The Nun's Prologue-Canterbury Tales

Canterbury Tales

This is a very elegant and outstanding rose that’s quality stands out because of it’s unique beauty. The nun’s name portrays irony through her name in that she knows she’s outstanding with beauty and showing off the beauty she has.(i.e. her broad forehead, straight nose, red lips…) In reality, nun’s do not focus on physical beauty in themselves, complete focus is on the Lord and think nothing of themselves but a servant of God.

This is again, verbal irony.

Irony

The nun always sang at Mass, “and well she sang a service, with a fine/intoning through her nose, as was most seemly…” (lines 126-127)

When you, the reader, thinks of somebody with a nasally voice, you think of somebody who is stuck up. This is ironic because a nun is supposed to be down to earth and one of the first things Chaucer points out is her voice as an ironic characteristic of a nun.

In lines 144-148 the nun appears to try to be more sophisticated than she actually is.

“a stately bearing fitting to her place,/ and to seem dignified in all her dealings./as for her sympathies and tender feelings,/she was so charitably solicitous.”

This is verbal irony because being a nun, characteristics revolve more around being humble and personal attention is not advocated or needed.

Another sample of irony is her charity to animals, “she used to weep if she but saw a mouse/caught in a trap, if it were dead or bleeding./and she had little dogs she would be feeding with roasted flesh…” (lines 148-150).

this is verbal irony because she showed sentiment for animals, yet she made sure her dogs got good meat to eat, (which comes from animals, obviously).

Irony

One of the well known characteristics of the nun that Chaucer points out, is her broad forehead.

To have a broad forehead meant a sign of beauty in his day.

The nun had a very gaudy rosary, a “graceful charm” to her cloak, a coral trinket and a golden brooch.

lines 161-166: “her cloak, I noticed, had a graceful charm./she wore a coral trinket on her arm,/ a set of beads, the gaudies tricked in green,/ whence hung a golden brooch of brightest sheen/on which there first was graven a crowned A,/ and lower, Amor vincit omnia”

The irony behind these objects is situational because she cherishes all these expensive and elegant jewelry. She is very show-offish of her treasured jewelry.

In reality, a nun is expected to let go of all worldly possessions and desires to pursue the will of the Lord.

The green of the rosary also uses irony in the color as it is a color of not only jealously, but of greed.

The engraved saying on her brooch means “Love conquers all” when in devotion to Christ as her vocation, should portray more of a “Love is of God” meaning. “Love conquers all” isn't necessarily a saying that directly relays to Christ as much as it should. It sort of beats around the bush of that, which questions her devotion as a nun.

Through of these personal details, the reader can tell that the Prioress is very dignified in her looks and treasures her jewelry as well as a great interest in fine living.

“for courtliness she had a special zest,/ and she would wipe her upper lip so clean/that not a trace of grease was to be seen” (lines 136-138)

This also shows that she was very aware and concerned of how she seemed to other people. She cared more about her reputation than her vocation as a nun.

based on all of the examples of ironic characteristics Chaucer points out in Madame Eglantyne the Prioress, what do you think influenced her to become a nun? Do you think it was an oblivious choice because she has not yet given up the things required to fulfill her vocation totally?

Irony

Discussion Question

Canterbury Tales Prologue:

The Nun

The Nun's Prologue

Grace Collins

Irony

The Prioress’s name is Madame Eglantyne, which refers to a certain type of rose known as Sweetbrier. This refers ironically to her personality.

“Sweetbrier: a rose, Rosa eglanteria, of Europe and central Asia, having a tall stem, stout, hooked prickles often mixed with bristles, and single, pink flowers.”

Irony

Estate Satire

Irony

Reflecting social class in the Prologue of the Prioress, the church comes right under nobility, the top, in estate satire. As her appearance is so elegant and fancy with jewelry and high standard manners, this shows her placement through the church as an image of higher authority because of her beauty that is held so valuable and high.