The Clerk’s Prologue and Tale Summary

from Canterbury Tales

by

Geoffrey Chaucer

Finally it was clerk’s turn to tell a story. He remembered that as a student in Italy he met Francis Petrarch at Padua from whom he heard the tale. He really liked it, especially for its surprising end. The clerk started to tell the tale of Griselda and everyone was listening to him:

” My story is set in Saluzzo in Italy. A marquis, named Walter, is beloved from his subjects but he has no wife and no heir. so they ask him to get marry. The day of the wedding, Walter surprises everyone, because she wants to marry a peasant, Griselda, who is virtuous, lovely and hard-working.

She is maybe too honest, because she even promises to accept every wish of his husband.

Griselda bears a daughter and everyone is joyful and hope then next child will be a boy.

But Walter sends an officer to kill the baby.

After several years, she gives birth a bot and she’s taken away his second child too.

Griselda is sorrowful, but she rememberes and respects her promise so she must agree with Walter’s wishes.

After years, Walter intends even to remarry and Griselda should prepare the wedding for his new bride.

But Griselda reveals herself very loyal and she even congratulates with marquis’ new bride.

So Griselda overcomes her last test and finally Walter reveals her the truth: her new wife is actually their daughter and her boy too is alive. In fact they both lived in Bologna.

Griselda is happy as never before: all her family can live togehter in prosperity.”

chatting about clerk’s prologue and tale…