Character Analysis: The Prioress
The General Prologue of Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales is composed of descriptions of each of the travelers that were on the pilgrimage. They are all traveling in early spring to Canterbury. The Prioress, Madame Eglantine is one of the few women on the pilgrimage. The General Prologue gives a very well written description of what she valued, the way she functioned in society and gives a good incite on what it would be like to be on the pilgrimage with her.
The description begins with a description of how she carries herself. Chaucer says that she spoke French fluently. She could speak it very well but she did not speak it as the common people of Paris would, she spoke it like she was taught it just …show more content…
“She was so full of pity and charity.”(Puchner 1855) She was the type of person that would cry for a trapped mouse. This very fact shows that she was a very empathetic person. The way that she cared for all living things was very admirable. People who love animals tend to be kinder and show more compassion. The care she had for Gods creations was a good reflection of her religious character. She had dogs with her on the pilgrimage that she that she cared for extremely well. She would feed them the best food possible. She would have been very sad if they were hurt. This level of kind-heartedness is something that must have been important for her to have since she was a nun who would live her life to do charity and live in a Godly manner. It seems as if she would have been a great person to have on the trip because of the great kindness she possessed. The way that she cared for her pets shows how well she must have cared for the things that she loves. She must have taken very good care of the other nuns that she was in charge …show more content…
He says that her features were very well put together and that she had a large forehead. At the time having a larger forehead was a sign of beauty. He even goes to say that “she was not undergrown” (Puchner 1855) wish means she was a well-endowed woman. The prologue shows her love of jewelry with a description of her rosary and a golden brooch. Inscribed into her brooch was the motto “Amor Vincit Omina” which translates to love conquers all. This must have been very important to her since she did show a lot of love but the prologue only discusses her love for animals. She dressed very neatly showing that she must have cared very much about how she looked as well as how she acts. Once again something that most nuns did not worry about. To conclude, the prologue describes the nun very well. The prologue shows us a very nice look into the nun’s life. It lets us know a lot about the way that she carries herself and wants to portray herself. The nun tried to come off as very worldly and of high nobility. Most nuns would be worried about the people around them but she was worried about the way that she looked and acted. She did show great compassion and kind-heartedness but towards animals. Even despite the odd way that she decided to live her life Chaucer did describe her as “pleasant and gracious” (Puchner
The General Prologue of Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales is composed of descriptions of each of the travelers that were on the pilgrimage. They are all traveling in early spring to Canterbury. The Prioress, Madame Eglantine is one of the few women on the pilgrimage. The General Prologue gives a very well written description of what she valued, the way she functioned in society and gives a good incite on what it would be like to be on the pilgrimage with her.
The description begins with a description of how she carries herself. Chaucer says that she spoke French fluently. She could speak it very well but she did not speak it as the common people of Paris would, she spoke it like she was taught it just …show more content…
“She was so full of pity and charity.”(Puchner 1855) She was the type of person that would cry for a trapped mouse. This very fact shows that she was a very empathetic person. The way that she cared for all living things was very admirable. People who love animals tend to be kinder and show more compassion. The care she had for Gods creations was a good reflection of her religious character. She had dogs with her on the pilgrimage that she that she cared for extremely well. She would feed them the best food possible. She would have been very sad if they were hurt. This level of kind-heartedness is something that must have been important for her to have since she was a nun who would live her life to do charity and live in a Godly manner. It seems as if she would have been a great person to have on the trip because of the great kindness she possessed. The way that she cared for her pets shows how well she must have cared for the things that she loves. She must have taken very good care of the other nuns that she was in charge …show more content…
He says that her features were very well put together and that she had a large forehead. At the time having a larger forehead was a sign of beauty. He even goes to say that “she was not undergrown” (Puchner 1855) wish means she was a well-endowed woman. The prologue shows her love of jewelry with a description of her rosary and a golden brooch. Inscribed into her brooch was the motto “Amor Vincit Omina” which translates to love conquers all. This must have been very important to her since she did show a lot of love but the prologue only discusses her love for animals. She dressed very neatly showing that she must have cared very much about how she looked as well as how she acts. Once again something that most nuns did not worry about. To conclude, the prologue describes the nun very well. The prologue shows us a very nice look into the nun’s life. It lets us know a lot about the way that she carries herself and wants to portray herself. The nun tried to come off as very worldly and of high nobility. Most nuns would be worried about the people around them but she was worried about the way that she looked and acted. She did show great compassion and kind-heartedness but towards animals. Even despite the odd way that she decided to live her life Chaucer did describe her as “pleasant and gracious” (Puchner