Drink Me
by Jianna Palladini
In both The Mortal Immortal, by Mary Shelley, and Tristan and Iseult, the famous Celtic legend, characters learn the consequences of abusing magical potions that promise them what they imagined to be a long-desired love. Though written centuries apart, common themes can be found in both stories and in English literature in general, such as love, magic, and tragedy. Both narratives help audiences ponder the thought that, perhaps, an unfavorable reality is better than we interpret it to be, as meddling with destiny may lead to disaster.
Magic potions, specifically, have been a common literary element throughout history. In Alice in Wonderland, Alice drinks the magical potions that make her shrink in size, leaving her utterly incapable to escape the parlor and enter the garden. Ariel, in The Little Mermaid, drinks a serum that promises to give her legs allowing her to meet Prince Eric on land, but that it robs her of her beautiful voice. More often than not, these promises of a better tomorrow lead to a worsening today.
In Tristan and Iseult, Iseult of Cornwall and Tristan unknowingly share a love potion, given to Iseult by her mother to be had with Mark, whom is Tristan’s royal uncle. As if this love triangle is not complicated enough, Tristan is then banished from his uncle’s kingdom, forcing the lovers to meet in secret. After some time, Tristan settles with another woman in a neighboring Kingdom, ironically also called Iseult, but of the White Hands. After being wounded in battle, Tristan accepts his mortality and upcoming death, sending for Iseult of Cornwall to heal him and raise the white sails of her ship upon her arrival so that he may know she has arrived. If she would not return to him, he requests black sails to show him her decision to stray. Being too sick to observe the sails upon the ships arrival, Tristan asks Iseult of the White Hands which color the sails displayed, to which she replied “black” out of jealousy, killing him due to unrequited love. Upon Iseult’s of Cornwall’s arrival to shore and discovery of Tristan’s death, she too dies of heartbreak (Bédier).
The Mortal Immortal shares its own form of heartache, as well. Winzy, a man who has lived for 323 years, loses his lover, Bertha, to a fellow man of the community with worthy means and a good reputation. Hoping to win her back by financially proving himself, Winzy accepts an occupation under Cornelius Agrippa, an alchemist working on a potion with power unknown to him. In a desperate attempt to escape the pain of love, Winzy drinks the elixir, thus causing him to become immortal. Bertha returns to Winzy, and as the time progresses, his age does not. This odd phenomenon puzzles Bertha, whom demands to know why he has not physically aged. Moving away from the town so they cannot be recognized, Winzy eventually admits his decision. The couple must deal with what fate has allowed, and the youthful appearance that Winzy maintains throughout the decades. Fate slowly drives them mad, as Bertha passes and Winzy is left with forever (Shelley).
Potions, magic, and spells create situations inconceivable to real life circumstances, which readers have proven to gravitate towards. According to a study done by Midnight Publishing, the number-one selling literary genre is Fantasy and Science Fiction, both of which are found in the stories of comparison through the existence and effects of the magic potions (“Top Three Best-selling”). The magical aspect they bring to literature allows readers to fantasize a world unfamiliar to them, distancing themselves from all they know, yet allowing them to incorporate parts of the stories into their own realities. The power of fantasy and fairytales are so prominent in literature, regardless of time or geographical location it’s presence cannot be ignored. Due to this unstoppable popularity, unearthly power is quite the common theme in fictitious works.
The potions previously discussed are a heroic aspect of the stories, in some ways. Without the mystical liquid, the couples’ love might not have been found or pursued. The outcome of the love stories without the fantasy drinks are unknown; however, viewers can assume that if their presence had not been made, the love might not have been found. Perhaps love, even lost love, is worth the agony.
With that thought in mind, the elixirs also brought death, torment, and pain to the abusers. Had Tristan and Iseult never consumed their romantic drink, Tristan might not have been banished, married Iseult of the White Hands, nor would the lost lovers have died of anguished heartbreak. In comparison, had Winzy not swallowed the poison, he and Bertha might have found their love naturally, and lived out the remainder of their lives together in the community in which it first blossomed. In both literary scenarios, the potions saved, and tortured the characters affected by its strength; however, it is up to the distinction of the observers to decide whether or not the decisions made were the correct ones.
An interesting aspect to these stories, their themes, and the magical components of their writings is the massive age gap between them. Tristan and Iseult was written in 12th century England. During this time, Henry I’s death occurred, and anarchy arose in England. King Arthur is a prominent symbol and character in English folklore and writing, and mathematics changed the course of Europe’s development (“12th Century History”). In comparison, The Mortal Immortal was written in 19th century England. Around this timeframe, the industrial revolution was reinventing life as the population once knew it: The Great Reform Bill had just been passed, changing Parliamentary representation, the Napoleonic Wars had just ceased, railways were opening for passenger purposes, and female and child labor became prominent (Lambert). Clearly, the two stories were written in different times of English history.
Fantasy and love, though not always romantic, are an unarguable prose in English literature. Some of the most famous English works of all time, such as Beowulf, The Lord of the Rings, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Macbeth, and Harry Potter contain endless amounts of fictitious ideas: magic, spells, and evil monsters lurking in the shadows. On the contrary, protagonists are all fighting against, or with, these mystical monstrosities in search of something, whether it be love, pride, revenge, or themselves. Magic gives power to the weak, inspiring those readers that may feel that magic, what some may refer to as “literature,” is the only way out of very real-life situations. This common theme is not only found in the titles mentioned, Tristan and Iseult, The Mortal Immortal, and undefinable amounts of other books and stories, but in the hopes and dreams of those writing and reading the pages bringing the magic to life.
There is a purpose to these commonalities: the power of subjectivity, and the desire for love. Taking a step back from the mystical components of these works, readers can understand that these stories would still be perfectly sound if the potions were eliminated. Tristan still could have fallen madly in love with Iseult, been denied of his dying wish, and perished without knowing of his reciprocated desire. If Winzy had not absorbed the elixir, Bertha could have returned to him purely out of passion, and they could have lived happily ever after, rather than regretful evermore. Perhaps the purpose of the potions is to leave the interpretation of “what if” up to the observer, allowing readers to apply the lessons learned through the literature to their own lives.
Works Cited
Bédier, J. “THE ROMANCE OF TRISTAN AND ISEULT.” Translated by H. Belloc, The Romance of Tristan and Iseult, BALLANTYNE, HANSON & Co., 3 Dec. 2004, www.gutenberg.org/files/14244/14244-h/14244-h.htm.
Lambert, Timothy. “19th Century Britain.” 19th Century Britain, Localhistories.org, 2019, www.localhistories.org/19thcentengland.html.
Shelley, Mary. “The Mortal Immortal.” The Norton Anthology of English Literature. the Romantic Period, edited by Stephen Greenblatt, Third ed., D, W.W. Norton & Co., 2012, pp. 1036–1046.
“Top Three Best-Selling Book Genres of All Time.” Top Three Best-Selling Book Genres, Midnight Publishing, 8 Feb. 2018, midnightpublishingllc.com/top-three-best-selling- book-genres-of-all-time/.
“12th Century History.” 12th Century History, Intriguing History, 2019, www.intriguing- history.com/time-and-place-2/12th-century-1100-1199-ce/.
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