mark's wedding night?

A) Her mother

B) Her old nurse

C) A court druid

D) The wizard Merlin

Answer · why

A) Her mother

Her mother, the Queen of Ireland, is also named Iseult. She meant the drink to guarantee a loving marriage, but the wrong pair shares it at sea.