Canterbury Tales Prioress Quotes

Ful weel she soong the service dyvyne
Entuned in hir nose ful seemly,
And Frenssh she spak ful faire and fetisly,
After the scole of Stratford atte Bowe,
For Frenssh of Parys was to hir unknowe.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, General Prologue. In the period of the poem, nuns were meant to worship the Lord and not care too much about themselves. But it is quite the opposite with the Prioress. She wears richly ornamented clothes, sings through her nose, speaks French with a terrible accent, tries to appear well bred and dainty. When she should be devoting herself to Christ, she seems more concerned with matters of this world. This nun, who lives a secular lifestyle and uses her positon for social advancement, is a satirical figure and an ironic contrast to what is generally expected in a prioress.

At mete wel ytaught was she with alle;
She leet no morsel from hir lippes falle,
Ne wette hir fyngres in hir sauce depe;
Wel koude she carie a morsel and wel kepe
That no drope ne fille upon hire brest.
In curteisie was set ful muchel hir lest.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, General Prologue. The Prioress displays impeccable table manners, always making sure that no food or sauce falls from her lips and onto her breast. Good manners is her greatest pleasure, as she tries to put on the air of someone who came from wealth and the upper-class.

And peyned hire to countrefete cheere
Of court, and to been estatlich of manere,
And to ben holden digne of reverence.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, General Prologue. Although a member of a religious order who runs a nunnery, the Prioress tries to portray the image of someone rather more worldly and grand who has been taught at court. Pretending to be someone she is not, she takes great pains to imitate – "countrefete" – the manners of court and be considered worthy of reference. You get the impression that Chaucer is poking a bit of fun here at a nun who cares so much about social image.

Ful fetys was hir cloke, as I was war.
Of smal coral aboute hire arm she bar
A peire of bedes, gauded al with grene,
And theron heng a brooch of gold ful sheene,
On which ther was first write a crowned A,
Amor Vincit Omnia.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, General Prologue. In keeping with her desire to appear courtly, the Prioress is beautifully dressed in a well made cloak. On her arm she wore a string of coral beads from which hung a bright gold brooch engraved with a crowned "A" and the inscription "Amor Vincit Omnia," or "Love Conquers All." Coral beads and gold brooch? Not the usual attire for a nun, whom you would expect to be wearing rosary beads rather than a gold brooch with a romantic inscription. A little whiff of someone in this convent enjoying the good life, it seems. The Prioress’ character is ironically represented in complete contrast to how a prioress is usually expected to live and behave.
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