The Canterbury Tales: Epithets in The Prioresss Tale

Lenia Rosas Brugada 408051060 English I Professor Rosario Tuesday, October 6, 2009

The aim of this essay is to discuss the symbolism behind three of the characters in The Prioresss Tale: the Virgin Mary, the child and his mother. The Virgin Mary is a symbol of motherhood. The child is a symbol of Christian faith, innocence and martyrdom. And the mother is a symbol of a mournful mother. Chaucer uses epithets such as: mother-maid, the mother of our lord and Christ s mother for the Virgin Mary. Chaucer stresses the Virgins motherhood, in effect recalling our attention to the Nativity, to the humanity of Christ as the means of approaching the greater mysteries of the incarnation and salvation. Mary in her motherhood helps man to understand the love of the Father and of the Son. She is the bridge(Collette 141). For Christians, she is a universal representation of love. As a mother she loves her godly son and humanity. The Virgin works as an intercessor of humans. She is the bridge between the human and the divine. By loving her, humans can reach salvation. Some of the epithets used for the child make allusion to precious rocks. The child is called: this emerald, jewel of martyrdom and ruby bright. Together they are symbols of Christian faith. They, signify the refraction of the pure white light of God. In the midst of the miracle, what emerges as central is not God but the childs perfect, albeit uncomprehending, faith(Colette 146). The gems represent the faith of the child that shines. The child is a symbol of Christian faith for he believes without questioning. In the tale, the child decides that he wants to sing a Catholic hymn to the Virgin. He is seven and he does not know that he is going to be killed by Jews because of his singing. Soon after he dies a miracle happens: The Virgin grants him a bit of extra life so he can finish his song. This part of the story is what the gems make allusion to: the faith of the child shines for he is a recipient of a miracle. He has faith so the Virgin protects him and

works as his intercessor. Chaucer also stresses the innocence of the child. He is called: ``this innocent and nnocent child. In this context, innocence refers to lack of sin. By stressing the innocence of the child, Chaucer seems to take literally Christs words, Except ye be converted and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven (Collete 143). The child is a symbol of how innocent Christians have to be so as to reach salvation. The child is also a symbol of martyrdom. Chaucer uses epithets such as little martyr and jewel of martyrdom to talk about him. The epithets make allusion to two kinds of martyrdom. Around the second century, martyrdom meant physical suffering. Martyrs experienced suffering or death because of their faith, the child is an example of this because he is murdered by the Jews. Later on, martyrdom could also be spiritual. Spiritual martyrdom was related to the control of the passions of the body. Methodius of Olympus was the man who correlated physical martyrdom with virginity for it implies the control of sexual desire. After Methodius, the notion of maintaining virginity almost replaced discussions of martyrdom as the highest form of spirituality (Pigg 68). Those who were virgin thus became symbols of spirituality at its highest level. In the following epithet, O martyr wedded to virginity the childs virginity is highlighted. In this verse, through a personification of the word virginity is as if the child was married to her. Chaucer also calls the child this gem of chastity. The two last verses are an example of how the child is also a symbol of spiritual martyrdom. Nevertheless, the child is a symbol of martyrdom at its highest level because he experiences both physical and spiritual martyrdom. Chaucer also uses epithets that make allusion to smallness of the child such as: little

chorister and little child. Chaucer also uses repetition to depict smallness: so young, so tender too, so green. Chaucer stresses smallness to appeal to the emotional side of the reader. The story reflects the values of the society in Chaucers time: emotionality was valued over rationality. A child martyr appeals to the emotions of the reader much more than an adult martyr would do. Chaucer uses only one epithet for the childs mother: A Second Rachel. The epithet is an allegory to Rachel from the Bible. Rachel died at the birth of her second son, Benjamin. Rachel became a symbol of a mournful mother after prophet Jeremiah, had a vision of Rachel still mourning, still grieving for her lost children (Frymer-Kensky URL). In the imagery of Jeremiah and of societies, Rachel cried for not being able to live after childbirth and take care of her child. In the tale, the childs mother starts weeping after finding that her son has died. By doing this, she becomes through the first line an emblem of all suffering mothers, of Rachel crying after her lost children, but especially, of the Virgin mourning her crucified son (Collete 145). Chaucer makes an allusion to the three mournful mothers using one single epithet. The women in this allegory loose their children in different ways. Nevertheless they share the feeling of what is like to loose a child. The epithets that Chaucer uses for the Virgin Mary, the child and the childs mother are very stereotypical: the Virgin as a symbol of a mother, the child as a symbol of an innocent victim and his mother as the symbol of an overprotective one. However, by analyzing them closely the reader is able to find out more about Chaucers time: for example, that religion was understood through the feelings.

Cited Sources

Collette, Carolyn P. "Sense and Sensibility in The Prioress`s Tale." The Chaucer Review 15.2 (1984): 138-50. Online. Frank, Hardy L. "Chaucers Prioress and the Blessed Virgin." The Chaucer Review 13.4 (1979): 346-62. Penn State University Press. Web. 23 Sept. 2009. <www.jstor.org/stable/25093475>. Frymer-Kensky, Tikva. "Rachel: Bible." Jewish Women: A Comprehensive Historical Encyclopedia. 20 March 2009. Jewish Women's Archive. October 5, 2009 <http://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/rachel-bible>. Pigg, Daniel F. "Refiguring Martyrdom: Chaucers Prioress and Her Tale." The Chaucer Review 29.1 (1994): 65-73. Penn State University Press. Web. 28 Sept. 2009. <www.jstor.org/stable/25095872>.