How we cite our quotes: (Line Number)
Quote #7
And thus she seyde in hire benigne voys,
'Far weel, my child; I shal thee nevere see.
but, sith I thee have marked with the croys
Of thilke Fader, blessed mot he be,
That for us deyde upon a croys of tree,
Thy soule, litel child, I him bitake,
For this night shaltow dyen for my sake.' (554-560)
Grisilde says that although Walter has rejected his own child, the child will have a "foster-father" in God, whom she refers to as "thilke Fader." She also implicitly compares the baby to Christ, since the child will (she believes) sacrifice its life for another person (Grisilde herself). Is it right for her to allow this to happen? To whom does she owe more loyalty: to Walter, or to her child?
Quote #8
Though that my doghter and my sone be slayn—
At your commandement, this is to sayn,
I have noght had no part of children tweyne
But first siknesse, and after wo and peyne. (649-652)
When Grisilde says that her only claim to ownership of her children comes from the suffering and pain of childbirth, this may be a strategic reminder to Walter that he owns them in every other way. Walter has consistently referred to the children as Grisilde's and Grisilde's only, but he's contradicted himself by claiming the right to decide what their fates will be.
Quote #9
That of a cruel herte he wickedly,
For he a povre womman wedded hadde,
Hat mordred bothe his children prively. (722-725)
The murder of one's own flesh and blood was one of the most heinous sins during this time period: it added to the crime of murder another sin—lack of loyalty to your family. Walter's approval ratings are quick to slide when word of his possible transgression gets out.