The Canterbury Tales · Character

Walter

A young marquis of Lombardy who weds a poor village girl, then subjects her to ever harsher trials to test her patience.

supporting

Also known as Sir Walter Scott

First appearance: The Clerk's Tale

As a supporting figure in The Canterbury Tales, Walter is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

The nobleman who marries Griseldis and tests her obedience through extreme trials.

In the storyThe Clerk's TaleOpen this moment free

Walter appears in The Canterbury Tales as supporting figure.

Walter first appears in 0023 the clerk s tale.

In The Clerk's Tale: The nobleman who marries Griseldis and tests her obedience through extreme trials.

Later, in The Clerk's Tale of Griselda: The Marquis of Saluces who tests his wife Griselda's patience by taking away her children and feigning divorce.

See Walter in The Clerk's Tale Book page

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Character Web

5 connections

A slice of how Walter sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Other

Character groups

Patience and marital testing
Protagonist
Lower-class and bawdy characters
Comic and authorial figures

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This passage marks the story's dramatic climax because it shifts the focus from the external, ritualistic acts…

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In the story

Walter appears across 8 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

The Clerk's Tale
The nobleman who marries Griseldis and tests her obedience through extreme trials.
The Clerk's Tale of Griselda
The Marquis of Saluces who tests his wife Griselda's patience by taking away her children and feigning divorce.
Pars Prima
The young marquis of Saluces, initially reluctant to marry, agrees under pressure from his people but insists on choosing his own wife.
Pars Secunda
The marquis who chooses to marry the poor Griseldis, testing her obedience.
Pars Tertia
The marquis, driven by a marvellous desire to test his wife, feigns sternness and falsely claims noble pressure to justify taking their daughter.
Pars Quarta
Continues to test his wife Griseldis's patience, ordering their son taken away and later forging papal bulls to justify a divorce.
Pars Quinta
The marquis who continues to test his wife's patience by publicly announcing he will take a new wife and sending her away.
Pars Sexta
The marquis who tests his wife Griselda's patience by pretending to marry another, then reveals the truth.

Chapter companion notes

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See Walter in The Clerk's Tale