The Summoner's The Canterbury Tales

The pilgrims, or characters of The Canterbury Tales are relatable to the present society in numerous ways. Many of them show traits that are similar to today’s world like greed, pride, envy, and gluttony. The Canterbury Tales consist of a prologue defining all of the pilgrims and individual stories that the pilgrims tell. Each character has his or her own unique personality that is comparable to some well-known personalities. In The Canterbury Tales prologue, there are several characters that are described. One of them is the Monk. Monks are supposed to take up a religious life, and devote their life to serving their belief. They commit themselves to vows such as abstinence, poverty, and compliance. In the prologue, it tells how this monk lives a sinful and indulging lifestyle. The Monk hunts, overeats, and dresses elaborately. He claims he is a modern man, and that he does not follow traditional styles. “This mounted Monk let old things pass away, so that the modern world might have its day. (Lines 175 and 176)” This character is interesting and relatable, because there are people in the modern world that act like the Monk. In today’s society, the traits most similar to the Monk are greed, gluttony, and …show more content…
A Summoner’s job is to apprehend people before a religious court so they may atone for their sins. The Friar told how the Summoner was very good at finding people that were sinful, but the Summoner himself was just as sinful. The story states that the Summoner would collect money and only give half of the collection to his boss. “And was a thief, that's just what he was too; His master got but half what he was due.” (Lines 1351 and 1352) The Summoner is similar to famous actions of people today. He is thieving and dishonest, as are many people. The Summoner is lying and sinful, even when his job requires him to be honest and upstanding. He resembles the personalities of many people in the current