Clerk’s Tale Quotes

This is thy doghter, which thou hast supposed
To be my wyf; that oother feithfully
Shal be myn heir, as I have ay disposed;
Thou bare hym in thy body trewely.
At Boloigne have I kept hem prively;
Taak hem agayn, for now maystow nat seye
That thou hast lorn noon of thy children tweye.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Clerk’s Tale. Walter comes completely clean to Griselda. The devious game-player reveals that the woman he supposedly is marrying is their daughter and his heir and their two children are alive and well and were secretly being cared for in Bologna. All part of Walter’s test of Griselda! This tale reads like a modern-day TV reality show.

I have doon this deede
For no malice, ne for no crueltee,
But for t’assaye in thee thy wommanheede,
And nat to sleen my children – God forbeede! –
But for to kepe hem pryvely and stille,
Til I thy purpos knewe and al thy wille.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Clerk’s Tale. OK why did you do it Walter – put your wife through unimaginable hell and stress with your stupid loyalty tests? Walter’s defense is that he didn’t do it for malice or cruelty, but to test her womanhood, her purpose and all her will. Which really doesn’t make being cruel, behaving like an a-hole and making her believe her children had been slain, all right.

Thise ladyes, whan that they hir tyme say,
Han taken hire and into chambre gon,
And strepen hire out of hire rude array,
And in a clooth of gold that brighte shoon,
With a coroune of many a riche stoon
Upon hire heed, they into halle hire broghte,
And ther she was honured as hire oghte.
Thus hath this pitous day a blisful ende.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Clerk’s Tale. Last time at her wedding the palace ladies didn’t like touching Griselda’s poor clothes when they had to strip her and dress her in the finery of a Marquesa. This time there is no such reluctance as poor girl is transformed into rich girl. This wedding banquet is even grander than the first one, as the ladies dress her in a cloth of gold with a crown of rich stones for her head.

This storie is seyd nat for that wyves sholde
Folwen Grisilde as in humylitee,
For it were inportable, though they wolde,
But for that every wight, in his degree,
Sholde be constant in adversitee
As was Grisilde; therfore Petrak writeth
This storie, which with heigh stile he enditeth.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Clerk’s Tale. The Clerk cautions that other wives should not follow Griselda’s example in her humility, for that would be intolerable. He explains that the tale, which comes from Petrarch, is not about how wives should behave, but about how Christians should behave. For a Christian it means being constant in adversity, like Griselda. Well thank goodness for that!

He preeveth folk al day, it is no drede,
And suffreth us, as for oure excercise,
With sharpe scourges of adversitee
Ful ofte to be bete in sondry wise;
Nat for to knowe oure wyl, for certes he,
Er we were born, knew al oure freletee;
And for oure beste is al his governaunce.
Lat us thanne lyve in vertuous suffraunce.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Clerk’s Tale. The Clerk says that God tests people all the time and permits us for our own good to suffer the sharp scourges of adversity, often to be beaten in various ways. This is not to know our will, but all God’s governance is for our best, he adds. Let us then live in virtuous forbearance, the Clerk says. But the problem with equating God’s role with that of Walter is like saying that God is a cruel bully.

Ye archewyves, stondeth at defense,
Syn ye be strong as is a greet camaille;
Ne suffreth nat that men yow doon offense.
And sklendre wyves, fieble as in bataille,
Beth egre as is a tygre yond in Ynde;
Ay clappeth as a mille, I yow consaille.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Clerk’s Tale. Chaucer’s Envoy gives this health warning for wives after the misfortunes of submissive Griselda in the Clerk’s Tale. Be ready to do battle for you are as strong as a great camel, he urges arch-wives, using a colorful simile. And he tells slender wives who are feeble in battle to be fierce like an Indian tiger and wag their tongues like a windmill, using two more expressive similes.

Ne dreed hem nat; doth hem no reverence,
For though thyn housbonde armed be in maille,
The arwes of thy crabbed eloquence
Shal perce his brest and eek his aventaille.
In jalousie I rede eek thou hym bynde,
And thou shalt make hym couche as doth a quaille.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Clerk’s Tale. Following the Clerk’s Tale the "Envoy de Chaucer" advises wives to neither fear husbands nor do them reverence. For though their husbands may be armed in mail, the arrows of their shrewish eloquence will pierce his breast, he says. And he advocates wives use jealousy as a weapon to make their man cower like a quail. There is nice use of metaphor and simile in this passage, a passage worthy of the Wife of Bath!

If thou be fair, ther folk been in presence,
Shewe thou thy visage and thyn apparaille;
If thou be foul, be fre of thy dispence;
To gete thee freendes ay do thy travaille;
Be ay of chiere as light as leef on lynde,
And lat hym care, and wepe, and wrynge, and waille!

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Clerk’s Tale. Chaucer’s Envoy gives his final piece of advice after the Clerk’s Tale. He tells the beautiful wives to show their faces and clothes in the presence of other folk. And the ugly wives he advocates to spend lavishly, work hard to gain friends and be light as a leaf on a tree. And let the husband worry, weep, wring his hands and wail, he adds!
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