Nun In Canterbury Tales

Gender: Female

Age: She is relatively young and immature due to her manners and behavior.

Occupation: a nun, a religious figure

Relationship: Her three traveling companions are referred to as “champlain.” These priests are employees of the Prioress’ convent.

Clothing: She wore a pleated headdress, an elegant cloak, a rosary decorated with green beads, and a shining gold broach that consisted of a capitalized “A” with a crown above it and a Latin motto meaning “Love conquers all.”

Physical Attributes: She had a handsome nose, eyes as grey as glass, a small and soft red mouth, a fair and broad forehead, a modest smile, and is well nourished and physically developed since she is “not undergrow” (Chaucer, 156).

Proper Role: As a nun, the Prioress

A nun is a devout believer committed to the sacred church through acts of charity, vows, and spreading of the religious faith. They are also to be modest, sympathetic, pious, and kind.

Origin: The Prioress most likely resided in London since she attended school in Stratford and her French, spoken incorrectly, was not acquired in Paris.

Societal Rank: She is of higher class since she was educated in the school of Stratford, was taught to speak French, resembled a religious figure, and described to be of great eloquence from her decorated clothing to her delicate, civilized manners.

Section 2: Hard Facts

In The Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer describes the Prioress, also known by the name of Madame Eglantine, as a character of immorality and hypocrisy by referring to her physical attributes and her manners as they continue to further her bad habits. As a religious figure, a nun should be charitable, generous, and focused on prayers and spreading the religious

One similarity is our attempts to imitate or fit into the manners of the royal court or more elite groups. Just as the Prioress dresses in elegant and decorated clothing, becomes educated and learns to speak French, and adopts more ladylike manners in her behavior and actions, she is doing so only to follow the means of the higher court. To prevent herself from being secluded or portrayed as an outcast, the Prioress adopts such behaviors only to be well liked and to be regarded in a higher fashion. Similarly, I too desire to fit in and to be well recognized by my peers especially in school. However, we are also quite different since the Prioress is characterized as more emotional and romantic. This can be seen through her weeping at the sight of a dead mouse and the romantic pendant that is fastened at the end of her rosary. She is also well aware of her self image and physical attributes, which I am not as overly concerned about. Though if Chaucer included me in the Prioress’ position, I would actually utilize my education towards my occupation as a nun. Although nuns were not typically educated, I would utilize my knowledge to strengthen my religious career while also furthering my capabilities in other fields such as science or literature to become even more successful in the Medieval time period. With a more