How we cite our quotes: (Line Number)
Quote #13
O stormy peple! unsad and evere untrewe!
Ay undiscreet and chaunging as a vane!
Delytinge evere in rumbel that is newe,
For lyk the mone ay wexe ye and wane!
Ay ful of clapping, dere y-nogh a jane!
Youre doom is fals, youre constance yvel preveth,
A ful greet fool is he that on yow leveth! (995-1001)
Here the narrator criticizes the townspeople for the quick shifting of their loyalties to Grisilde's younger replacement. By calling them "unsad," "untrewe," and of evil "constance," he places them in direct comparison with Grisilde, who is often described as exactly the opposite.
Quote #14
And whan this Walter say hire pacience,
Hir glade chere and no malice at al –
And he so ofte had doon to hire offence,
And she ay sad and constant as a wal,
Continuinge evere hire innocence overall—
This sturdy markis gan his herte dresse
To rewen upon hire wyfly stedfastnesse. (1044-1050)
At the climax of the tale, Grisilde's "sadness," constancy, and "stedfastnesse"—in short, her loyalty to Walter—gain her the ultimate reward, in the form of Walter's devotion. Interestingly, though, Walter ends Grisilde's trials because of the emotion that Grisilde's behavior evokes in him.