"Ye been oure lord; dooth with youre owene thyng
Right as yow list; axeth no reed at me.
For as I lefte at hoom al my clothyng,
Whan I first cam to yow, right so," quod she,
"Lefte I my wyl and al my libertee,
And took youre clothyng; wherfore I yow preye,
Dooth youre plesaunce; I wol youre lust obeye."
– Geoffrey Chaucer
The Canterbury Tales, The Clerk’s Tale. Griselda’s clothing here symbolizes her will and her liberty. Declaring her total submission to Walter’s will and desires, she tells him that when she married him she left at home her old clothing and took on his clothing. Her loyalty to husband knows no bounds, it seems, even if it means the cost of her children’s lives.