Who wears the pants? That's a question that comes up lots of times in The Canterbury Tales. In "The Clerk's Tale," it's totally the husband, which brings up a whole boatload of other questions: What kind of power does a husband have over his wife? What kind of power should he have over his wife? Should he have any power over her at all?
On the surface, the praise lavished in this tale on the patient Grisilde makes it seem as if we should endorse her obedience, but the sheer extremity of her passivity—and of Walter's tyranny—makes us feel uncomfortable with the model of wifely obedience we are given in the tale. We start to ask ourselves how much power is too much for one individual to have.
Are we always bound to obey the orders of our superiors, with no regard for higher considerations? The Sergeant technically owes his lord absolute obedience, but does that make it right for him to become an accomplice in Walter's plans? Is Janicula, who also owes absolute obedience, right to consent to his daughter's marriage, even though he has grave reservations about it?
Absolute power demands absolute obedience? Is either one of those things actually okay?
Questions About Power
- Do any of the characters in the "Clerk's Tale"experience absolute freedom? If so, who? If not, who or what holds power over each of the characters?
- How do Janicula and the Sergeant show their submissiveness to Walter? What do their behavior and words suggest about how they define the power a lord holds over his subjects?
- How does Grisilde show her submissiveness to Walter? What do her behavior and words suggest about how she defines the power a husband holds over his wife?
- In what ways, if any, does Grisilde exercise or gain power in the tale?
Chew on This
Walter's abuse of power in the "Clerk's Tale" undermines any message we might take away about the obedience a wife owes her husband.
Walter's abuse of power in the "Clerk's Tale" undermines the idea that absolute power should reside in any one individual.
The Sergeant's speech, which is meant to excuse him from the crime of infanticide, actually makes us question the ethics of blindly following orders.