ENGLISH LITERATURE (CBSE/UGC NET)

Detailed explanation-1: -The General Prologue names the prioress as Madame Eglantine, and describes her impeccable table manners and soft-hearted ways. Her portrait suggests she is likely in religious life as a means of social advancement, given her aristocratic manners and mispronounced French.

Detailed explanation-2: -The Prioress is one of the main characters of The Canterbury Tales. Her real name is Madame Eglantine, and she is fourth in the list of people discussed by the Host and has one of the longer descriptions. She is also the first religious figure discussed in the book, which shows a certain preference for the Prioress.

Detailed explanation-3: -Meaning & History It is derived via Old French from Vulgar Latin *aquilentum meaning “prickly".

Detailed explanation-4: -Chaucer tells the reader that she is a nun and her name is Madame Eglantine. Due to the power of the church at this time in England, much is to be expected of the Prioress as a nun. Chaucer goes into detail in explaining her “simple and coy” (6) smile and her ability to “leet no morsel from hir lippes falle” (8).

Detailed explanation-5: -These elements combine to show a clear picture of the Prioress: shallow, vindictive, unChristian, childish, and immature. She is the antithesis of a truly pious nun of the Middle Ages. Chaucer uses this characterization of her to show his own religious trepidations, and to make a statement about the clergy of his time.