How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Page)
Quote #7
'My horse is as white as flour; cover him all over so that he will not be recognized or noticed by anyone. Arthur will be there with all his men and King Mark likewise. The knights from other lands will be jousting to win renown; and for the love of Yseut, I shall make myself a quick sortie. Have the pennant which my love gave me fixed on top of my lance.' (15.128)
Since Tristan is supposed to be in exile, he cannot appear openly at the joust in Cornwall. He has Governal disguise his horse and wait in hiding with his armor so that he can take up the role of knight once his performance as a leper ends. Fixing Yseut's pennant to the top of his lance is Tristan's way of saying that he jousts for her. His identity as a knight is therefore mixed with the identity of his beloved.
Quote #8
Gawain, Arthur's nephew, said to Gerflet:
'Look at those two coming! They are riding very fast. I do not know them. Do you know who they are?' 'I know them well,' replied Gerflet, 'a black horse and a black pennon must belong to the Black Knight of the Mountain. I know the other by his bright arms: there are not many like that in this country. I know beyond doubt they are enchanted!'
[...] Indeed, they thought the two knights were phantoms.
Dressed all in black with their faces covered, Tristan and Governal manage to convince Arthur's knights that they are two other well-known knights, apparently rumored to be enchanted. They mistake them for "phantoms," or ghosts. This characterization of the two men's identities is apt, though, given that in his existence on the outskirts of society, Tristan does indeed resemble a phantom in some ways.
Quote #9
'I could always go to her in secret, or dressed like some pitiable madman. For her sake I am willing to be shaven and shorn if I cannot disguise myself in any other way' [...] He did not want anyone to think he was in his senses and he tore his clothes and scratched his face. He struck any man who crossed his path. He had his fair hair shorn off [...] He walked along looking like a fool and everyone shouted after him and threw stones at his head. Tristan went on without stopping. He walked like this through the land for many days, all for the love of Yseut. (18.153-154)
Tristan's willingness to go about as a madman, or fool, signifies his devotion to Yseut. He is willing to do anything—even change his identity—in order to be with her. Yet since only a few lines earlier, Tristan has declared that his love for Yseut makes him go out of his mind, his disguise is actually an accurate representation of the way his love for Yseut makes him feel.