The Prioress's Tale follows The Shipman's Tale in Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales. Because of fragmentation of the manuscripts, it is impossible to tell where it comes in ordinal sequence, but it is second in group B2, followed by Chaucer's Tale of Sir Topas. The General Prologe names the prioress as Madam Eglentyne, and describes her impeccable table manners and soft-hearted ways. Her story is of a child martyr killed by Jews, a common theme in Medieval Christianity, and much later criticism focuses on the tale's anti-semitism.

Plot

The story begins with an invocation to the Virgin Mary, then sets the scene in Asia, where a community of Jews live in a Christian city. A seven-year-old school-boy, son of a widow, is brought up to revere Mary. He teaches himself the first verse of the popular Medieval hymn 'Alma Redemptoris Mater' (nurturing mother of the redeemer); though he does not understand the words, an older classmate tells him it is about Mary. He begins to sing it every day as he walks to school through the Jews' street.

Satan, 'That hath in Jewes' heart his waspe's nest', incites the Jews to murder the child and throw his body on a dungheap. His mother searches for him and eventually finds his body, which begins miraculously to sing the 'Alma Redemptoris'. The Christians call in the provost of the city, who has the Jews drawn by wild horses and then hung. The boy continues to sing throughout his burial service until the holy abbot of the community asks him why he is able to sing. He replies that although his throat is cut, he has had a vision in which Mary laid a grain on his tongue and he will keep singing until it is removed. The abbot removes the grain and he dies.

The story ends with a mention of Little Saint Hugh of Lincoln, another child martyr supposedly slain by Jews.

Anti-Semitism

The tale is related to various Blood libel stories common at the time, distributed by the Church. Chaucer's attitude toward the tale is less clear.

The Prioress's French accent is a sign of social climbing. Her overzealousness to her pet dogs and to mice killed in traps is perhaps misdirected in a nun, who might otherwise be serving the poor. The bangle she wears on her wrist bears the Ovidian motto 'Amor vincit omnia' (love conquers all) and perhaps takes the place of a rosary. Thus her portrayal as a character is not wholly positive.

Her tale, with its emphasis on infantile faith, balances the Shipman's story of a too-sophisticated monk who sleeps with the wife of a friend. Both tales seem to describe extremes, faith without knowledge versus knowledge without faith.

While this says nothing about Chaucer's actual attitude toward Jews (and antipathy would have been entirely typical of the period), the Prioress's opinions should not be read as his own.