How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Page)
Quote #1
The three barons came into the room, angrily they took Tristan in his bed. Because of his prowess they had begun to hate him, and also the queen. They abused her and threatened her. They would not rest until justice was done. (3.64)
This passage raises an interesting question: is justice really justice when it is undertaken out of spite? The barons are technically within their rights to insist that Tristan and Yseut be prosecuted for treason, but they do so not out of an impartial love for justice, but out of hatred for Tristan and jealousy of his prowess. It may not be fair to call prosecution undertaken with such motives "justice."
Quote #2
They could see Tristan's leg bleeding. 'This is only too clear proof. You are guilty,' said the king, 'you will only waste your time trying to defend yourself. Tristan, you may be sure that you will be put to death tomorrow.' (3.64)
The medieval justice system had no concept of "innocent until proven guilty," and even if it did, we have to admit that the evidence against Tristan—blood all over Yseut's bed and the floor around it, plus a bleeding wound on his leg—is pretty incriminating. (But hey, they could just have been jumping on the beds, right?) The ultimate word on guilt or innocence is not a jury, but the king. This means that the quality of justice depends on the king's powers of reason and judgment. That means the king is more than just another human being influenced by selfish motives. People think that he is divinely appointed and that he possesses appropriate powers for his office because of his divine ordination.
Quote #3
So great was his trust in God that he firmly believed that, if he were allowed to defend himself, nobody would dare take up arms against him. He counted on being able to defend himself in combat. (3.65)
The kind of trial Tristan is after is not a trial-by-jury; he wants a trial-by-combat in which he pits his armed strength against the skills of a knight representing those who accuse him of a crime. The thinking goes that God will allow the innocent to prevail in such a trial. Of course, Tristan knows he is not innocent, but he places just as much faith in his superior knightly skills as he does in God. His certainty about his ability to prevail reveals the flaw in the trial-by-combat system.