Question

What idea does the description of the prioress in the prologue to Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales convey?

Answer 1

The character of the Prioress in Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales is a woman of two faces. She is introduced in the General Prologue as an aristocratic, genteel, pious nun, but she is a raving bigot, because her tale is full of anti-Semitic attitudes.

Answer 2

The idea that Chaucer's description of the prioress coveys is that she aspired to courtly life and behaved like a court lady rather than a nun. Although she is meant to be a woman of God, and thus, live a simple and pious life, it is clear that the woman has no interest in this. She likes fancy things, and she thinks a lot of herself. Moreover, she seems to take advantage of the poor in order to sustain her lifestyle. She is a false woman, and resembles a courtly lady more closely than a prioress.