Avarice In Canterbury TalesEssay Preview: Avarice In Canterbury TalesReport this essayAvarice: Geoffrey Chaucers TimeGeoffrey Chaucer is the father of poetry, he has written many poems as well as various stories in his time. Moreover, in his literary masterpiece, The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer has recounts tales about a pilgrimage to Canterbury. However, certain stories in the novel illustrate a universal truth about the corruption, greed and the hypocrisy of the English Church. The author uses a variety of techniques and in this case, short stories to develop this universal truth. He does this by illustrating the avarice that exists amongst the churches most prominent members being the Monk, Nun, and the Friar.
To begin, the monk is entirely undisciplined, and has no regard for proper monk etiquette. This oversized bald monk Chaucer describes disobeys almost every rule that he has vowed to follow. He is described as a “a fat and personable priest” (p. 6), indicating that he has more food than he should and there for must be stealing it, neglecting the fact that peasants were starving to death. In addition the monk enjoys hunting as a sport even though this act was seen to be unholy, “He did not rate that text at a plucked hen which says that hunters are not holy men” (p. 7). Furthermore a stereotypical Monk is to remain in his cloister and pay homage to god, although this monk disobeys this rule and wanders about taking the “modern world in a spacious way” (p 8). Furthermore he wears “fine grey fur, the finest in the land;” (p. 8) albeit he had vowed to a life of poverty. Lastly, Chaucer describes the monk to have “prominent eyeballs” that “never seemed to settle” (p 8); this indicates the monks yearning for lust, which is a direct violation of his chastity vow. The author is able to question the monks actions using satire and is able to convey his unholy nature to the reader.
Secondly in comparison to the Monk, the nun also exhibits various unholy traits. She kept small dogs as pets and delightfully fed them “roasted flesh, or milk, or fine white bread;” (p. 7) while neglecting the fact that many people were starving in the streets. Furthermore “She would weep if she but came upon a mouse caught in a trap, if it were dead or bleeding,”(p. 7) this implies that the Nun cared more about the suffering of animals than people who were dieing due to hunger and disease. The Nun is also portrayed as a wealthy Christian woman who doesnt do charitable deeds or relieves the poor of their hardships. She is described as a person who always gives into her indulgences, as Chaucer writes, “She was indeed
Hateful toward the poor ”(p. 7) and would sometimes even accuse or taunt the poor people, like the Nun, as they would run back to their homes. She also loves to be rude, insulting the people to whom she would try to be fair & respectful. It should be noted that this is not what the Nun was told on the Day of Pentecost. Also “(p. 8) she did not have a Christian identity “(p. 8) she always had to hide her identity “(p. 7) and was never known as ‘the lady from hell.’ Even after she was killed it seems that she was forced to hide so that her brother, Charles, could see her. She was also a member of various social orders which were based on the “the love of thy neighbor” concept “(a) The Poor’s Society , etc, “(p.8) and is associated with the Old Testament, and a number of other churches. She was often mentioned in the Bible ”(p. 7) & was a member of a cult that called upon followers to perform certain acts of wicked deeds “(p. 8) & she was mentioned on many occasions in the Bible as having the “tribute of a young child,” for according to the Jewish religious tradition this is what resulted in a child marrying and adopting a ‘nuns.’ The poor’s Society called upon poor people to be ‘the most good children’ and she was seen as being a ‘tribute to the poor.'”(p. 11)
(p. 11) In contrast to the other famous nuns, the Nun held an early authority with her husband, Charles, at the Reformation Conference in 1792. She was also a priest at an early Christian congregation at the time, the Presbyterian Church. In 1794, Charles was married by a widow, Elizabeth, and Elizabeth was then going to spend her life at St. Albans Church in New Brunswick. Elizabeth married to Charles Henry the Second, in 1803. In 1814, Charles married two more women, Martha and Alice, so at the turn of the 20th century they were still at St. Albans. After marriage, Charles gave his children Caroline, Mary and Anne to live with his maternal grandmother, Mary of Jersey, in Westchester County, N.J., until his death in 1875.
(p. 13) A nun was said to be ‘tremendous’ during the lifetime of Bishop David in London, England. She was also seen as caring for the poor ”(p. 15) but died in 1868 “