The Clerk's Tale - Chaucer

The Clerk's Tale was a very engaging and well written writing about a very interesting story. Walter was the lord who was looking for a wife because his people insisted that he get married before he died and there was no heir. He insisted that he would get married as long as they left it up to him to pick the lovely woman he would marry. Sure enough, he found a woman.

"Griselda, he said, you shall understnad well that it pleases your father and me that I should wed you; and it is also possible, as I suppose, that you will grant it."

Griselda, a beautiful woman in a poor household, agrees immediately. Walter has her dressed in beautiful clothing, people will never notice the poor household that she came from. They begin to love each other more and more.

"Not long after this Griselda was wedded, she bore a daughter..."

And this is when things started to go "downhill." Walter begins to treat his lady with such disgust. I really did not like this part of the reading because of the actions that Walter was taking over his woman, who naturally just obeyed whatever he demanded immediately. He demanded that his daughter be taken away from her by an officer and brough back to him. When the officer brought his daughter to him, he decided to have the officer brought to Walter's sister in another town. He would keep her there and have his sister raise his daughter. But, this is not what his wife thought. She thought he was taking her away to kill her and she would never see her again.

"And with a calm face she said this little child in her bosom, and she then blessed it, lulled it, and afterwards kissed it."

And that was a final kiss her to daughter goodbye. At this point in the story, I was infuriated with the actions of the husband. I mean, how could he just command to have his daughter taken away and not tell his wife where she is going?!? And why did the wife just obey whatever her husband commanded of her?!? I just did not get it. But the story repeated itself after she got pregnant with a second child, her son. Walter repeated his actions from before and had his son sent away to his sister as well.

Walter was trying to test his wifes love and trust for him. And he wasn't done yet. He convinced her that he had a new wife that he was going to get married to. He sent her back home to her fathers home, where she grew up. Not long after she was there, he asked her to return to help set up for the wedding, since she knew exactly what he loved. But then again, there was another turn in the story...

The lord says to his wife, "Griseld, he said, by God Who died for us, you are my wife, nor have I another, nor ever had, so God save my soul! This is your daughter whome you supposed to be my wife; the other, in faith, shall be my heir, as I have always intended."

Griselda was beyond relieved and happy. She grabbed both her children and hugged and kissed them until she fell to the ground.

This story was SO interesting and intriguing to me. Walter was beyond controlling and demanding of his wife in the beginning, which I really did not like. But, as I read on through the story and realized his reasoning of testing his wife's love for him, it made more sense. I really enjoyed the ending and I was extremely happy that they were all brought back together as a fmaily!