A Review of Canterbury Tales: The Clerk's Tale

There is, at the west syde of Itaille, 

Doun at the rote of Vesulus the colde,

A lusty playne, habundant of vitaille,

Wher many a tour and toun thou mayest biholde,

That founded were in tyme of fadres olde,

And many another delitablr sighte,

And Saluces this noble contree highte.

 In the prologue to the Clerk's Tale, the host calls upon the shy scholar to speak and that this is not the time to study. The host also tells the scholar not to preach the tale. The scholar submits to the will of the host and goes on to tell a story about a scholar.

 In the tale, a lord lives happily with his comrades. This lord's name is Walter. Walter is suggested by his subjects to take a wife so as to preserve his bloodline. While he appreciates their support he trusts in God to preserve his bloodline. He then says he will choose a wife for himself. Part I of The Clerk's Tale ends shortly thereafter. 

 In Part II of the Clerk's Tale, the story really begins to take function. Near the lord is a small village with poor folk. The poorest of all men in town had a daughter names Griselda. 

 Griselda is virtuous and fair, having known hard life well. A virgin, she has a firm and mature heart. Griselda cares for her old father and she often watches sheep while spinning. She is a most hard worker. 

Walter often looks upon Griselda when going hunting. He decides if ever he weds it will be to here. He then prepares for the wedding day as many wonder who the bride will be. 

 Griselda is unaware of the wedding party that is bring prepared for her while she simply draws water from the well. The lord stops by her home and asks where her father is. Griselda tells him that her father is inside. 

 Janicula, is the name of the old man that is Griselda's father. He is asked by the lord to have Griselda as wife. Janicula says the lord may do as he pleases. People come to the house meanwhile, to see how Griselda takes care of her old father. The lord proposes to Griselda and she agrees to be his wife. He calls upon the people to love her. 

 Griselda is dressed by the lord's maidens in fine clothes. Her gracefulness then makes her former life seem unknown. She marries the lord and then later gives birth to a daughter from his seed. 

 So ends Part II of The Clerk's Tale.

 In Part III, Walter reminds his wife of her lowly origins and says that some of his subjects find it hard to submit to one born in a poor village. His words are actually out of care for the image of his wife and daughter rather than arrogance of himself. Little does she know, that her husband is also putting her to the test.  He tells her he must do with his daughter was is best. Walter has his sergeant seize the child from its mother. Despite being sad, Griselda doesn't cry but trusts her lord's will. She begs to kiss her child before its death, which she is granted. She then prays over the child as she commends her babe to God. She requests the sergeant to bury the child where no beasts or birds go. The sergeant doesn't give her an answer as he takes the child away. 

 The sergeant tells the lord of Griselda's wish. The lord fills pity on the child but is determined to carry out his will. The lord then reveals his actual plan, which is to send his daughter to his sister at Bologna. He threatens the sergeant to tell this to no one or he will be having him beheaded. The sergeant carries out his lord's wish as Walter returns to his wife to find her still being kind to him. So ends Part III of The Clerk's Tale.   

 In Part IV, four years have passed. A young boy was born of the parents and the country rejoiced in this. The boy is two years old at the beginning of the tale. The lord then commands his son to be taken from his wife. She submits again to her husband as the sergeant takes her son. In fact, the older she gets, the more she loves her husband. 

 The lord gets permission from the pope to not only proclaim his marriage dissolved but also allows Walter free to marry another. Griselda felt sad when she heard this but was submissive to his will and desire. 

 Secretly, the lord calls for his children to be brought back to him without anyone knowing whose father they are. He has it proclaimed that the girl will marry The Marquis of Saluzzo (whom is him). The girl is taken with her brother to meet him for wedding. Thus ends Part IV of The Clerk's Tale. So ends Part IV of The Clerk's Tale.
 In Part V of The Clerk's Tale, the lord sends his wife back to her father. Her father comes to regret the day of his own existence, and even curses it. That's a brief summary of this section of the tale. So ends Part V of The Clerk's Tale.

 In Part VI of The Clerk's Tale, Walter tells Griselda that he is about to be married. Griselda replies that she loves him. 

At the feast for the coming wedding, Walter asks Griselda what she thinks of his bride to be. Griselda praises the girl and wishes for her prosperity. However, she asks Walter to not treat the young maiden as he has treated other maidens since those born in such wealth could not take on such affliction as the poor can. Walter sees her patience and lack of envy against his person. He then says he knows her true faithfulness just before he kisses her. He proclaims that he has never loved another wife! Walter then goes on to tell how the children at the court are really their own. Griselda then cries as she embraces her children and kisses them. Griselda cares not now if she dies now that she knows her children are alive. The day ends on a happy good note. The children of Walter and Griselda go on to have happy lives.  

 The purpose of the story in the end according to Petrarch is not for wives to have complete submission to their husbands, but that we should be like Griselda in our good will despite anything God allows us to see or live through. That is the core moral of the story. Thus ends Part VII of The Clerk's Tale. 

A song follows Part VII of The Clerk's Tale which speaks of Griselde being dead

  

My thoughts? This is in many ways a Cinderella story. A poor girl gains the attention of a noble lord. The girl is a hard worker like Cinderella, as well as busy keeping her home.

 There are morale values here too that I picked up from the text including that beauty is more than wealth or noble birth. Also, purity does eventually pay off. 

 The Clerk's Tale may not be the most exciting story ever but it levels several morales thanks to the wits of Geoffrey Chaucer. Chaucer's stories are full of interesting characters and unexpected plot twists. Some have considered Chaucer greater than Shakespeare, I personally concur. Chaucer has always been the greatest writer of English Literature. He also, probably always will be. You can't read English Literature without reading Chaucer.