Yolanta

Yolanta is a 13th-century Latin drama play attributed to the medieval poet Heinrich von dem Türlin. The play is a verse romance consisting of 1850 lines, and its content revolves around the classic story of Tristan and Iseult, two lovers from Celtic mythology.

The play's narrative is an expanded and dramatized adaptation of the original Tristan legend. Yolanta's authors extracted elements from various French and Italian sources, reformulating the story into a cohesive and engaging work of literature. The play's structure follows the traditional medieval narrative pattern of a quest for glory, featuring a protagonist lost in a world of love and chivalry.

One of the distinct features of Yolanta is its extensive use of ekphrasis, or the vivid description of scenes and their circumstances. This creative literary device makes the reader feel like an observer within the story, heightening the emotional connection with the characters. Furthermore, the play employs various rhetorical devices, such as anaphora, where phrases or words are repeated at the beginning of successive clauses, and allusion to biblical and secular themes.

The significance of Yolanta lies in its comprehensive representation of the Tristan and Iseult legend during the High Middle Ages. Not only does it showcase an enduring mythological story but also highlights the evolving nature of literary expression. The play transcends regional and linguistic boundaries, rendering its themes and elements relevant to the successive literary traditions.