Bring on the tough stuff - there’s not just one right answer.
- Is Grisilde a symbol of feminine submission, feminist protest, or both?
- Why does the Clerk conclude his story of a woman's absolute obedience to her husband with a song advising women to behave in exactly the opposite way?
- Does the "Clerk's Tale" confirm or question the ethics of absolute obedience to your superiors?
- Is Grisilde absolutely passive, or do you think her extreme resolve shows that she's actively choosing to be passive? Is she passive, or is she passive-aggressive?
- Grisilde thinks her children are actually going to be killed. What does it mean that she lets the Sergeant take them away?
- Walter and Grisilde seem to live happily ever after. Do you believe this happy ending? Do you think things are more complicated than the tale's ending would have you believe?
- If you've read it, how do you think the "Clerk's Tale" compares with the "Wife of Bath's Tale"?
- What's the significance of having the Clerk, a religious man, tell this particular story?