Satire In Geoffrey Chaucer's The Wife Of Bath

Geffrey Chaucer was an iconoclast of his era. During his epoch the church was the government and the class system could not be cheated. Men had the rule of thumb, there are even instances of men getting punished for not keeping their women in check. “which has the effect of stressing the importance of masculine relations), and pushing feminine experience and values to the margins.” ("Explanation of: 'The Wife of Bath ' by Geoffrey Chaucer.")Chaucer had a few bones to pick with some ideas that he did not agree with, in any way whatsoever. He knew what the church was really after, and I was not saving souls of the damned. He used the satire, originally used by a roman named Julian, to tear down the veil hiding the hypocrisy of the church and …show more content…
In the research of Chris Sparkes the motivations of the pardoner are critiqued: “In the remarkable honesty of his prologue, the Pardoner describes his preaching style and the methods he employs in his profession.” (Sparkes) The pardoner says outright that his purpose in life is greed. Procurance of money through his job as preacher and forgiver of sins is his goal in life. “Is all my sermon, for it frees the pelf. Out come pence, and specially for myself, or my exclusive purpose is to win and not at all to castigate their sin.” (The Pardoners Prologue, Ln 19-21) Chaucer was very disturbed by this, but he did not want to completely undermine the church. While the question Chaucer wants readers to ask is, is it possible to separate messenger from message, he still gives record of a good and holy parson. The parson practices a life of devotion to God before he tries to tell others how to live. Chaucer, through the voice of the pardoner, is exposing corruption in the church. He does not think the church is a bad institution all together; his object is to show that sometimes society needs to question the purpose of authority figures in