Question

Why does Chaucer picture the prioress with a coral trinket on her arm

Answer 1

The prioress is a nun who is head of a house of nuns. At the beginning of the tale, Chaucer describes her physical appearance such as her mouth, her eyes and her face. Then, he moves on to describe what she has: her clothes and her jewellery. The coral trinket on her arm is the first piece of jewellery Chaucer mentions. The reader expects a nun not to wear any jewellery of decorative nature because she is devoted to God and does not have to worry about her looks or about materialistic things such as jewellery. The "coral trinket" is the first hint the author gives the reader that shows the prioress is not the typical nun one would expect.