The Student: A Moral Tale

1. The Student:A Moral Tale By: Katie Manning and Nikki Kuesters

2. Prologue • The character is introduced as a poor student at Oxford lacking a profession because of the cost of his education and the amount of time it consumes • The Host notices that the student hasn’t said anything and tells him to tell a story

3. Summary • A man named Walter, who is the marquis of Saluzzo, is described as wise, notable, and honorable. • People he ruled over confronted him about his refusal to marry because they want his lineage to continue. • He agrees to marry but only on the condition that it can be whomever he chooses regardless of her social standing.

4. Summary • A poor man nearby has a daughter named Griselde who is virtuous, courageous, charitable, and quite beautiful. • Walter immediately decides upon meeting her that she will be his wife. • He does not reveal the identity of his bride to be until the day of their wedding so many wondered if he’d even marry at all. • Upon asking Griselde’s father for her hand in marriage, her father begins to cry due to his astonishment but consents.

5. Summary • When he asks for her hand in marriage, Griselde promises to always be faithful and loyal, and says she’ll never disobey him. • After their wedding, she became renown around Sazullo and neighboring areas as the perfect wife • She soon gave birth to a girl. • Walter wanted to test his wife’s devotion so he told her that he was taking the child and putting her to death. Griselde did not complain.

6. Summary • Instead of putting his daughter to death, he sent her to be raised by his sister in Bologna. • Griselde bore a son four years later. • Walter then repeated the test and she again went along with his choice. • He then wrote a fake papal bull that ordered him to divorce Griselde and choose a new wife • She was saddened, of course, but she went along with his decision because she vowed to always obey him.

7. Summary • Walter then sends Griselde back to her father’s house, with the people of Saluzzo following her weeping. • The Countess of Ponago then arrives at Saluzzo with Walter and Griselde’s children, who Griselde still thinks are dead. • Walter then invites Griselde to his wedding with his new bride, whom is actually their daughter.

8. Summary • When she arrives, Walter reveals that his “bride” is actually their daughter, whom his sister has returned with. • Griselde weeps in joy knowing that her two beloved children are still alive after believing for years that they were dead. • Walter then tells Griselde that he truly loves her and she is the only one he wants to be with. • The family is reunited.

9. Literary Devices • Imagery: “When she came home she’d often bring along some roots or herbs, which shredded with a knife she boiled to make their meal.” • Explanation: As a peasant woman, Griselde is depicted as gathering and cooking for her family. It exemplifies her role in society as a lower class member. • Foreshadowing: “How my heart will be set is how I'll wive; And if you don’t agree it’s to be so, I pray you speak no further, let it go.” • Explanation: The people of Saluzzo offer to choose a high class women to be the wife of Walter. Walter agrees to wed, but states that he will choose the women and his people will respect her no matter what her social standing may be. This foreshadows that Walter will choose a wife of lower class since the people want him to pick an upper class wife.

10. Literary Devices • Comparison: “There's no man who in humbleness can quite compare to woman.” • Explanation: The student is comparing a woman to a man is saying that a man could never show such dedication to a woman. He could never honor her choices even if he didn’t understand them like Griselde did. • Dramatic Irony: “Farewell, my child, whom nevermore I'll see… Tonight you die, and I'm the cause of it.” • Explanation: Griselde believes her daughter is being taken away from her and killed. This is dramatic irony because the reader knows that Walter is really just testing Griselde’s loyalty and their daughter is not being killed.

11. Literary Devices • Analogy: Griselde vs. The Wife of Bath • Explanation: Griselde and the women in another tale intitled the Wife of Bath are complete opposites. Griselde’s intentions are only to obey and please her husband, whereas the wife of bath’s intentions are to gain power over her husband. The story serves as an analogy to the wife of bath. The student goes on to say how neither are proper ways for a wife to behave.

12. Reflection • Chaucer wrote the Student’s Tale in hopes that he would be able to teach the reader a message. • The moral of the story he hoped to convey is that compromising oneself to make another person happy is not worth it. • Katie: If Griselde had stood up to Walter on many occasions throughout the story, she would have lived a much happier life despite everything working out in the end. • Nikki: I thought that Walter was cruel and unfair to Griselde considering he probably wouldn’t have been able to respect all of her wishes if the roles were reveresed.