The Canterbury Tales

The Canterbury Tales prologue describes all of the characters. There are some characters Geoffrey Chaucer describes that you can tell he likes, and some he doesn't like. These tales gives us a good understanding about what it was like in the middle ages. Chaucer puts the characters in a pilgrimage, which is a religious journey made to a shrine or holy place. On the way to the shrine of Saint Thomas, each character tells two stories. Those stories make up the Canterbury Tales.

The Nun in the Canterbury Tales
Picture courtesy of pages.townson.edu

The character I had in the Canterbury Tales was the Nun. She was known as Madam Eglantyne. Chaucer describes her as a good singer, spoke french, and had great manners. The Nun was also friendly and kind hearted. Chaucer wrote "As for her sympathies and tender feelings, She was so charitably solicitous She used to weep if she saw but a mouse Caught in a trap, if it were dead or bleeding." In describing what she looks like, Chaucer wrote "Her veil was gathered in a seemly way, Her nose was elegant, her eyes glass-grey; Her mouth was very small, but soft and red, Her forehead, certainly was fair of spread, Almost a span (9inches) across the brows, I own; Her cloak I noticed, had had a graceful charm. She wore a coral trinket on her arm, A set of beads, the gaudies tricked in green, Whence hung a golden brooch of the brightest sheen On which there first was graven a crowned A, And lower, Amor vincit omnia (love conquers all)."

Chaucer seems to like this character by the way he described her. He said nothing bad at all about her. Everything was positive and he described her very well so we can have an understanding of what she looked like and we could picture her and what she would look like if she were really alive.