Refiguring Martyrdom: Chaucer's Prioress and Her Tale

Author / Editor
Pigg, Daniel F.

Title
Refiguring Martyrdom: Chaucer's Prioress and Her Tale

Published
Chaucer Review 29 (1994): 65-73.

Description
PrT expresses the notion of spiritual or "white" martyrdom popular in the Middle Ages. Unlike physical martyrdom, white martyrdom was a mental act, often involving the preservation of virginity. Through the character of the little boy, the Prioress suggests her own struggle with evil and chastity, thereby adding complexity to her own voice as a pilgrim.

Chaucer Subjects
Prioress and Her Tale.