The Clerks Tale

This was a very interesting and intriguing love story, different from the other works we have read this semester by Marie de France. This is the story of Walter who did not want to marry, but did after his friends talked him into it. However, he wanted to choose his wife and he ended up choosing Griselda, a poor woman.

I thought this piece was changing the image of the woman, showing Griselda as a strong, hardworking woman, independent woman looking after her father. It seems as though Walter loves her for these qualities and he truly cares about her, asking permission to marry her from both her father and her. Walter was changing her life. However, as I continued to read, I realized that the image did not change too much. Although she was hardworking, she had no power and was obedient to everything her husband told her to do. She barely had no voice or say in his or her actions, accepting Walter's wishes, even when it came to their children. He was constantly testing her and her love for him. He wanted to see how much she really loved him, testing her patience.

Nothing would break her loyalty to her husband, no matter what it was or how painful it was, she did as she was told and went along with whatever Walter said. She let him kill their daughter, not saying anything to stop it. It caused her so much pain, but she refused to show it, only showing her patience and loyyalty. She did speak up before it happened, only one request, that "she might kiss her child before it died...she laid the little child in her bosom, and then blessed it, lulled it, and afterwards kissed it." This happened again years later when she had a son. She reacted the same way, acting strong, not shedding a tear, remaining loyal. I could not imagine allowing this to happen, especially without hesitating or questioning it. She was so loyal that she would even die if he asked her to.

In my opinion, Walter was mean, evil and rude. He constantly tested his wife by "slaying" thier children and saying that she needed to leave because she was not nobel enough and people were talking about them. He said that he had a new wife on the way and that she needed to leave, going back to her father. This was another test. There was no reason for it. He should be able to trust her and her love enough, especially after pretending to kill the children. To test her love is one thing, but to take the tests this far was a little too much for me.

When the truth finally comes out, and she finds out that this was all just a test, she still stays by his side and loves him. If I was her, I would have left, been frustrated and mad that he would not trust me enough. I would have been thrilled that my kids were alive, but couldn't look at the man who ruined my life. She stayed with him even after he lied about killing their children. I cannot imagine living with a person who caused so much hurt, pain and suffering in her life.

This piece starts to break away from the medevial romance characterstics as Walter marries down, a poor woman instead of a nobel woman. Also, he tests her and her love for him instead of the man completeing tasks to win the woman's love. This love is also real, not a platonic relationship which is like Marie de France's work. She avoided the platonic relationship and most of her lais ended with the lovers ending up together, and in this piece, after the truth comes out, the family stay together happily.