The Clerk

The Clerk is a poor student, studying philosophy. He looks little and dresses poorly having spent all his money on books and study. He rarely speaks but when he does his words are very wise and virtuous.

Test Questions

"Save one thing, lordè, if it your will be,    

That for to be a wedded man you lest;     

Then were your people in sovereign heartès' rest" (Chaucer 110-113).

1. Why, according to the text, did Walter all the sudden agree to get married?
    A. To save his wealth and image
    B. To put the society at ease
    C. To impress Walter's father
    D. To create more freedom for himself, giving her more responsibility
    E. He was forced to become married

"That he ne might out of his heartè throw 

This marvellous desire his wife t'assay;    

Natheless, God wot, he thought her for t'affray" (Chaucer 453-455).

2. Of the following, which best describes what the passage above means?

    A. God was upset at their marriage

    B. Walter was unhappy with Grisleda

    C. Walter is afraid of his actions, because he is aware that God is always watching

    D. Griselda was showing uncommitted signs 

    E. Walter will now test his wife, and God will be the judge of how she reacts

“His eyen two, and wondereth that she may  

In patïencè suffer all this array;      

And forth he goes with dreary countenance,  

But to his heart it was full great pleasance” (Chaucer 669-672).

3. In other words, what is the text above saying?

    A. Both Walter and Griselda are suffering

    B. Walter enjoys putting reason on Griselda to suffer while he tests her loyalty

    C. Griselda secretly is not suffering, and Walter can see that

    D. Walter is confused as to if his wife is even suffering from his tests

    E. Walter suffers with Griselda no matter how many pleasant things occur in his life

Symbol

“Till death do we part” We Choose the Marriage license as our symbol because it represents the love that a women has for a man, along with promises made, in the Clerks Tale Griselda does whatever she can for her husband because of a promise that they had made, even if it was the most outrages thing to have to do.

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.usavsus.info/Images9/MatrimonyCertif1M.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.usavsus.info/MarriageLicenses-TheRealTruth.htm&usg=__g_YBVUIloOvhEP4eFXG5OHD4HYQ=&h=768&w=1024&sz=250&hl=en&start=32&sig2=9uBLwkdvUDCv2VW-nvMUqQ&zoom=1&tbnid=qiNgl3WlM1CNQM:&tbnh=156&tbnw=208&ei=sao0TavRA8HZgQeI4qmNCw&prev=/images%3Fq%3DMarrage%2Blicense%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26biw%3D1366%26bih%3D667%26tbs%3Disch:10,771&um=1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=200&oei=p6o0Tfr7MYT48AaM4pHMCA&esq=2&page=2&ndsp=20&ved=1t:429,r:16,s:32&tx=3&ty=44&biw=1366&bih=667

The Clerk’s Tale Analysis

The Clerk’s Tale is a story of a man named Walter who refuses to get married until the people of his realm convince him that he must be married in order for him to have a son to carry on his heir. He agrees to marry a woman but only on his terms and his conditions. He remembers that there is a poor man, named Janicula, who has a daughter; and though as yet a girl of tender age, yet in the breast of her virginity there was a ripeness, serious and sage (Chaucer 327). He asks for her hand in marriage and she agrees to marry him and obey everything that he ever tells her to do. After they are married, he decides he will test her and see how dedicated she truly is. Griselda, the wife, gives birth to a daughter and Walter tells her that he is going to kill the child, she agrees that this is okay because she obeys everything her husband says. He really doesn’t kill the child though, he sends her away. A few years later she gives birth to a son. Walter, repeats the same scenario that happened with the daughter. Then he divorces Griselda and takes away all her riches. Even though Griselda has lost everything she is never negative. Chaucer compares this to the Biblical story of Job. Walter then brings back his children, has his daughter pose as his new wife and asks Griselda to plan their wedding for them. Griselda agrees without any hesitation or complaint. At the party before the wedding, Walter introduces Griselda to his new wife. She asks him to not treat this new wife as poorly as he treated her. He then reveals his secret of how he was just trying to test her dedication as a wife and that the “new wife” is really her daughter. Griselda is happy to receive the news that her children are still alive.
In order to portray this story of the clerk, Chaucer uses many literary elements. Yet none can reach a humbleness as white as woman can (Chaucer 347). This is an example of a symbol that could represent the pureness of Griselda in the story. Humbleness as white refers to the virtue and purity of woman. Chaucer uses similes such as, I’ll hurry home as quickly as can be (p. 328), to add to the effect of what is going on. In this case Chaucer is using the simile to show the character of Griselda, she is hardworking and hurries home to do her work so there is time to play. Personification is used to describe the day of the wedding, and as the morning opened on the day(Chaucer 328). Chaucer also uses an allusion in part 4 of the tale, he says that the people compare the life of Griselda to that of the life of Job. Both went through terrible times but didn’t doubt their faith and were never negative.

Summary of the Clerk's Tale

It all started with Walter, the independent marquis, in Mount Viso, Italy. He refused to marry, until  many people begged him to find a wife.

The marquis immediately claimed Griselde, the daughter of a poor man, Janicula, as his wife as soon as he caught sight of her, despite her social class. He asked Janicula for permission to marry her, and he was more than happy to allow him to. When Walter asked Griselde for her hand in marriage, he also told her that she would have to do whatever he told her to at all times, and to never disobey him. Griselde promised to follow his rules.

Walter provided fancy clothes and jewelry for Griselde, so the public could assume she was born as nobility.  She gave birth to a baby girl, yet Walter quickly wanted to put Griselde to the test to see if his wife would keep her word. He told her that he would have to take her away because the rest of the nobility did not approve of her, and she would be put to death. Without question or complaints, Griselde accepted this and gave her baby away, keeping her word. The baby was never really killed though.

They both had a baby boy four years later, and Walter decided to put his wife to the test again, so just as he did with their daughter, he had their child sent away, with Griselde thinking they were being killed. Griselde again made no arguments against her husband, and kissed her two-year old son goodbye. After, people began to think Walter was murdering his children and became suspicious. Walter told Griselde that he was going to marry another woman, and divorce her, putting her yet again to another test, and she accepted his request without any complaints, and returned home back to her poor father. Really, Walter was not going to divorce her, and he was planning to have his kids sent back to them.

When Griselde attended, what she thought was Walter's dinner celebrating his new wife, Walter told her that everything he did was a test, and that they are not getting a divorce. Since she never broke her promise, they would stay married and have their kids. He revealed to her that her kids were never killed, and so she reunited with them that night.