Pride Versus Love

All Things Are Subject to Love: Pride Versus Love In the description of the Prioress found in the prologue of The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer depicts this woman as one who would appear to on-lookers as being mannerly, becoming, and pleasant. The phrase where Chaucer wrote "She was a great delight, and always tried, To imitate court ways, and had her pride" would indicate that not only did the Prioress place a great deal of importance …

…prideful as well. At closer inspection, however, the Prioress is given deeper qualities through her compassion for lowly creatures. It is possible that through this compassion and feeling that she lives her life according to the inscription "All things are subject to love." Still, it is unclear to determine exactly whether or not the compassion she shows is out of pride to "show out for others" or if it indeed is inspired solely by love.