“…hardly, she was nat undergrowe./ Ful fetis was hir cloke, as I was war. /Of smal coral aboute hire arm she bar /A peire of bedes, guaded al with grene, /And theron heng a brooch of gold ful sheene…”
She had clearly not forgone her possessions and the brooch she carried held the inscription “Amor vincit omnia” (‘love conquers all’). This is ironic, not at all apt for a nun, and suggests sacred or profane love, subtly implying immorality. Equally, she was “cleped madame Eglentine”, an inappropriate name for a nun, with its sexual connotations and its links with courtly love. The Wife of Bath is brash and ostentatious, but unlike the Prioress she is honest, and for this honesty Chaucer praises her as “a worthy woman al hir live”. Chaucers use of the word “worthy” is often satirical so cannot always be taken literally, but in this case he seems to be genuinely praising the Wife of Bath despite her flaws. There are suggestions of her promiscuity but Chaucer brushes over her multiple marriages:
“Housbondes at chirche dore she hadde five, /Withouten oother compaignye in youthe, – /But thereof nedeth nat to speke as nowthe.”
The Prioress is foolishly sentimental, “She was so charitable and pitous / She wolde wepe, if that she saugh a mous /Knaught in a trappe.” Chaucer uses the word “charitable” satirically as her kindness to animals seems to far exceed her kindness to people. This is another example of her superficiality.
A similarity between the two women lies in their tendency to be overstated. For the Prioress, this materialises in her unnecessary attention to her appearance and behaviour, and her excessive entourage of “Another Nonne…and preestes thre.” For the Wife of Bath, her appearance is flamboyant and her manner overbearing. However, the Wife of Bath has no reason not to dress to attract attention, unlike the nun who is sworn to celibacy, and should be modest. The Prioress makes unwarranted effort in her appearance; in his detailed portrayal of her, Chaucer's concern is with how she eats rather than with how she prays;
“At mete wel ytaught was she with alle: /She leet no morsel from hir lippes falle, /Ne wette hir fingers in hir sauce depe /Wel koude she caries a morsel and wel kepe.”
The description of the Wife of Bath is brief and focuses on her physical appearance. Similarly, the Prioress’s portrait conveys her appearance but it is not just her looks but her air and meticulous manner. As a nun, she should be self-effacing and unpretentious but her manners are almost courtly, as she strives to be polite and refined. Both women lack refinement but Chaucer favours the promiscuous Wife of Bath for her lack of pretence; she makes no secret of her desire to find a sixth husband. Her elaborate dress signifies her overt character as well as her wealth, accumulated from her husbands and her “haunt” with great pride. The Prioress presents herself as mild and appears to be the perfect lady but this is a façade. She is a member of the material and not the spiritual world, which places her as a social climber, using religion to obtain status while she lacks the faith required for her position.
These two female characters in the Canterbury Tales are presented very differently and highlight Chaucer’s tendency not to judge on face value. If he were to do so, he would describe the superficially perfect Prioress as “worthy” rather than the brash and lowly Wife of Bath.
