Canterbury Tales Nun Character Analysis

The Canterbury Tales: Nun The Canterbury Tales is one of the most famous stories written by Geoffrey Chaucer. It was written between the 13th and 14th century. The tale consists of a collection of stories that transition into one big piece of work. The Canterbury Tales is about a group of thirty pilgrims traveling to Canterbury also known presently as England. We experience many different tones from every pilgrim throughout the story. The stories told by these pilgrims are introduced in different portions of the pilgrimage to Canterbury. Chaucer’s goal of the story was to incorporate each pilgrim in at least four tales; however he never had the chance to finish his work. In the general prologue Chaucer gives a detailed description …show more content…
The nun Prioress is presented with all the characteristics that a nun shouldn’t have such as being raised with good manners and a sufficient amount of education. While telling tales about the nun, an indefinite amount of sarcasm is used when relating to her physical and spiritual beauty. On line 122-123 Chaucer describes her by saying: “She sang the divine service well, entuning it in her nose in a most seemly way.” Although we aren’t told all that much about her clothing, we are told that her appearance is more knowing than that of a nun’s dress attire and that she wears a coral trinket along with a set of rosary beads around her neck. The Nun is told to have glass gray eyes, a small mouth, an elegant nose and a huge forehead. By the way Chaucer depicts this pilgrim in particular he is displaying a very delicate loving and caring side of the nun Prioress. The nun didn’t belong to an estate in the Canterbury Tales because during this time woman weren’t considered to carry a significant role in society as the men had done. The characteristics portrayed for this pilgrim in particular display how the nun Prioress was focused on the minor things that had little to no significance which normally a nun didn’t take such role in doing …show more content…
In the tale of the nun Prioress, we are left to feel tender emotion as she felt while telling and experiencing her tale. Her tale took place in a Christian town in which one fourth of the area was populated by Jews. The school for the young children was at the end of street through the ghetto where the Jews had lived. Children had the freedom to walk to and from school through the Jewish ghetto. When a small child heard the older children singing a song about Virgin Mary, he became interested and soon memorized it. Every day, the child would walk along the Jewish street, singing the song. “Satan whispered to the Jews” that the young boy was singing in disrespect toward the Jews. That is when the Jews wanted nothing to do with the young boy, so they hired someone to murder him. On the way to school one day, the boy was walking through the Jewish ghetto and was murdered. Just by the justification of this story, it shows how people like the nun would react in situations like these. By hearing the nun’s tale we now see where her head lies at based on both fear of others religions besides her own and the lives of others to devote their lives to God. Chaucer stated “But Christ’s lore and his apostles twelve, He taught and first he followed it