This is a prominent theme running throughout the poem. Though Isolde is promised to marriage to Marke, she and Tristan accidentally drink a love poem which makes the two infatuated with the other. They then go to lengths to hide their love affair from a suspecting Marke. Eventually, Marke finds out the truth and Tristan runs away to Normandy.
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Social conventions
Having been a child born out of wedlock, Tristan has been somewhat of a black sheep his entire life. He is passed off as the son of Rual li Fointeant, in order to provide legitimacy to his name so that he is not labelled as a lovechild by society. Indeed, despite his many actions to prove himself, such as slaying the dragon in Ireland, he is still not considered to be good enough for Isolde and she is instead proposed to marry Marke. Continuously, Tristan proves himself as a noble man but this is thwarted by his caste.