Everyone is in Cornwall enjoying (enduring) the hospitality of King Marke.  Luckily for the lovestruck one-time enemies, a hunting party is taking place and they’re pretty sure they can get away with a secret tryst.

Isolde and Brangäne remain in the castle and, when Isolde puts out the burning brazier, it will be Tristan’s signal to come to her for some more love chat.  Isolde is pretty impatient, but Brangäne warns her that Melot, one of King Marke’s men has spotted Tristan and Isolde exchanging dough eyed looks and knows something is going on.  Isolde is too randy to heed the warning and extinguishes the fire.

Brangäne leaves them to it as Tristan arrives.  They finally have a chance to properly declare their love for one another.

It’s a lot of talking.  They call for the night Tristan has a rant against daylight, crying out that it is only at night that they can truly be together. Then together they realise the truth that only the long night of eternal death can truly unite them.

As things go on, and beautifully on, the day starts dawning. Brangäne calls out to the saucy pair that day is coming and they need to wrap it up, but they seem  incapable of paying attention.

As the sun comes up, Melot leads Marke to where the lovers are canoodling.

Marke is understandably upset, but, strangely, not just at his nephew Tristan, but also at Melot for betraying said nephew.

Tristan accuses Melot of also loving Isolde which leads to a big fight.  It’s al getting a bit hot and bothered when Tristan throws aside his sword, allowing Melot to fatally wound him.

Act Three

Tristan is back in Brittany with faithful Kurwenal, where a shepherd is piping a doleful tune.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfi0CjsNBTY

He is dying.  Kurwenal tells the shepherd boy that the only thing that might bring him back to life is Isolde’s arrival.  Tristan wakes up and laments his fate…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHDhJDCr_Ko

He cheers up when he finds out his best beloved is on her way…then get’s sad again and muses on the sad shepherd song that is playing and was playing at the deaths of his parents.

Suddenly the shepherd changes his tune to announce the arrival of Isolde’s ship. Kurwenal rushes to get her, but all in vain.  Tristan gets over excited, rips off his bandages in delirium and dies crying out his lovers name just as she gets there.

Then another ship appears on the horizon; it’s Marke, Melot and Brangäne.  Kurwenal thinks this is dreadful news and launches an attack on Melot to avenge Tristan.  They manage to kill each other even though Melot was only coming to apologise.

Marke and Brangäne arrive at the scene of Tristan’s death and Marke reveals that he now knows everything and had actually come to give his blessing to the lovers.  Isolde wakes briefly, then dies: but not before singing the Liebestod, a stunning aria about her vision of Tristan risen from the dead….here it is…gorgeous!