How we cite our quotes: (Line Number)
Quote #7
And whan she hoomward cam, she wolde bringe
Wortes or othere herbes tymes ofte,
The whiche she shredde and seeth for hir living,
And mad hir bed ful harde and nothing softe. (225-228)
The fact that Grisilde is able to find and prepare herbs for food shows how resourceful she is. Her "ful harde" bed shows, again, how she has rejected "ydel ese." Even when she sleeps, Grisilde rejects the easy life. She lives kind of like a nun, really.
Quote #8
And ay she kepte hir fadres lyf on ofte
With everich obeisaunce and diligence
That child may doon to fadres reverence. (229-231)
The entire portrait of Grisilde is meant to emphasize her great virtue. Here the respect and obedience she pays her father become part of that virtue, and the tale sets us up to praise the way she will obey Walter later on.
Quote #9
He noght with wantoun loking of folye
His eyen caste on hire, but in sad wyse
Upon hir chere he wolde him ofte avyse,
Commendinge in his herte hir wommanhede,
And eek hir vertue, passinge any wight. (236-240)
Walter's sober—and not lustful—consideration of Grisilde makes him appear virtuous, as does the fact that he notices her virtue as much as her womanliness. Both Walter and Grisilde have a seriousness about them that makes them well suited to a serious tale like this, in contrast to some of the zanier and bawdier of Chaucer's tales.