The only two women described in great detail in The Canterbury Tales, by Geoffrey Chaucer, are the Prioress and the Wife of Bath. These two women appear similar in the General Prologue of the poem but, as we see through their tales, they are quite unique women and most importantly very different from one another. The initial similarity between these two women lies in their appearance but as the poem continues on we see that their life experience and their manner and personality vary greatly from one another.
             In the general prologue Chaucer describes both the Prioress and the Wife of Bath in detail. Based on his physical description of these two women alone the reader would be lead to believe they are similar in their stature. The Prioress is described to be nicely dressed, "Her clock, I noticed had a graceful charm"(23). Chaucer also states that "she wore a coral trinket on her arm,/ A set of beads, the gaudies tricked in green"(23). These descriptions of the Prioress tell us that she has great pride in her appearance. Likewise, the Wife of Bath is described in the same manner. Chaucer states that "Her kerchiefs were of finely woven ground"(31) and "Her hose were of the finest scarlet red"(31). This description of the Wife of Bath also demonstrates the concern she placed on her appearance. Each woman also appears to be similar in size. Chaucer describes the Prioress as being "by no means under grown"(23) and he describes the wife of bath as having "large hips, her heels spurred sharply under that"(31). Here Chaucer is telling the reader that each woman is over weight. From these descriptions we see that both women looked similar on the outside but this is the only similarity we will see, because, as the poem progresses, Chaucer reveals that each woman has a uniquely different character.
             One of the main differences between these two women is the type and br...