The Canterbury Tales: The Clerk's Tale Theme of Class

So, we've got a marriage here between a nobleman and a peasant girl. While we're pretty sure that, ahem, relations happened between these two categories of people all the time way back when, we're also pretty sure marriage wasn't often part of the picture.

Class is a big deal in "The Clerk's Tale." The big point seems to be that virtue can be found in any class and that, in fact, poor people are more likely to have strong characters because of the hard lives they endure. That doesn't stop Walter's nobles from encouraging him to marry a noblewoman: like should marry like, right? That's what they think, anyway. They're also aware of the power that might accrue to a nobleman because of a strategic marriage to a woman from a powerful family.

The abuse the much less powerful Grisilde puts up with in her marriage makes us wonder if the nobles aren't on to something, and even Grisilde seems to think she'd be better suited to a job as Walter's maid. Everything turns out all right in the end, but the tale's emphasis on Grisilde's exceptional nature means that when it comes to the mixing of the classes, medieval readers probably weren't advised to try this at home.

1. What, according to the "Clerk's Tale," are the advantages of poverty for a person's character? Why does this seem to be the case?
2. Why do Walter's nobles encourage him to marry an equally noble woman? Which other characters in the tale express a similar sentiment, and why?
3. What motivation might Walter have for marrying a peasant? How does he confirm or refute these motivations in the course of his marriage?
4. How does Grisilde demonstrate her awareness of the class difference between herself and Walter? What does this response suggest about her ability to be Walter's partner in marriage?

In its exploration of how the marriage between a nobleman and a peasant girl goes horribly wrong, the "Clerk's Tale" supports the medieval maxim that "like should marry like."

Because the marriage between a nobleman and a peasant girl ends happily ever after in this story, the "Clerk's Tale" refutes the medieval maxim that "like should marry like."

The "Clerk's Tale" implies that higher-class people cannot develop strong characters because they do not have enough exposure to adversity.