Significance
The significance of The Clerk’s Tale in the time period it was written is to show the difference in the social classes, patience, loyalty, submissiveness in relationships. It showed a big difference in power between Griselda and Walter (the lord of Saluzzo), but that was normal at the time, to have a submissive wife obey the wishes of their husband. The significance or moral of the tale in modern times is to remain patient no matter the hardships because a happy ending is most likely in store for the reader like it was for Griselda when she was reunited with her two children and was able to come back to her home. There was an example of dramatic irony in the tale when Griselda thought she was coming to the wedding of her husband and his new bride-to-be, but the reader knew the truth that the woman coming was actually Griselda’s daughter that the King had kept away from her all these years.