In this story, Griselda was in an abusive relationship. She married Gaultieri with the promise that she would be obedient no matter how outrageous his demands were. She couldn’t question them or hesitate to do what he ordered. Here, the woman plays the role as servant to her husband, like in many other stories. However, she also comes across as the protagonist. Even Gaultieri’s vassals question his outrageous demands. The author even says that “a strange humour took possession of him,” the “him” being Gaultieri. Gaultieri appeared to be testing her patience hoping she would fail. However, she never broke her vow. When Gaultieri told her to get rid of her daughter, she did. When Gaultieri told her to get rid of her son, she did. When Gaultieri wanted to divorce Griselda for the daughter of a count, she did. Even after that, Gaultieri asked her to be his servant. Through all these tribulations, Griselda remained obedient. In the end, she was rewarded with being his husband.
From the text, it was clear that a ceaselessly obedient wife was the ideal. Even Gaultieri’s vassals were critical of his treatment of Griselda. She was put through trial after trial and passed all tests. However, I can’t help but think that her obedience went unrewarded. Gaultieri initially married her. Then, she obeys several outrageous demands that eventually move her down from nobility. But in the end, she reclaims her position as wife. She didn’t get anything she didn’t have prior to the “tests”. Despite this, Griselda is the model for women from that time.
In previous texts, women were supposed to be obedient to their husbands. However, a relationship in which the male dominated typically ended with the departure of the wife. In the Lais, the women would have been rescued from their one-sided relationships by another man, and the two would live happily ever after. However, in this story despite the torment Gaultieri causes her, Griselda continually obeys her. In this text, there is more of an emphasis on obedience than in the Lais and other previous texts.