Religious recasting in the Clerk's Tale

The day our class read the Clerk's Tale, there was some discussion about how the story could possibly work as a religious fable, and I have reflected upon that for a (long, distracted) moment. I don't think it is possible to understand the story of Griselda and Walter as a prescription for Christians to react with patience, humility and long-suffering (Griselda) to the tests of an inscrutable God (Walter)-- Griselda is too superhuman, Walter is too much of a douche, and the Clerk disclaims that "For greet skile is [God] that he wroghte, / But he ne tempteth no man that he boghte" (1152-53).

I do think, however, that the text suggests in several places a recasting of fable in which Griselda can be understood as a loving, enduring Christ figure and Walter as the faltering but forgiven Christian.

We know that Griselda was a shepherdess, "meke and stille" as "a lamb" (538) and committed to her "fadres reverence (231). Furthermore:

So wise and rype wordes hadde she,
And juggementz of so greet equitee,
That she from hevene sent was, as men wende,
Peple to save and every wrong t'amende (438-441).

Though depicting Griselda's first encounter with Walter, the following lines resonate with images of Jesus in Gethsemane:

And doun upon hir knes she gan to falle,
And with sad contenance kneleth stille,
Til she had herd what was the lordes wille (292-294).

as these lines do with images of the Trinity:

This thoghtful markys spak unto this mayde
Ful sobrely, and seyde in this manere:
"Where is youre fader, O Grisildis?" he sayde.
And she with reverence, in humble cheere,
Answerde, "Lord, he is al redy heere" (295-299).

Compared with Walter, who "in somme thynges... was to blame" (76) and "on his lust present was al his thoght" (80), Griselda makes a far more compelling vessel for divinity and beatitude. The Clerk's Tale then becomes the story of the faulty, perverse and petulant inclinations of mankind and Christ's patient love for the transgressor. In any event, I think such a recasting would make the whole story kind of-- less horrible.

What do you guys think? HOT OR NOT