Table of Contents
Madame Eglantine: The Smiling Nun
Moving from the secular nobility to the clergy, Chaucer introduces one of his most complex, subtly satirized characters: the Nun, specifically a Prioress (the head of a convent). Her name is Madame Eglantine(Asked in Exam) (which translates to "wild rose," a highly romantic name for a bride of Christ).
Chaucer notes that she was "very simple and modest in her smiling"(Asked in Exam) and that "Her greatest oath was but by Saint Loy"(Asked in Exam). St. Loy (St. Eligius) was a patron saint known for his physical beauty and perfect courtly manners, which immediately hints at where the Prioress's true interests lie.
Provincial French and Courtly Etiquette
Exams frequently test the specific, humorous details of the Prioress's education and dining habits. She desperately wants to appear as an aristocratic, high-born lady of the court.
She sings the divine service with elegant nasal intonation, and importantly, "she spoke French very properly / According to the school of Stratford-at-Bow / For the French of Paris was unknown to her"(Asked in Exam). This is a brilliant, subtle jab: she speaks a lower-class, provincial English-French, not the true, high-status French of Paris. She is trying to be sophisticated but falling slightly short.
Her table manners are equally examined. In an era where people ate with their hands from shared communal bowls, she is hyper-focused on etiquette:
- "She let no morsel fall from her lips / Nor dipped her fingers too deep in the sauce"(Asked in Exam)
- "She could carry a morsel well and carefully / That no drop fell on her breast"(Asked in Exam)
- "She wiped her upper lip so clean / That in her cup there was no trace"(Asked in Exam) of grease.
Misplaced Sympathy: Mice and Little Dogs
A true religious figure should ideally be focused on poverty, charity, and the suffering of the poor. The Prioress, however, directs all her emotional energy and "charity" toward animals.
Chaucer notes that she had such a tender, pitiful heart that "She would weep if she saw a mouse / Caught in a trap, whether it were dead or bleeding"(Asked in Exam). Furthermore, she keeps a pack of small dogs (expressly forbidden by church rules for nuns) and feeds them luxury items: roasted meat, milk, and fine white bread—food that starving peasants desperately needed. If one of her dogs died, or if someone hit it with a stick, she would weep bitterly.
The Gentle Satire of Aristocratic Religion
Through the Prioress, Chaucer gently but firmly satirizes the aristocratic corruption of the Church. She is not evil or malicious, but she is entirely misplaced. She behaves like a romantic heroine in a chivalric romance rather than a spiritual leader.
She is accompanied on the journey by a Second Nun (who acts as her chaplain) and three priests. One of these priests, the Nun's Priest, will later tell one of the most famous stories in the entire collection (the beast fable of Chanticleer the rooster).
Match the List Checkpoint
Madame Eglantine
The highly romantic, secular name ("wild rose") belonging to the nun who heads the convent.
Saint Loy
The handsome, courtly saint whom the Prioress uses for her "greatest oath."
Stratford-at-Bow
The specific provincial school where she learned her slightly inferior, lower-class French.
Little Dogs
The luxury pets she keeps (against Church rules) and feeds fine roasted meat and white bread.
Active Recall: Check Your Mastery
- Q: The Prioress is praised for speaking French very properly, but according to the school of where?
A: Stratford-at-Bow (meaning she did not know the high-class French of Paris). - Q: What specific animal caught in a trap would cause the Prioress to weep uncontrollably?
A: A mouse. - Q: At the dining table, what specific courtly skill is the Prioress fiercely focused on?
A: Perfect etiquette (never dropping a morsel, wiping her lip clean of grease, not dipping her fingers too deep). - Q: Who accompanies the Prioress on the pilgrimage?
A: A Second Nun and three priests.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is it important that she feeds her dogs "roasted meat" and "fine bread"?
In the 14th century, white bread and roasted meat were incredibly expensive luxury items. The vast majority of the peasant population survived on coarse black bread and pottage, and famine was common. For a nun (who had taken a vow of poverty) to feed expensive, life-saving food to dogs instead of starving humans is a subtle but sharp critique of the Church's misplaced priorities.
What does her name, Madame Eglantine, signify?
Nuns typically take the name of a severe, ascetic martyr (like Sister Mary or Sister Catherine) when they enter the convent. "Eglantine" means sweet-brier or wild rose. It is a name straight out of a secular, romantic chivalric poem. It immediately tells the reader that she views herself as a romantic heroine, not a strict religious ascetic.
What is the "gentle satire" Chaucer uses here?
Unlike his brutal attacks on the Pardoner or the Friar (who are actively malicious and greedy), Chaucer’s satire of the Prioress is "gentle." He doesn't hate her; he finds her amusing. She is a woman who clearly belongs in an aristocratic royal court, but because of the social mechanics of the time, she was placed in a convent. She is trying desperately to maintain the illusion of being a fine lady of the court while wearing a nun's habit.
Why are her table manners mentioned in such extreme detail?
During the Middle Ages, table manners were the ultimate marker of aristocratic status. Reading manuals on etiquette was very popular among the nobility. By memorizing and executing perfect table manners (ensuring no grease enters her cup), the Prioress is physically proving to the rest of the pilgrims that she is high-born, cultured, and refined.
