The main character in this tale is a Roman nun named Cecilia. She is a pure Christian with steadfast faith and a desire to keep her virginity forever. Despite this, she is to be married to a man named Valerian. On their wedding night Cecilia tells Valerian that she has a guardian angel, whom only she can see, who will slay Valerian if he attempts violate her. Valerian can see no such angel, so naturally he doesn't believe her. Cecilia claims that he will only be able to see the angel if he is baptized and cleansed of his sins, so she tells him to visit priest Urban to be baptized and blessed. When Valerian returns from being baptized, he is able to see the angel. He notices that the angel is holding a crown of flowers, and the angel tells him that only the pure and chaste can see the flowers. Upon Valerian's request, his brother Tibertius is also converted, purged of his sins, and made pure. After they are christened, Roman soldiers capture them and bring them before Almachius, the prefect, who orders them to be put to death for their belief in Christ. During their execution, one of the sergeants, Maximus, claims that he saw the spirits of Valerian and Tibertius ascend to heaven. This, along with Cecilia's feverish preaching, causes many others to be converted to Christianity. Almachius orders Maximus to be beaten to death for spreading the Christian faith. When Almachius catches Cecilia giving Valerian and Tiberius a proper burial, he takes her into custody and attempts to force her to renounce her faith. She refuses, mocking his so-called power over her, and shows not a trace of either respect or fear for Almachius. He orders her to be boiled to death in a tub of water, but she suffers no burns, so he orders her to be beheaded. The executioner takes three blows, but is unable to sever her head. She dies slowly after three days, exactly the amount of time she claims to have for from God in order to convert more people. Her property is distributed among the poor, and Urban gives her a proper burial.
Analysis ~
The Second Nun's Tale is a basic religious biography of the life of Saint Cecilia. There is little, if any, character development and the same can be said of depth to the characters at base value. This leads me to beleive that Chaucer finds the second nun to be a shallow person with little depth of her own, beyyond her pious beleifs. Her style of telling the tale mimics that of the Prioress, perhaps showing the Chaucer saw them in the same light. The tale can also point to her youth, comparing her herself to the image of Cecilia. Chaucer is displaying her s an impossible stereotype, and comparing her to the Prioress in his satire of her.
Summary:
The main character in this tale is a Roman nun named Cecilia. She is a pure Christian with steadfast faith and a desire to keep her virginity forever. Despite this, she is to be married to a man named Valerian. On their wedding night Cecilia tells Valerian that she has a guardian angel, whom only she can see, who will slay Valerian if he attempts violate her. Valerian can see no such angel, so naturally he doesn't believe her. Cecilia claims that he will only be able to see the angel if he is baptized and cleansed of his sins, so she tells him to visit priest Urban to be baptized and blessed. When Valerian returns from being baptized, he is able to see the angel. He notices that the angel is holding a crown of flowers, and the angel tells him that only the pure and chaste can see the flowers. Upon Valerian's request, his brother Tibertius is also converted, purged of his sins, and made pure. After they are christened, Roman soldiers capture them and bring them before Almachius, the prefect, who orders them to be put to death for their belief in Christ. During their execution, one of the sergeants, Maximus, claims that he saw the spirits of Valerian and Tibertius ascend to heaven. This, along with Cecilia's feverish preaching, causes many others to be converted to Christianity. Almachius orders Maximus to be beaten to death for spreading the Christian faith. When Almachius catches Cecilia giving Valerian and Tiberius a proper burial, he takes her into custody and attempts to force her to renounce her faith. She refuses, mocking his so-called power over her, and shows not a trace of either respect or fear for Almachius. He orders her to be boiled to death in a tub of water, but she suffers no burns, so he orders her to be beheaded. The executioner takes three blows, but is unable to sever her head. She dies slowly after three days, exactly the amount of time she claims to have for from God in order to convert more people. Her property is distributed among the poor, and Urban gives her a proper burial.
Analysis ~
The Second Nun's Tale is a basic religious biography of the life of Saint Cecilia. There is little, if any, character development and the same can be said of depth to the characters at base value. This leads me to beleive that Chaucer finds the second nun to be a shallow person with little depth of her own, beyyond her pious beleifs. Her style of telling the tale mimics that of the Prioress, perhaps showing the Chaucer saw them in the same light. The tale can also point to her youth, comparing her herself to the image of Cecilia. Chaucer is displaying her s an impossible stereotype, and comparing her to the Prioress in his satire of her.