The Canterbury Tales
by Geoffrey Chaucer
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Plot Summary
- Cast of Characters
- An Analysis of Major Characters
- Symbols and Themes
-
Summary and Analysis
- The General Prologue
- The Knight's Tale
- The Miller's Tale
- The Reeve's Tale
- The Cook's Tale
- The Man of Law's Tale
- The Wife of Bath's Tale
- The Friar's Tale
- The Summoner's Tale
- The Clerk's Tale
- The Merchant's Tale
- The Squire's Tale
- The Franklin's Tale
- The Physician's Tale
- The Pardoner's Tale
- The Shipman's Tale
- The Prioress' Tale
- The Tale of Sir Topas
- The Tale of Melibee
- The Monk's Tale
- The Nun's Priest's Tale
- The Second Nun's Tale
- The Canon Yeoman's Prologue and Tale
- The Manciple's Prologue and Tale
- The Parson's Tale
- Chaucer's Retraction
- Significant Quotations
- Key Facts
- Points to Ponder
- Discussion Questions
- Take The Quiz
- Further Reading
- Flashcards
- Biography of Geoffrey Chaucer
The Prioress
The Prioress, Madame Engletyne, was a high-ranking woman in the Church. A prioress was a nun who ran a convent or abbey, and she would have been a nun for a number of years before attaining that position. The Narrator’s description of the Prioress is interesting because it reveals how much the Church had replaced the nobility as the ruling moneyed class; though not a lady, the Prioress behaved much as one would have expected a member of the nobility to behave. For example, she travels with a company of one nun and three priests, which was similar to people at court. Her religious trappings were expensive and simulated the jewelry one might find on a member of the nobility. She is also described as physically attractive, a detail that might seem unimportant, but, given that nuns were not viewed in a sexual manner, the very fact that the nun was considered attractive helps highlight the fact that being a Church employee was almost indicative of social class and standing.
