How we cite our quotes: (Line Number)
Quote #7
"For as I lefte at hoom al my clothing
Whan I first cam to yow, right so," quod she,
"Left I my wil and al my libertee,
And took your clothing." (654-657)
Grisilde's claim to have left her will with her old clothing only confirms the passivity she has demonstrated up to this point. But her comparison between dressing and submitting to a ruler is a little deceptive: is it really as easy to "put on" someone else's will as it is to put on a new dress?
Quote #8
For which it semeth thus, that of hem two
Ther nas but o wil; for, as Walter leste,
The same lust was hire plesance also;
And, God be thanked, al fil for the beste. (715-718)
With his "God be thanked, al fil for the beste," the narrator foreshadows the happy ending of his tale. But this also calls some attention to the danger of absolute obedience. What if the person you're obeying doesn't intend to make everything turn out "for the beste"? How can you know, either way?
Quote #9
A wyf, as of hirself, no thing ne sholde
Wille in effect but as hir housbond wolde. (720-721)
Here the narrator seems cool with the idea that wives should be obedient, but later he's all about how "importable," or insufferable, it would be if wives actually behaved like Grisilde. So, which is it? It's a classic example of the narrative inconsistency of the "Clerk's Tale," and of the Canterbury Tales in general. Chaucer likes to tease us and get us going so that we think for ourselves.