Griselda the Woman of the Medieval Ages
Boccaccio’s story tale of Griselda enabled for artistic painting to represent such dynamic story. Where Griselda is often portrayed as the center of the painting, and also to showcase her as a woman of limited power as she always stands out in the crowded paintings. It identifies a woman as a symbol of limited power, as in the story. The different representations of the tale of Griselda, represents the different phases of her mistreatment and submissive behavior towards the male figures in her life. Though the story creates the role of Griselda to be weak and objectified, the paintings create a different story of what a woman’s role was during the Medieval ages, showcasing a woman of leadership in an environment of patriarchal rule.
Through this painting of The Story of Griselda, Part 1: Marriage, we can analyze the different meanings Griselda’s portrayal perceives to viewers as a singular figure in the painting standing out but also at the same time being the odd one out. During the Medieval ages woman’s roles into society were greatly consider upon marriage arrangement. Through this painting Griselda’s red robes create the role for her being a woman of power but at the same time standing out as a woman who would now oblige the male figures in her life, as the people surrounding are mostly male figure. When adding more to Griselda’s image I believe it differentiates her portrayal of what it was being a woman in the Middle Ages.
As the collection of panels expands on another scene of The Story of Griselda, Part II: Exile, it establishes Griselda’s role to be objectified as the story had identify her as. Through the painting panel she’s seen that she no longer wears red robes of nobility, only a shift which Gualtieri let’s her only take, diminishing her role as a woman in a patriarchal society of the Middle Ages. Which becoming a woman of the Middle Ages was heavily relied on marital status which is the way society individuals would identify if a woman was able to hold power among them.
Through this painting the acknowledgment about Griselda’s presence is more hidden in a way to showcase that her power in the story is limited by the presence of the male figures in the painting creating a scene of patriarchal rule. Griselda’s presence becomes more of a background presence due to her humble beginnings, often presented in Medieval ages literature, because the only way a woman’s role of importance in society was relatively linked to her social status created through the male figures in her life.