The Canterbury Tales: The Prioress' Tale

The Canterbury Tales

By: Geoffrey Chaucer

The Prioress' Tale

Setting

The Prioress' Tale begins in a large city in Asia. The city is mainly populated with Christians, but a Jewry was established on one end, and on the other, there was a Christian school.

Many young children attended a Christian school at one end of the city, and to get to the school the Christian children need to pass through the Jewry, or the Jewish ghetto. Of these children, there was a seven year old boy who attended the Christian school. He was taught by his mother to pray always and especially if he came across an image of Mary. While at school one day the boy heard children singing the Alma Redemptoris and he was immediately intrigued. He was so interested that he asked an older classmate to teach him the song. Finally, after days of the classmate teaching him the song, he memorized it.

From that day on, almost everywhere he was he sang the song. Unfortunately Satan got involved and had the Jews convinced that the Alma Redemptoris was debasing their religion so the Jews planned to rid the earth of the innocent boy. A Jew murdered the boy and threw him in a pit.

The mother of the boy was concerned when he did not return, and she went looking for him. She went every place she could think he was and finally she heard him. Even though the boy was dead, his corpse was singing the Alma Redemptoris. People around heard the corpse and were astonished. The Jews responsible for killing the boy were also killed for their actions.

Thus the boy was taken to the abbey, and the abbot question the corpse. He asked, “Oh dear child, I beg you, by virtue of the Holy Trinity, tell me how you are able to sing when in my judgment your throat is cut?” The boy answered with the explanation that when he died, Mary came to him and gave him the power to sing the Alma Redemptoris as he died. She placed a kernel on his tongue, and when the kernel is removed then the he would not be allowed to sing anymore. The abbot removed the kernel and the boy was praised as a martyr and buried in a marble tomb.

Virgin Mary

The Virgin Mary is the focus of the story. The tale conveys that if anyone needs help and prays to her, she will be there.

Alma Redemptoris

Sweet Mother of the Redeemer,

that passage to heaven,

gate of the morning,

and star of the sea:

Assist the fallen,

lift up, you who cure, the people:

you who bore to the wonderment of nature,

your holy Creator.

Virgin before and after,

who received from Gabriel

that joyful greeting,

have mercy on us sinners.

Anti-Semitism

Anti-Semitism is the hatred of Jews.

Examples of Anti-Semitism

A ghetto was built in the center of the town.

The Jews hire a murderer to get rid of the child, who slits the child's throat

When the body of the boy is found singing, the Christian people tell the provost, who imprisons all the Jews

The Jews who knew of the murder were "tortured and put to shameful death"

• Pray and you will not be alone.
• What comes around goes around.

Westside Story written by Arthur Laurents

Characters

Widow's Son

Widow

The widow's son is seven years old. He is Christian and he always worshipped the Virgin Mary.

The widow has a boy and raises him Christian.

The Abbot was the man who questioned the boy's singing corpse. He also was the one who removed the kernel from the tongue of the boy which put the boy to rest.

Satan

Abbot

Satan is the one responsible for convincing the Jews that the widow's son was offending their religion.

Schoolmate

Jews

The schoolmate is older than the widow's son. He secretly teaches the widow's son "Alma Redemptoris" song.

The Jews were convinced, by Satan, that the widow's son was offending their religion. As a result, they hired a murderer to kill the boy.

Focus

The Virgin Mary is the worshipped by the widow’s son often. She goes to the widow’s son and gives him the gift of voice when he is murdered. She puts a kernel on the boy’s tongue that allows him to sing.

The Provost

The Provost is one of the highest officials. He has the Jews imprisoned and eventually killed for murdering the widow’s son.

Virgin Mary

Summary

Alma Redemptoris Mater,

quae pervia caeli porta manes,

Et stella maris,

succurre cadenti

surgere qui curat populo:

Tu quae genuisti,

natura mirante,

tuum sanctum Genitorem:

Virgo prius ac posterius,

Gabrielis ab ore

sumens illud Ave,

peccatorum miserere.

Lessons Learned:

Contemporary Counterparts: