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Unit 16: The Prologue to the Canterbury Tales (Non-detailed Study): Discussion and Analysis-VIII

medieval Catholic beliefs. The violent nature of the events in the story seem to be in contradiction to Notes
a personality as sensitive as the Prioress’s is supposed to be, suggesting that she may be much tougher
than she wishes to reveal. She is, after all, in a position of great authority over others. After the sobering
miracle story, the Host calls on the Narrator to give a lively, amusing story. Apologetically, with
tongue in cheek, the Narrator says he knows only one old story in rhyme-doggerel. Chaucer’s two
stories are actually a joke on the Host with his impossible pretentions to being a literary critic. The
Tale of Sir Thopas, which Harry Bailley totally rejects, is actually a brilliant parody of the popular
courtly romances. Sir Thopas, vain and empty-headed, is going off to slay a dragon in response to his
love longing and not in defense of any ladylove. He is behaving in exaggerated knightly fashion, but
the absence of any ideals makes him completely ludicrous.
The literal-minded Host cannot see this; he is merely disgusted by the use of such a low form of
versification for what is supposed to be a courtly story. Harry is not disappointed, however, by the
narrator’s long, ponderous telling of a rather boring and highly moralistic story. Harry fully approves
when the Narrator deliberately loads the narrative with proverbs, maxims, clich’s and literary allusions,
tripling its length in the process. To the Host, this makes the story of Melibeus properly serious. The
Narrator’s joke escapes him completely.

16.1 The Prioress’ Tale

16.1.1 Prologue of the Prioress’ Tale

The Prioress’ prologue is simply a prayer to the Virgin Mary, worshipping God, and asking her to
help the narrator properly to tell of God’s reverence and to guide the tale as it is told.

16.1.2 The Prioress’ Tale Text

Once in an Asian town, there was a Jewish ghetto at the end of a street, in which usury and other
things hateful to Christ occurred. The Christian minority in the town opened a school for their children
in this city at the other end of the same street. Among the children attending this school was a widow’s
son, an angelic seven year old who was, even at his young age, deeply devoted to his faith. At school
he learned songs in Latin, and could sing his Ave Marie and Alma redemptoris, a song giving praise
to the Virgin Mary, and pay due reverence to Christ.
As he was walking home from school one day singing his Alma redemptoris, he provoked the
anger of the Jews of the city, whose hearts were wasps’ nests made by Satan. They hired a murderer
who slit the boys’ throat and threw the body into a cesspit.
The widow searched all night for her missing child, begging the Jews to tell her where her child
might be found, but they refused to help her or give her any information. Jesus, however, gave her
the idea to sing in the place where her son had been cast into the pit: and as she called out to him,
the child, although his throat was slit, began to sing his Alma redemptoris. The other Christians of
the city ran to the pit, amazed at what was happening, and sent for the provost.
The provost praised Christ and his mother, Mary, and had the Jews tied up. The child was taken up
and carried, in a great and honorable procession to the nearest abbey, his corpse singing all the
while. The local provost cursed the Jews, and ordered their death by hanging. Before the child was
buried, holy water was sprinkled onto him, and he began to speak. The abbot of the abbey questioned
him as to how he could sing, and the child answered that the Virgin Mary had placed a grain on his
tongue that allowed him to speak. The abbot took this grain from his tongue, allowing him to die,
and finally pass on to heaven. The child was buried in a marble tomb as a martyr, and the tale ends
with a lament for the young child, but also for “Hugh of Lyncoln” (a real child martyr, allegedly
slain by Jews in Chaucer’s day).

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