Astraea Luis B. Saliendra

IV-17 BSE Music

Short story : The Story of Griselda by Boccaccio

I. Summary

The king told the story of a marquis named Gualtieri. He is the eldest son of Saluzzo

family, a young bachelor who devouted his time entirely to his hawking and hunting. His

subjects now persuaded him to marry. He agreed to this but on several conditions; that his

servants and all his subjects must treat her wife respectfully as their liege lady and to this they

agreed. Gualtieri had long been taken by a beautiful peasant at the neighbouring village named

Griselda so the called for his father and arranged for the wedding. Now Gualtieri and all his

household prepared for a grandous wedding and when the day of wedding came, he and his

guests mounted their horses and went to the village to fetch the bride. Gualtieri saw Griselda the

called her by her name and he asked to see her father known as Giannucolo. The marquis and the

fahter talked about the wedding and then Gualtieri asked for Griselda to find out something

before her father's presence. He asked Griselda if she would be his wife, she should always be

obidient please her husband, never object and many other things. To all of those her answer was

yes. To this he took her outside and stripped her naked in front of his guests and to this he

proposed and Griselda accepted. After that she was dressed accordingly and then the wedding

started. Griselda then became respected because of her kindness to her husband, servants and

above all, her obedience to her husband. A time came when Griselda gave birth to a female child

then Gualtieri started to give her a long term experiment to test her patience. He started to

carping her querulously and the worse is that he asked for the baby to be killed because his

people could not abide the daughter he have. Griselda then abide with what he wanted and gave

the baby to the retainer that was sent by Gualtieri. After this Gualtieri asked the servant to take

the baby to Bologna to be raised secretly. After several years, Griselda gave birth to a baby boy,

and then again Gualtieri told Griselda that the child must be killed too because his people cannot

accept the fact that they will be ruled by a grandson of Giannucolo. And to this Griselda also

abided bravely. Gualtieri did the same and sent the child to be raised well in Bologna. The third

challenge of Gulateri came and this time he told Griselda that he will look for another wife to

replace her. Griselda took this blow bravely and obediently because of his love for her husband.

He then called Griselda before the crowd and announced that the pope had granted him to marry

a better wife and because of this, he asked Griselda to live only with her dowry. It took her a

supreme effort to check her tears to this she heard. She said that she agrees with this because all

she wants is her husband’s happiness and whatever is for the better. All she asked is to keep her

chemise in reward of her virginity.Gualtieri, holding back his tears agreed to this and then the

bystanders all begged to let Griselda leave with her dress on, but it was all in vain. Griselda bid

them goodbye and went away. She went back to her father and lived the life she had before. Then

a day came when Gualtieri decided to make his final challenge to Griselda. He asked for

Griselda to czme over the house to prepare for his wedding because no woman can do the

household errands better than her and she should obey to this because technically she is still the

wife until the wedding is over. Griselda then accepted this and worked well on those wearing her

peasant clothes. When she was finished a girl and a boy arrived with their family. Griselda

believed that the girl is the bride but the truth is the girl is her daughter. Gualtieri said the truth to

her and everything about his experiment and finally he said that he will be satisfied with the

woman he have as a wife. She answered that all she wanted is to give her husband the happiness

it deserves. In the end, everything went well and so is to the father of Griselda who died noble

and dignified.

II. Characters/Setting

characters Description evidence /pages

1. Marquis Gualtieri -a young bachelor who 151, 152, 153, 154, 155

devoted his time entirely

of hawking and hunting.

- a brute, a shrewd

- he caused Griselda a

long-term pain because he

wanted to test her patience

and obedience for him to

assure himself of perpetual

tranquility.

2. Griselda - a penniless young girl,

beautiful, shapely lass,

attentive, gracious and

kind.

- she obediently and

patiently abided with

everything her husband

told her to do even though

it hurts her feelings so

much because of her love

for him.

151, 152, 153, 154, 155

3. Giannucolo - a peasant father of

Griselda

- believed that one day

Griselda will return

because thinks Gualtieri

doesn't really likes his

daughter. At the end he got

152, 153, 154, 155

what he deserves for being

the father -in-law of a

nobleman and he died with

dignity and comfort.

4. Dioneo the narrator of the story 151

Settings

setting importance/ evidence

1. neighboring village this is where Griselda and

Giannucolo lives.

2. Bologna where Gualtieri sent his

daughter and so to be

raised

III. Conflict

Gualtieri took Griselda as a wife and caused her a a long-term suffering because he

wanted to test her patience and obedience to him to assure himself a perpetual tranquility.

IV. theme

The theme is about love and it comes with selfishness, pride, and martyrdom. Because

of love a person can be afraid to get disappointed and hurt his own feelings and that I think is the

reason why Gualtieri acted that way. His dream of having a perfect wife, which he already have

even without having the tests, is a part of his pride that aims to prove that he really have it.

Griselda on the other hand, gave not only her words of promise but her whole heart to the man

she loves and even disregarded her own happiness.

V. Literary style/technique

style evidence

Narrative, a frame story It is evident in the first page where

Dioneo who is a character in the story

told a story of another person. It is like a

story within a story.

VI. Reflection

The Tale of Griselda is one of the story that I find really surprising because the

characters are unbelievable. Their minds seemed to be enclosed in a box where they are only

focused on a single thing and they can't get over it. I find Gualtieri's character very brute and

very selfish and if by chance fate decreed the same man happens to cross my path, I would not

even talk to him. Griselda's father and other people even though they pity her, they did nothing to

help her. And I can't understand why Griselda devotedly kept her promise to his husband that

caused her so much pain. If she was kind and beautiful why didn't she looked for another man

that could treat her better? And at the end, everybody was rewarded with happiness and

contentment like most of the fairy tales’ line, "and they lived happily ever after.." . The moral of

the story is not like the same as the saying "No pain, no gain" because how can Griselda gain

what she already have? Unless someone deprived her from it. Her happiness and rights as a

mother, a woman, and as a wife were taken because of her husband's test for a life time. Anyway,

at the end it is still a story, the reflection of people varies on their philosophical believe what is

important is the lesson learned from it.

VII. Activity

1. activity

The class will be asked to present a shot role playing based from the story but

they have to present it in a modern day setting and modern day characters.

2. Question

What do you think is the moral of the story? Explain briefly.