Characterization has been the cornerstone of literature for centuries. Character presentation can attain any framework or shame. In The Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer uses thoughts and actions, to characterization of the Friar and the Monk to emphasize corruption in the Catholic Church. The monk is a religious character who is corrupt. Instead of reading on his cell, he prefers to go hunting. He also decides to wear decorative clothes instead of dressing in simple clothes. The Friar is another church member, who doesn’t follow the rules. The Friar seduces women, and tricks the wealthy into giving him their money. Instead of helping the poor, he spends time gaining money anyway he can. These are both ways that these two characters show corruption
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The monk loves the good life and tends to find more pleasure in hunting than studying in the cloister. The monk also has a taste for good food and expensive clothing, and his love for hunting violates the monastic vows of poverty and simplicity. The monk wears clothing much different than other monks. While monks usually wear plain habits with hoods, this monk has “his sleeves were garnished at the hand with fine grey fur, the finest in the land, and on his hood, to fasten it at his chin. He wore a wrought-gold cunning fashioned pin; into a lover’s knot” (Chaucer 128) This indicates that he is not religious, because instead of a gold pin, he should have a rosary. The monk also is different from other monks because “His head was bald and shone like looking glass; so did his face, as if it had been greased. He was a fat and personable priest.” (Chaucer 128) This shows that he enjoys the taste of food and tends to eat a …show more content…
Chaucer uses an ironic depiction of the Friar to highlight church corruption. Chaucer describes the Friar as a religious figure who doesn’t fulfill his oath to the church, to help others and live a life of poverty. The friar’s duties were to live among the poor, beg on their behalf, and to give his earnings to aid their struggle for livelihood. The friar is supposed to be from a religious order, and thus should have stricter vows than any other priest. Instead, he likes to spend his times in taverns “he knew the taverns wel in every town,/ and every hostiler and tappestere/ bet than a lazar or a beggestere” (Chaucer 240-242) He also likes to be around rich people, because he can make more money off of them, absolving their sins through confession for the right price “He was an esy man to yeve penaunce/ Ther as he wiste to have a good pitaunce” (Chaucer 224) The friar also would keep knives and pins he offers to “faire wives” and would flirt with the women of the town indicating that he is a womanizer. In the end, the friar, as it turns out, is not begging for money to appease his goal to feed the poor, but rather is wooing women to fall in love with him. The Friar is more consumed with winning the affections of women than winning support to build a shelter for the poor. The Friar is busy scheming to do illegal business rather than to serve
The monk loves the good life and tends to find more pleasure in hunting than studying in the cloister. The monk also has a taste for good food and expensive clothing, and his love for hunting violates the monastic vows of poverty and simplicity. The monk wears clothing much different than other monks. While monks usually wear plain habits with hoods, this monk has “his sleeves were garnished at the hand with fine grey fur, the finest in the land, and on his hood, to fasten it at his chin. He wore a wrought-gold cunning fashioned pin; into a lover’s knot” (Chaucer 128) This indicates that he is not religious, because instead of a gold pin, he should have a rosary. The monk also is different from other monks because “His head was bald and shone like looking glass; so did his face, as if it had been greased. He was a fat and personable priest.” (Chaucer 128) This shows that he enjoys the taste of food and tends to eat a …show more content…
Chaucer uses an ironic depiction of the Friar to highlight church corruption. Chaucer describes the Friar as a religious figure who doesn’t fulfill his oath to the church, to help others and live a life of poverty. The friar’s duties were to live among the poor, beg on their behalf, and to give his earnings to aid their struggle for livelihood. The friar is supposed to be from a religious order, and thus should have stricter vows than any other priest. Instead, he likes to spend his times in taverns “he knew the taverns wel in every town,/ and every hostiler and tappestere/ bet than a lazar or a beggestere” (Chaucer 240-242) He also likes to be around rich people, because he can make more money off of them, absolving their sins through confession for the right price “He was an esy man to yeve penaunce/ Ther as he wiste to have a good pitaunce” (Chaucer 224) The friar also would keep knives and pins he offers to “faire wives” and would flirt with the women of the town indicating that he is a womanizer. In the end, the friar, as it turns out, is not begging for money to appease his goal to feed the poor, but rather is wooing women to fall in love with him. The Friar is more consumed with winning the affections of women than winning support to build a shelter for the poor. The Friar is busy scheming to do illegal business rather than to serve