How we cite our quotes: (Line Number)
Quote #10
And whan that folk it to his fader tolde,
Nat only he, but al his contree, merie
Was for this child, and God they thanke and herie. (514-516)
Here, in Walter's people's joy at the birth of his son, is another example of how a people's loyalty to their lord extends not just to him but to his bloodline.
Quote #11
And whan this markis sey
The constance of his wyf, he caste adoun
His eyen two, and wondreth that she may
In pacience suffre al this array. (667-670)
As lord of his land, Walter has never had to prove his loyalty to anyone through obedience. It's no wonder, then, that he "wondreth" at the patience Grisilde shows when asked to do so.
Quote #12
Thogh clerkes preyse wommen but a lyte,
Ther can no man in humblesse him acquyte
As womman can, ne can ben half so trewe
As wommen been, but it be falle of newe. (935-938)
The narrator's claim that no one can match the loyalty ("trueness") of a woman flies in the face of centuries of anti-woman rhetoric, which portrayed women as faithless adulterers. So is Grisilde a positive or negative portrayal of a woman? A little of each? Neither?