- Dainty
- Wants to speak French “in the Paris style”, but can’t because she is not truly cultured
- Intones through her nose (nasal twang)
- Excellent manners (no morsel falls from her lips)
- Tries to appear “courtly” and high-class (she wants to look good)
- Is sensitive towards animals (cries if a mouse is caught in a trap or if one of her little dogs dies or is hit by a person)
- Gives her dogs roasted flesh, milk or fine white bread
- Her nose and mouth are small and elegant, but her forehead s almost 9 inches across.
- Has expensive gifts, a bracelet engraved in Latin, and a golden broach
IRONY:
- The nun is supposed to have renounced “worldly” concerns, but she is very much interested in her appearance and superficial things
- Feeding expensive food to animals, when humans are starving is a questionable behaviour for a nun
- She is not admirable, but Chaucer satirizes her gently and finds her appealing (she is not a vicious person, and not as despicable as characters such as the friar, summoner etc.)