The Clerk's tale is generally understood as a response to the Wife of Bath's Prologue where she characterizes herself as a woman of the world whose wisdom about marriage derives from her experience. She has no patience and does not enjoy men who exert power over her. The clerk gives a different version of marriage, however, in his tale about Griselda and Walter. The story is an allegory of perfect obedience, suggesting in microcosm the macrocosm of larger relationships. That is, just as Griselda gives up everything, including her children, to show her perfect humility and obedience to Walter, so humans must show perfect humility and obedience to God and the Church. Walter can be understood as a symbol of patriarchy, who, though stern, in the long run proves kind and good in that he rewards Griselda for submitting to him. The story can also be understood as allegorical in relation to the story of Job, where God tests Jobs patience repeatedly. Job obeys (though is occasionally disgruntled), but poor Griselda doesn't even protest. She is a lamb at the slaughter. To the extent that allegory is an extended metaphor, where everything represents something else, we can understand the story as symbolizing the patience and obedience women owe to men and all people owe to God and the Church.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
How far is Iago justified in hating Othello?
Iago hates Othello for some of reasons. First reason could be that Othello promoted Cassio in his place; however, Iago wants it and he cosid...
-
This is in response to sahabia's request for clarification on the first two lines: The chariest maid is prodigal enough If she unmask h...
-
As dusk began to mantle the day and darkness enveloped the land, the nuts vendor began to pack up for the day. This was a signal to the astr...
-
William Hazlitt, known for his biting satirical essays, attacks formal education in "On the Ignorance of the Learned." This essay ...
No comments:
Post a Comment