Page 119 - DENG405_BRITISH_POETRY

British Poetry

Notes (VI) The Countess of Panago arrived at Saluzzo from Bologna with Griselde’s two children. Walter
sent a message to Griselde that he would be married soon and wished for Griselde to plan the
ceremony; patiently, Griselde agreed and began to make the arrangements. When the people saw
the new wife, they thought, for the first time, seeing her riches and the stately procession, that
Walter was right to change his wife.
As the party sat down to dinner, Walter called Griselde into the hall. When he introduced Griselde
to his new wife, she pleaded with him not to treat the new wife as unkindly as he did her (not to
“prikke with no tormentynge / This tender mayden”) but meant no malice in her words.

Self Assessment

Short Answer Type Questions:
1. On which two Italian classics is the Clerk’s tale based?
2. Which two genres are represented in this story?
3. How does Walter use public opinion to persuade the pope to grant nullification of his
marriage?
4. Why does Walter not allow the people to select his wife for him?
5. How is the hearer intended to respond to this tale?
At that, Walter kissed Griselde and claimed that she had always been his wife. Griselde stood,
astonished, like someone who had woken from a sleep. Walter then revealed to her the actual fate
of her two children - the supposed new wife was actually Griselde’s daughter. Griselde fell down in
a swoon, and, on awaking, called her children to her, where she kissed them and held them so
tightly that they could not tear the children from her arms. The ladies took her into her chamber,
and took her out of her poor clothing, replacing it with a “clooth of gold that brighte shoon”, and a
coronet on her head. The two lived happily ever after, and, eventually, the son succeeded his father
after his father’s death, and was kind in marriage.
This story, the Clerk then continues, is not told so that wives should follow Griselde’s example in
humility-it is impossible that they would. Every person, however, should try to be constant in
adversity and in the face of God, like Griselde was to Walter: this is why Petrarch wrote the story.

People under God must live in virtuous patience, accepting whatever will God serves
on them.

However, the Clerk continues, it were very difficult to find even two or three Griseldes out of a
whole town of people nowadays. If you put them to the test, their “gold” has been so mixed in with
“brass” that the coin would snap rather than withstand the pressure. For which reason, for the love
of the Wife of Bath (whose sect God maintain “in heigh maistrie”), the Clerk continues, I will now
sing a song to gladden you.

13.1.3 Lenvoy de Chaucer

Griselde is dead and her patience is too, and both of them are buried in Italy. No wedded man should
try his wife’s patience in trying to find Griselde: he will fail. The Envoy continues to address “O noble
wyves”, advising them not to nail down their tongues in humility, or Chichevache will swallow them
whole. Follow Echo, that held no silence, and take on the governance yourself, the Envoy continues,
and use the arrows of your eloquence to pierce your husband’s armor.

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