Corruption in the Catholic Church was partially exposed through Geoffrey Chaucer’s tale of irony, The Pardoner’s Prologue and Tale. Disapproval of the Church was a major social issue during the medieval period because of it’s contravening actions. Eventually, this led to the Protestant Reformation. Prior to this historical stepping stone, people acted out against the Church. Medieval writers, like Geoffrey Chaucer, incorporated their political views into their literary publications. In one of Chaucer’s famous literary works, The Pardoner’s Prologue and Tale, the story served as a political commentary to shine light on the corruption within the Catholic Church during the 14th century.
Chaucer displayed the Pardoner's personality to the reader …show more content…
This excerpt leads the reader to infer that the Pardoner did not value his faith or job. The Pardoner goes on to say that his teachings focus around the latin phrase, “Radix malorum est cupiditas,” translated to mean, “avarice is the root of all evil.” (ll. 8) However, his teachings on greed contradicted his actions. The Pardoner earned his living by manipulatively persuading Catholic followers to buy relics using his passive tactics. He guilted people into buying relics, saying, “If there is anyone in Church this morning/ Guilty of sin, so far beyond expression/...That such as she shall have no power or grace/ To offer my relics in this place.” (Chaucer ll. 53-58) The sale of relics claimed to cure jealousy, multiply grain, and rid the plague from purchasers. Chaucer evidently showed the artificiality of the Pardoner by exposing the Pardoner motives as a religious official. “Moreover, hypocrisy presented at such pitch, as I hope also to show, is …show more content…
"Offering contemporary historical evidence, J.J. Jusserand arrives at the conclusion that in the presentation of this character "there is not the slightest exaggeration in Chaucer, that he knew well the Pardoner's of his time, and described them exactly as they were, and that did not add a word, not justified by what he saw, in order to win our laughter or to enliven his description."" (qtd. in W. Curry 593) Walter Curry claims the Pardoner’s character and greed derived from Geoffrey Chaucer’s experience with religious authorities. The Pardoner’s Prologue and Tale did not develop off of presumputious or fictional ideas about the Church. In The Pardoner’s Prologue and Tale, the Pardoner’s actions metaphorically illustrated the current events occurring during the 14th century. The Pardoner’s Prologue and Tale served as an assertively indirect work of literature which publicly expressed Geoffrey Chaucer’s political opinions pertaining to religious corruption during the Medieval
Chaucer displayed the Pardoner's personality to the reader …show more content…
This excerpt leads the reader to infer that the Pardoner did not value his faith or job. The Pardoner goes on to say that his teachings focus around the latin phrase, “Radix malorum est cupiditas,” translated to mean, “avarice is the root of all evil.” (ll. 8) However, his teachings on greed contradicted his actions. The Pardoner earned his living by manipulatively persuading Catholic followers to buy relics using his passive tactics. He guilted people into buying relics, saying, “If there is anyone in Church this morning/ Guilty of sin, so far beyond expression/...That such as she shall have no power or grace/ To offer my relics in this place.” (Chaucer ll. 53-58) The sale of relics claimed to cure jealousy, multiply grain, and rid the plague from purchasers. Chaucer evidently showed the artificiality of the Pardoner by exposing the Pardoner motives as a religious official. “Moreover, hypocrisy presented at such pitch, as I hope also to show, is …show more content…
"Offering contemporary historical evidence, J.J. Jusserand arrives at the conclusion that in the presentation of this character "there is not the slightest exaggeration in Chaucer, that he knew well the Pardoner's of his time, and described them exactly as they were, and that did not add a word, not justified by what he saw, in order to win our laughter or to enliven his description."" (qtd. in W. Curry 593) Walter Curry claims the Pardoner’s character and greed derived from Geoffrey Chaucer’s experience with religious authorities. The Pardoner’s Prologue and Tale did not develop off of presumputious or fictional ideas about the Church. In The Pardoner’s Prologue and Tale, the Pardoner’s actions metaphorically illustrated the current events occurring during the 14th century. The Pardoner’s Prologue and Tale served as an assertively indirect work of literature which publicly expressed Geoffrey Chaucer’s political opinions pertaining to religious corruption during the Medieval