Chaucer's criticism of her attention to manners indicates that women of the time were to be refined and courteous, but the Prioress does so in such excess that it is obvious that her courteous behavior is merely an act as well as a fazade. She appears reverent and dignified, yet Chaucer says on page 9, line 142:.
But to speak of her tender feelings:.
she was so charitable and so full of pity.
that she would weep if she saw a mouse .
caught in a trap and dead or bleeding.
Here Chaucer criticizes her foolish sentimentality over the sight of a dead mouse. This behavior contradicts the sophisticated and polished way the Prioress behaves when eating or drinking, which is clearly not her true nature, but is conformity to the rules of etiquette. Through this paradox Chaucer satirizes the manners of women. On the outside they appear poised and elegant in compliance with the convention of the times, but their genuine disposition is the complete opposite. .
Not only is her conduct criticized, but also the fact that she is a member of the clergy allows Chaucer to express his disapproval of the medieval church. Though she is a nun, she seems not at all devoted to religion and only in her affection for animals does the reader see her gentleness and sympathy. This is quite ironic because during these times Europe was infected with the plague and the townspeople were in need of aid and funding from the church. However, the main concerns of the Prioress' are to tend to her animals, feeding them with "roast meat, or milk and fine bread-(Page 9, line 147), which is a tragedy considering the impoverished state of Europe at this point in time. .
Because she obviously did not become a nun out of religious piousness, her attendance during the pilgrimage brings up another aspect of late medieval society. Women expected to be submissive and under the control of a husband could be freed from the jurisdiction of marriage through a position in the church.