Similarities Between The Prioress And The Canterbury Tales

Among the most memorable tales from Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, two of them are also the most religious in their structure. Both the Prioress and her traveling companion and secretary, the Second Nun, are women of faith, so it is only fair and true that both of their stories revolve around the subject of religion. The Prioress who begins with a prayer of praise to the Virgin Mary tells the tale of a young Christian boy who proudly sings Alma Redemptoris Mater. The Second Nun, who similarly opens with an invocation to the Virgin Mary, voices the influential story of Saint Cecilia. Despite the many differences in the plot lines between the two tales, such as one tale concentrated in a Jewish Ghetto and the other focusing in a Pagan trial, the similarities are also just as prominent and visible. A second faith is incorporated into both of their stories in one form or another, and whether describing the innocence of the Christian child or the chastity of Cecilia, they can be analyzed hand in hand. There are many virtually parallel elements within both the tales of the Prioress and the Second Nun, and also within the two holy women themselves, that are comparable. The Prioress, …show more content…
Analyzing these tales individually on a deeper level exposes the underlying themes of either hatred or conversion. These results are far different from what one would discover while examining the two tales together, for the similarities truly are remarkable, the most prominent of them all being both of the two wounded characters continuing to sing and preach of their faith. Additionally, taking a look at the tales in association with the general prologue helps the reader gain a better understanding of the women telling the stories and how they compare to not only their tales but to each other as