Chaucer's Prioress

A detailed Summary of Chaucer's Prioress

Who, in her smiling, modest was and coy;

Her greatest oath was but "By Saint Eloy!"

And she was known as Madam Eglantine.

Full well she sang the services divine,

Intoning through her nose, becomingly;

And fair she spoke her French, and fluently,

After the school of Stratford-at-the-Bow,

For French of Paris was not hers to know.

At table she had been well taught withal,

And never from her lips let morsels fall,

Nor dipped her fingers deep in sauce, but ate

With so much care the food upon her plate

That never driblet fell upon her breast.

In courtesy she had delight and zest.

Her upper lip was always wiped so clean

Of grease, when she had drunk her draught of wine.

Becomingly she reached for meat to dine.

And certainly delighting in good sport,

She was right pleasant, amiable- in short.

She was at pains to counterfeit the look

Of courtliness, and stately manners took,

And would be held worthy of reverence.

But, to say something of her moral sense,

That she would weep if she but saw a mouse

Caught in a trap, though it were dead or bled.

She had some little dogs, too, that she fed

But certainly she had a fair forehead;

It is rather curious that Chaucer does not touch on the Prioress's piety even though it the one most important characteristic of medieval religious women. Perhaps he only invented the Prioress as a comical contrast to the average religious woman, but when reading historical texts one must keep the source in mind. In this case, we can assume that Chaucer presents some truth in the character of the Prioress, but it is apparent that she by no means resembled the standard of perfection that was to be attained by religious women of the time period.

Or if men smote it with a rod to smart:

Neat was her cloak, as I was well aware.

Whereon there was first written a crowned "A,"

If one reads certain religious texts of the time, one will see that although the prioress may seem pious from her description, she was far from the medieval, religious ideal. First of all, her dedication to the holy life had practically nothing to do with a commitment to God. In the Middle Ages, a woman who neither entered a convent nor became married usually had the risk of being labeled a prostitute. In this case, the prioress most likely had nothing to do with a decision to enter the holy life. After her father had a hard time finding a husband for her, she was most likely sent to the convent rather than disgracing the family name.

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1005
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Novels

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Chaucer's Prioress

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