Canterbury Tales Corruption

Based on the Canterbury tales, Chaucer's point of view of the Church was that he thinks highly of the priests who pastor their congregations because they follow the commandments of Jesus Christ. The Summoner, the Pardoner, the Monk and the Prioress are full-time servants of the Church, but they tend to be selfish and care more for themselves than for God's work. The students Nicholas and Absalom are interested in promiscuous behaviors more than the Church. Nick' a misled God-fearing man is similar to the tale of Noah's Ark. He is swindled to cheat on his wife, and Abby is also lustful of his wife. The Church doctrine really doesn't help, by taking advantage of the men's situation for their own

In the prologue Chaucer talks about many of the characters. He often tells stories and describes how they act and how they are. From being members in the church to having a good and bad reputation in the town, all the characters are unique in their own way. Chaucer describes the summoner, pardoner, and the friar by using indirect characterization in each of their stories.

The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer is a collection of stories by a group of pilgrims who are heading to Canterbury Cathedral. In this book, the pardoner and the reeve show antipodal characters in many ways. The pardoner is beautiful blonde hair man who is being loved by everyone. However he is very corrupted and smart and sells fake religious stuff to people saying very good compliment. On the other hand, the reeve is very serious and honest business man. He is very smart enough to know what criminals think and do. The pardoner story-tells a great example (or tale?) of seven deadly sins and reeve’s story is mocking of the miller. These very different characteristic men tell story telling that human beings are always punished for

While both characters have power through working in the church, Chaucer uses their reaction to their job duties to convey the theme. The job of the Parson is to act as priest and serve the people. The Parson “knew Christ’s gospel and would preach it,” meaning he is well versed in his work and good at what he does (Chaucer 491). The Parson is very involved in the church and devotes his time and money to others. The Friar’s job is also similar to that of a priest, friars would affiliate weddings, hear confessions, and preach to the people. Both jobs were well respected positions of authority, the Friar even had “a special license from the Pope,” and such power could

    Chaucer's view of the clergy class is not as positive as his view of the ruling class.  For example, Chaucer describes the Prioress/Nun using a great amount of satire.  He speaks of how the nun has excellent etiquette and manners.  She tries so hard to be respected and viewed as one with higher status.  Her character is best described in the quote:

In Canterbury Tales, Chaucer reveals hypocritical qualities in the Pardoner through vivid characterization, tone, and morality. The Pardoner's total lack of respect for the Church's expectations and the congregation allows Chaucer to display flaws in society. Chaucer is able to demonstrate scams and illustrate hypocrisy in the Church, and society in general through the techniques he uses in Canterbury Tales.

Chaucer describes his grandiose opinion of himself, the friar is pompous and crooked. He surmises that a man of his “status” should not be seen with the lowly and poor, which is ironic because those are exactly the people he is meant to help. Chaucer as discloses the lengths he is willing to go for even the smallest person gain saying. “His brethren did no poaching where he went./For though a widow mightn’t have a shoe,/So pleasant was his holy how-d’ye-do/He got his/farthing from her just the same/Before he left, and so his income came” (“General Prologue”, 256-262). The friar is willing to take from the people who need it most in the community, the widow’s economic class and living conditions are used further show the reprehensible behavior of the religious characters. Friars, like several other religious orders are supposed to take a vow of poverty in order the become closer to Christ. The Friar in Canterbury Tales does the exact opposite. Both his greed and unscrupulous behavior of another religious character further substantiate the idea that the religious characters are used to reflect the corruption in the church.

“The General Prologue” briefly describes each of the pilgrims and The Host. “The General Prologue” also includes brief commentary from the narrator; Chaucer. This commentary acts as characterization for all the pilgrims. But the commentary, besides establishing each character, exhibits Chaucer’s opinion on each of the characters, and their flaws. Many of the pilgrims are describes as dishonest or corrupt. A prime example of this is the Prioress who is describes as “Pleasant and friendly in her ways, and straining To counterfeit a courtly kind of grace, A stately bearing fitting to her place, And to seem dignified in all her dealings“(pp 6, 7). These two lines are the only lines that betray the Prioress, revealing that her dignified persona is merely a façade. A liar besides the Prioress is the Pardoner who had, “in a glass, a rubble of pigs’ bones. And

They are both influential members of the church, however, one is more corrupt than the other. The Parson lives in poverty, sets himself as an example for all to follow, and is very pious in his life. The Monk, however, does not care for the rules of the church and blatantly disregards them. He hunts, owns fine fur and clothing, has golden jewelry, and even has animals such as greyhounds and horses. The divergent characteristics of these two men show Chaucer’s intention to expose and make fun of the corruption within the

Corruption Crushing the Christian Church Lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, and pride, the list of traits and actions known to Christians to be the seven deadly sins that one shall never commit. Members of the church swear to never commit these sins and to assist others to do the same. Through his writing of the Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer elucidates the hypocrisy and corruption within the Church tearing the country apart through the actions of its representatives, the Nun’s Priest, the Friar, the Pardoner, and the Summoner. The traits are shown through tales told along the journey to Canterbury.

Both the Pardoner and the Friar are portrayed as quick-thinking charlatans. Chaucer does seem to admire the Pardoner’s skill, and skilled he is, but his actions do not befit a man of the cloth. The Pardoner is spoken of as using bogus relics to con “poor up-country parsons” out of their hard-earned cash. These small hustles netted him “more in a day than the parson in a month or two”. When choosing his occupation, I’m sure the Pardoner did not see the light of the lord but rather, dollar signs. Chaucer goes on to say that yes, the pardoner did preach rather well and his stories were quite splendid, however that might be on account that he could “win money from the crowd”.

Around 1300AD, the Italian Renaissance was introduced, spreading through continental Europe as a “rebirth” of intellect, culture, and especially in the church. Despite the societal advancement, this religious renewal didn’t reach England until over a century later, which was partly because of corruption. During this period when England was behind the times, world connoisseurs such as Geoffrey Chaucer gradually brought the development into the country. Such is evident in Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, where Renaissance-like characters on a holy pilgrimage take part in a story telling competition. Many of the pilgrims are part of the clergy and mimic the essence of the modern times by

Although the Pardoner represents the lowly side of the Church, Chaucer balances it out with a highly appraise of the Parson. He appears into the prologue before the Pardoner and the Summoner, and he clearly is a perfect illustration of the Church, which should be followed over the other corrupt religious men. Chaucer uses the Parson to show the Church’s power and

Chaucer does not only the tale to show off his writing abilities -- it is not simply a display of his incredible versatility as an author.  Chaucer uses this tale to contrast his anti-church sentiments within the Canterbury Tales; it shows his great respect for spiritual beliefs and benefits him in making his argument against the Church.  In essence, Chaucer is clearly defending his anti-secular position by showing his reverence and devotion to spirituality; his problems lie with the Church, not the faith. While very well known for his sardonic criticism of the Church, he is less often acknowledged for his appreciation and respect for the religion itself.

He is not seen as a high ranking, political clergy member.  The Parson is a "true example" (501) of a genuine Christian living a Christ-like life.  He, being "learned" (478), knew and taught the gospel.  He was not hypocritical nor did "scrupulosity" (522) poison his character.  Chaucer himself greatly admires the Parson saying, "I [Chaucer] think there never was a better priest" (520).