Scarica The Priores o la priora e più Slide in PDF di Inglese solo su Docsity! The Prioress By Camilla Galea & Sarah Redaelli There was also a nun, a PRIORESS, Who, in her smiling, modest was and coy; Her greatest oath was but "By Saint Eloy!" And she was called Madam Eglantine. Very well she sang the service divine, Intoning through her nose, becomingly; And she spoke French fairly and fluently, After the school of Stratford-at-the-Bow, For French of Paris style she didn't know. At table her manners were well taught withall, And never let morsels from her lips fall, Nor dipped her fingers deep in sauce, but ate With so much care the food upon her plate That no drop could fall upon her breast. In courtesy she had delight and zest. Her upper lip was always wiped so clean That on her cup no speck or spot was seen Of grease, when she had drunk her draught of wine. Graciously she reached for food to dine. And certainly delighting in good sport, She was very pleasant, amiable - in short. She was in pains to imitate the cheer Caught in a trap, whether it were dead or bled. She had some little dogs, that she fed On roasted flesh, or milk and fine white bread. But sorely she wept if one of them were dead, Or if men smote it with a stick to smart: Then pity ruled her, and her tender heart. Very seemly her pleated wimple was; Her nose was fine; her eyes were grey as glass; Her mouth was small and therewith soft and red; But certainly her forehead was fairly spread; It was almost a full span broad, I own, To tell the truth, she was not undergrown. Her cloak, as I was well aware, had a graceful charm She wore a small coral trinket on her arm A string of beads and gauded all with green; And therefrom hung a brooch of golden sheen Whereon there was engraved a crowned "A," And under, Amor vincit omnia. Of courtliness, and stately manners here, And would be held worthy of reverence. But, to speak about her moral sense, She was so charitable and solicitous That she would weep if she but saw a mouse The text The Prioress’ figure • She had been taught excellent table manners. • Her great pleasure in life was refined behaviour. The Prioress’ figure • She was very pleasant and friendly and she made great efforts to imitate the manners of the court. • She was so kind-hearted and full of pity that she would cry if she saw a dead or bleeding mouse caught in a trap. The Prioress’ figure • She had a number of little dogs that she fed on roast meat, milk and the finest white bread. • Her cloak was very neat. Around her arm she wore a coral rosary, from this hung a shining gold brooch on which was inscribed an A with a crown over it followed by the motto: Amor vincit omnia. How Chaucer sees and describes the Prioress • The Prioress was brought up as a member of the English aristocracy. That is why she speaks Anglo-French. It isn’t a criticism of her that she speaks French with this regional accent. It indicates her nationality and her social status, as well.• She is both a lady and a nun. As a lady, she has her little wordly vanities: her dogs, her manners, her deportment and her insisting in clothes and jewellery. • These pleasures are wrong and very uncharitable. How Chaucer sees and describes the Prioress • Chaucer criticizes in a kind and mild way at the same time but he is also amused and rather touched by this spinster clinging to the manners of the court. • We should notice that Chaucer doesn’t ever say that the Prioress has no religious vocation. • Chaucer tells us that she has an awesome voice and that she sings the Mass beautifully. • She has a rosary and a brooch with religious motto and thanks to them she shows her worship to God. • She is a refined, ladylike and well-bred creature. • The Prioress has servants like the Knight because of her sex and social status. She has her chaplain and three priests. How Chaucer sees and describes the Prioress Clothes • One of the first and most immediate ways in which we tend to judge someone is by the way in which they get dressed. • The personality of the Wife of Bath is defined mainly through her clothes. Her stockings, a huge hat and her flashy jewelleries suggest her wonderfully extrovert and sensuous character. They also suggest her social class; she is a rich and worldly woman. Clothes • The Prioress is dressed in the habit belonging to her Order. Anyway we can notice her ladylike nature. Her dress is neat and clean, while the pleats in her wimple suggest her refinement in manner. Here, in her clothes, we see a woman who is, at the same time, a member of the Church and a woman of breeding. Clothes • The Squire and the Pardoner form another interesting pair. The Squire's richly embroidered coat reveals both his social standing and his young and amorous nature. On the other hand the Pardoner is a pathetic creature. Physical Details • Some of characters in the general prologue are defined almost entirely by their tasks or social position. • We can remember the skin from the elements of Shipman and Yeoman, the clerk emaciated, the shining face of monaco, sparkling eyes of the friar and a high forehead like a hand. Physical Details • In the Prioress, Chaucer dwells on her deportment, on her little nose, on her grey eyes, on her soft and red mouth and on her forehead. Physical Details • The Wife of Bath has gaps between her teeth, broad hips and rubicund face. • The cook has a growth on his shin, something that strikes us as particularly repulsive in the light of his job. The Pilgrim’s Professions • Most of them are defined to a greater or lesser extent by the job they do. • Not all professions fulfil an individual's need to become a complete person. Professional rogues form a group by themselves. • There is a wide variety of ways in which Chaucer discusses his pilgrims' professions. The Pilgrim’s Professions • Those which are honest and skiful and contribute to knowledge. • He also has a sneaking admiration for those who are skilful but dishonest. Money • Money is considered one of the main features in the story. Pilgrims’ attitude depends on it sometimes. That means we can have three kind of characters: some are idealistic, some others belong to the rich classes and some are simply fascinated by being snobbish. • For the idealistic people money doesn’t seem to be their main issue. Two examples of this group are represented by the Knight and the Clerk. For the Clerk, in fact, studying is his target and spending money on books is part of his whole life. All that he can obtain from his friends is spent on books and, in return, the Clerk prays for the good of his benefactors’ souls. Church • Apparently the prioress is presented in very positive terms. But close analysis of this character reveal that: she is full of attention for her little dogs, but she does not show much concern for poor people; as a nun, she is supposed to observe poverty and obedience, but in fact she is fond of elegance; she wants to be admired, and she wears jewels. One of them, a golden brooch, bears the inscription "Amor vincit omnia"(love conquers all), and it is up to the reader to decide: is it love of god or love of man? • After the Black Death, many Europeans began to question the authority of the established Church. Several characters in the Tales are religious figures, and the very setting of the pilgrimage to Canterbury is religious. Church • Two characters, the Pardoner and the Summoner, whose roles apply the Church's secular power, are both portrayed as deeply corrupt, greedy, and abusive. • Churchmen of various kinds are represented by the Monk, the Prioress and the Second Nun. The Monk and the Prioress, on the other hand, while not as corrupt as the Summoner or Pardoner, fall far short of the ideal for their orders. Both wear expensively dressed, show signs of lives of luxury and flirtatiousness and show a lack of spiritual depth.