Corruption In The Canterbury Tales

In medieval society most political, economic, and social decisions were made by the English Church. While many would think this form of government would result in virtuous and godly decisions to aide the people they serve, the Church of England was astonishingly corrupt during this time period. The Early Church’s power cumulated over centuries of ruling and with the ignorance of its subjects there was really no true opposition to the government. Geoffrey Chaucer uses his work of poems The Canterbury Tales in response to this, and addresses many societal issues of medieval England with an emphasis on his criticism of the church. The Canterbury Tales mirrors the characterization of clergymen of the time and allows Chaucer to condemn their corrupt …show more content…
Much like the Monk or Prioress, the Friar in The Canterbury Tales is another misrepresentation of a religious figure. Generally speaking Friars of Medieval England were licensed to beg and earn money for hearing confessions or administering sacraments. Friars typically didn't own any land and relied on these licenses to provide a source of income. But their soliciting for donations depended so heavily upon their communities that stereotypes grew up around friars. This same stereotype is present in the characterization our Friar we learn that the more money a penitent donates, the easier the penance the friar gives. Essentially he’s selling the Church's on the belief that “instead of weeping and of prayer/One should give silver for a poor's care.” (The Friar's Tale, 234-236). The greed continues in his story. However the friar offer’s his story to expose the Summoner’s villainy. In the tale a Summoner is employed to be a thief and pimp. The Summoner sets out to extort money from an innocent old woman, but on the way he meets bailiff, and ashamed of his true occupation, claims to be a bailiff as well. They get along well enough to swear their brotherhood and make a pact to share everything over the course of their ride. After the Summoner presses the “Bailiff”, he reveals that he is instead a Fiend who claims to roam the earth from Hell in search of souls. This triggers the Summoner’s curiosity about Hell and the Devil's which blinds him from the fact that he might be in danger. They ride on until they pass a bystander stuck in the mud. The carter curses the horses and when they pass the Summoner tells the Devil to take them. But the Fiend counters him adding that since the curse is not heartfelt he cannot touch the animals. Journeying on the two eventually arrive at the old woman's house where the Summoner attempts to extort money from her. She then