Array in the 'Clerk's Tale

Author / Editor
Gilmartin, Kristine.

Title
Array in the 'Clerk's Tale

Published
Chaucer Review 13 (1979): 234-46.

Description
Griselda's several robings and disrobings are used to suggest the difficulty of knowing the constant reality behind shifting appearances. The behavior of Griselda and Walter becomes more coherent through the different meanings they see in clothing: Griselda sees it as a symbol of her constancy; Walter sees it as a potentially deceptive status-symbol. Array, since it conceals and reveals, expresses the theme of knowledge in the tale.

Chaucer Subjects
Clerk and His Tale.