What is the moral lesson of the Prioress tale?

What is the moral lesson of the Prioress tale?

''The Prioress's Tale'' in ''The Canterbury Tales'' concerns a small boy who is killed, his grieving mother, and a miracle of the Virgin Mary that causes him to go on singing after he has died. This tale involves themes of motherhood, innocence, and antisemitism.

What does the Prioress tale represent?

The tale is based on an anti-Semitic legend of unknown origin that was popular among medieval Christians. The Prioress describes how a widow's devout young son is abducted by Jews, who are supposedly prompted by Satan to murder the child to stop him from singing the hymn “O Alma redemptoris” to the Virgin Mary.

What is ironic about the Prioress?

The author decides to include the prioress in the Canterbury tales to show that one thing the nun had that showed irony in her behavior, was her tender feelings. The author is sarcastic when he uses the example of her feelings for a mouse and that she was so charitable and full of pity.

What does Chaucer say about the Prioress?

Chaucer describes a nun Prioress called Madame Eglantine. A nun should be modest, had to have poverty, and pity. Chaucer describes the nun in the opposite way to show us, how the nun Prioress had all the characteristics that a nun should not have. She was a nun modest, well educated and with good manners.

What is the tone of the Prioress Tale?

The tone is that of "blood and roses" (Donaldson 1097) by an affected soap opera matriarch. "The Prioress' Tale is a strange mixture of delicacy and horror, so that it is capable of producing two entirely different impacts. From one side it is all delicacy and piety" (Donaldson 1096).

What type of story is the prioress tale?

The Prioress' Tale is a "miracle of the Virgin," a popular genre of devotional literature. The stories are short, often like children's fairy tales, with the figure of the Jew playing the part of the "boogie man," from whom the Virgin, like a fairy godmother, protects the heroes and heroines.

What happens to the boy in Prioress Tale?

The Jews, conspiring to rid themselves of this boy, hire a murderer. One day, as the child walks through the ghetto singing O Alma Redemptoris, the murderer grasps the child, slits his throat, and tosses his body into a cesspool.

What miracle happens in the Prioress Tale?

According to the Prioress, this arouses Satan himself who then whispers in the ears of the Jewish people that this boy is singing this hymn to disrespect them and that he is a disgrace. ... In complete despair, she simply begins singing the 'Alma Redemptoris' and, by miracle, she hears her son's voice singing in response.

What is the Prioress most concerned with?

Although the Prioress should be devoted to Christ, she is more concerned with worldly matters: her clothes are richly bedecked, and her coral rosary that says “Love conquers all” serves as a decorative piece rather than a religious article.

What does the nun wear in Canterbury Tales?

She wears rich clothing, a gorgeous cloak, and expensive beads. Her choice of jewelry reveals her secularity, too. Her costly, coral bead bracelet bears the inscription 'Love conquers all,' which is a strangely romantic choice for a woman who should be sworn to love only God. In fact, she should be wearing a rosary.

What does the Prioress represent?

• The Prioress is the head nun for her church, and she went on the pilgrimage to spread the word of God with the nun and 3 priests that she travelled with. Though she is a stereotype that represents the virtues and ideals of a nun, the Prioress represents a coutly lady rather than a superior nun. "There also was a Nun, a Prioress...

What does the Prioress' Tale seem to take issue with?

• The Prioress' tale of a young and beautiful boy who was full of faith and devoted to the Virgin Mary seems to take issue with the Jewish people. She tells of a saintly boy who is killed by a murderer hired by the Jewish people and thrown into a pit, never be found again.

What does the prioress say in the prologue?

• Summary In her prologue, the Prioress offers a hymn of praise to the Virgin Mary. She extols Mary, the mother of Jesus and the "whitest Lily-flower.". In a Christian town in Asia, one fourth of the area is occupied by Jews.

What is the difference between an abbess and a prioress?

• The abbess, the nun, is no exception, but Chaucer does not directly say how it represents the four vows, but this is what he does not say that people lead them to believe that the prioress is exactly the opposite. The nun is expected to take four vows.