Her portrait is more concerned with how she eats than how she prays. She is rather too kind to animals, while there is no mention of her kindness to people. .
The Prioress is a peculiar character. When Chaucer introduces her we quickly begin to understand that something is wrong with this character and that she is concerned with other issues than her ecclesiastical lifework. By title she should be concerned with helping the poor and dedicating her life to God. She is the head of the convent but has a flirtatious smile. She dresses in excess of her position and tries to act like a court lady. She is concerned with hunger, but makes sure that her dogs are fed the finest food. She has a costly set of beads around her arm, which should be used for prayer, but end in a brooch inscribed ambiguously Amor vincit amnia (Love conquers all), but unfortunately it seems it is referring not to the love of God, but romantic love. While the Prioress may attempt to hide behind her habit, her actions are so contradictory that she becomes comical.
A good example of this comes early in the 'General Prologue' in the form of the Prioress.There is nothing lacking in her character as a medieval woman - she has good manners,speaks French (a sign of belonging to the upper classes) "ful faire and fetisly", she is "ofgreet desport" (that is to say, merry and good-tempered), she is pretty and "charitable".However, Chaucer describes some attributes and features which cannot be reconciled to theidea of a perfect Medieval nun.The first 'sabotaging' word in her description comes at the end of the second line, whenChaucer calls her "coy". Although not a bad thing in itself, this has the effect of causing thereader to begin to doubt the real suitability of this woman to her profession. In line 139, thisdoubt is strengthened by the word "counterfete", which suggests both that she does notcome from a courtly background, and that she tries to make people believe that she does - asymptom of pride, one of the seven deadly sins.