Questions concerning the Clerk’s Tale:   

 

May 9: Answer question  3.  May 11:  Answer question 6. 

 

1.  Why does Walter test Griselda?  See esp. lines 449-462;616-624;785-791.

 

2.  How does Griselda react to what she believes to be the murder of her children?  See esp. lines    554-560; 680-686.   How does she react to Walter=s ostensible divorce of her ?  871-896

 

3.  What is the Clerk=s view of women=s patience?  See lines 935-939.

According to his envoy, how should women behave?

 

4.  Is this story about women and obedience or about human obedience to God?   See lines 1142-1148 and give arguments for your answer. 

 

5.  How are Walter=s people described in the text? See lines 127-129; 995-1001

 

6.  How does this story relate to other tales we have read, particularly the Wife of Bath=s Tale?

How would you compare the views of marriage in the two tales? 

 

7.  Look at lines 21-38 of the Clerk=s Prologue?  What types of views are presented here?  How is the author viewed?  How does this compare to the Man of Law=s mention of Chaucer?