How we cite our quotes: (Line Number)
Quote #4
Nat only this Grisildis thurgh hir wit
Coude al the feet of wyfly hoomlinesse,
But eek, whan that the cas requyred it,
the commune profit coude she redresse.
Ther nas discord, rancour, ne hevinesse
In al that lond that she ne coude apese,
and wysly bringe hem alle in reste and ese. (428-434)
Grisilde easily fulfills her wifely duties, but it's in her role as peacemaker among the people that she fulfills her role as a noblewoman. (The noblewoman's function as a peacemaker was a well-established tradition in literature at the time.)
Quote #5
But now knowe I in verray soothfastnesse
That in gret lordshipe, if I wel avyse,
Ther is gret servitute in sondry wyse.
I may nat don as every plowman may.
My peple me constreyneth for to take
Another wyf. (796-801)
Walter's statement about being constrained echoes the Sergeant's claim to Grisilde that he is constrained by Walter's orders. According to Walter, a lord's duty to his people is just as binding as a subordinate's debt of obedience to his superiors.
Quote #6
"Though thyn array be badde and yvel biseye,
Do thou thy devoir at the leeste weye." (965-966)
Walter's claim that it is Grisilde's "duty" to prepare his chambers for his new wife is a little suspect. After all, wasn't Grisilde released from her promise to obey Walter in everything once she was (supposedly) no longer his wife?