Cantuyrbury Tales essays

Cantuyrbury Tales essays If one were to read The Canterbury Tales, by Geoffrey Chaucer, it is inevitable that one would sense Chaucers outright disrespect toward the medieval church. Through various descriptions of Church figures, brilliant characterization, and obvious comments Chaucer displays his evident antipathy toward the Church. Through his descriptions of certain religious figures he illustrates that they are the opposite of what they should be. Also, through the tales these travelers tell he shows the blasphemous struggles of power that the Church went through in the middle ages. To begin his mockery of the Church Chaucer begins with the Friar. In the Prologue, Chaucer writes ...For he was qualified to hear confessions, or so he said, with more than priestly scope; He had special license from the Pope. Obviously he is portraying the Friar as a liar, displaying his distrust toward the Church. When the Friar tells his tale, it is about the wickedness and corruption of Summoners which exhibits Chaucers amusement with the struggle for power by the Medieval Church. Chaucer again mocks the Friars character by portraying him as better than lepers, beggars and that crew. Friars by calling are supposed to be beggars who live on just enough to survive, which is exactly that which he sees himself above. Next on Chaucers ridicule list is the Pardoner. Chaucer describes him as a shameless and immoral man intensely self-loathing yet devoted to his task of defrauding people of their money. The pardoner makes people believe that they have sinned and need to buy pardons to save themselves from eternal damnation. The Pardoner tells a tail about three rioters who encounter death through their greediness. His motive for telling his tale is to get the travelers to buy pardons from him. This once again voices Chaucers distrust toward the church. Furthermore Chaucer at...