The Clerk's Prologue/ Tale
Geoffrey Chaucer
The Fuedal System
The Canterbury Tales begins with the introduction of each of the pilgrims making their journey to Canterbury to the see the shrine of Thomas a Becket. There are many pilgrims who go on this trip including a Clerk, a Merchant, a Cook, a Carpenter, a Knight, his son, and many others. On their way to Canterbury they decide to tell stories so the trip will not seem so long. They stop at the Tabard Inn where the Host sets rules for the tales. Each of the travelers (pilgrims) will tell two stories while going to Canterbury and two stories coming back. The Host would then decide who told the best of the tales. Although the Knight was selected first to start off the tales the Clerk had a very interesting tale of his own..... The Clerk’s Prologue In the Prologue of the Clerk’s Tale the Host notices that the Clerk has been sitting quietly For awhile and should cheer up and have fun. The clerk replies that Solomon said that “there is a time for everything” the Hosts scoffs at this and tells the Clerk to tell a tale. The Host tells the Clerk not to preach as the friars do and don’t tell a story that will put them to sleep. The Host states to tell them a merry and adventurous story. The Clerk says to the Host that he is under his authority and will do what he has asked. He tells the Host that he has learned this story at Padua, Francis Petrarch. The Clerk praises Petrarch for his poetry and warns the Host, before he starts the story that Petrarch wrote a poem that exalted the landscapes in Italy. The Clerk’s Tale There was once a marquis of this region named Walter. He was wise, noble and honorable, but had one major flaw. He refused to marry a good women. Instead he chose to have careless relationships with many different women. The objection to marrying a good wife was totally unexceptable for the towns people and they begged and pleaded with him to choose a suitable bride. They even offered to choose the woman for him to marry. Walter finally agreed but under one condition, he would choose his bride no matter what her social status and that everyone would treat her with respect given to the emperor’s daughter. Walter found his bride near the palace. A humble man named Janicula had a daughter named Griselde who was very courageous, charitable and virtuous. When Walter found her he knew that this was who he wanted to be his bride. The public was not told who he had chosen and on the day of the wedding many doubted that he would marry at all. He came to Janicula’s home and asked him for permission to marry Griselde. Walter’s servants then took Griselda and dressed her for the wedding. When she was seen by the public she looked as if she was of noble blood and no one could tell that she came from humble beginnings. Griselda soon gave birth to a baby girl, although she would have liked a boy so that he could be his father’s heir. Soon after his first child’s birth Walter immediately decided to test his wife by taking away the baby and saying that the baby was not dear to the rest of the nobility and had to be put to death. Griselda accepted the child’s fate and consented to her husband. Walter gave the baby to his sister, the Countess of Panago, in Bologna to be raised. Soon after his second child was born Walter repeated the same task and Griselda knowing that she was still of lowly birth consented to her husband. She did however acknowledge that she knew the pains of giving birth but never knew the joys of motherhood. The people started to hate Walter for what he was putting his wife through But Walter came up with a final test for her. He drew up counterfeit divorce papers and said that he must divorce her and find another wife. Walter made Griselde leave her home with him and go back to her father’s home. She was also forced to walk there naked. Although she had been through all of this she still remained steadfast to Walter and did not hold anything against him in her heart. Yet when this was done Walter thought of more tests to prove his wife's faithfulness. The people came to loathe Walter, thinking that he had murdered his children. Walter devised his next test: he contrived a counterfeit papal bull that ordered Walter to divorce Griselde and take another wife. Upon hearing this, Griselde remained steadfast. Walter later sends a message to Griselde that he wants her to plan his ‘wedding’. When Griselde arrives she Meets who she thinks is Walter’s new wife. She actually is her own daughter whom Walter has sent for along with their son. Griselde pleads with Walter not to treat his new wife as he did her and is not angry at Walter for what he has done to her. Walter then kisses Griselde and says the she has always been his wife. He reveals to her that the children are still alive and his new wife was actually their daughter. The Clerk claims that Petrarch's moral to this story is that all women should strive to be as steadfast as Griselde, but not necessarily have to suffer the same torture.
