The Wife of Bath from Geoffrey Chaucers Canterbury Tales...

The Wife of Bath from Geoffrey Chaucers Canterbury Tales In Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, a collection of tales is presented during a pilgrimage to Canterbury Cathedral. The pilgrims on the journey are from divergent economic and social backgrounds but they have all amalgamated to visit the shrine of Saint Thomas. Chaucer uses each pilgrim to tell a tale which portrays an arduous medieval society. The values, morals and social structures of the society can be examined through the fictitious tales, unravelling a corrupt, unjust and manipulative world, a world that is based around an ecclesiastical society. Society was closely associated with the Church. Chaucer was clearly unhappy with the way members of the Church†¦show more content†¦However, he didn’t give a plucked hen for that text (l. 177 (translated)) and he also went hunting but hunteres been nought holy men (l. 178). The monk is very similar to the Prioress, as he does not want to live the life that he has vowed to live and is better-suited livin g in the higher classes. The Friar and the Summoner also exhibit non-conforming behavior which again highlights the wrong in the Church. The Friar is a member of a religious order that is completely poor and has to beg to survive. The Friar, though, did not like the vow of poverty and is somewhat praised by Chaucer for knowing who to ask for money and where to go; He was the beste beggere in his house (l. 252). The Friar’s dubious manipulations earned him enough money to become a landowner. This did mean though that he is completely dishonest. The Summoner, on the other hand, is blatantly dishonest. He works for the ecclesiastical court, his job is to bring offenders to the court for justice. Chaucer is extremely critical of the Summoner, giving him a fir-reed cherubinnes face (l. 626). Children were even afraid of his visage (l. 630). His gruesome appearance is ironically correspondent with his afflicted soul. The Summoner was really a blackmailer who played on the fears of sinners so if they paid him enough money, he would not pursue them. The Summoner and Friar outline the huge flaws of the Church as does the Pardoner. The Pardoner isShow MoreRelatedGeoffrey Chaucers Use of Characterization Essay1308 Words   |  6 Pagesattain any work fame or shame. Geoffrey Chaucer, a pioneer of English Literature’s works carried mass appeal. His best known works appealed to those of all walks of life. Chaucer’s work resulted in mass appeal because it used many forms of characterization to present the characters to the reader. In Geoffrey Chaucer’s Prologue to the Canterbury Tales, Chaucer uses thoughts and actions, his word, and satire to characterize The Squire and The Wife of Bath. 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