The Church In Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales

In fourteenth-century England, Geoffrey Chaucer’s publication of The Canterbury Tales critiques the Catholic Church through the religious figures depicted in the poem who digress from their religious duties. The tales that support Chaucer’s critique are clearly shown in “The Friar’s Tale,” “The Summoner’s Tale,” and “The Pardoner’s Tale.” In all three stories, the characters are corrupt church officials revealing their true greedy motives by taking advantage of the commoners. Noted, the characters are not just satirical versions of their real counterparts; they are individuals and cannot be a representation of their professions, but Chaucer is merely bringing attention to the inadequacies and the wrongdoings that take place in the Church. “The Friar’s Tale,” told by the Friar showcases the story of a corrupt summoner, while conversely, “The Summoner’s Tale,” told by the Summoner about a corrupt friar creates comedic relief to the harsh reality of Catholic officials. He begins by having both characters pointing out each other’s wickedness by insulting each other’s position in the Church. The summoner, in the tale, is compared to a fiend from Hell, “the …show more content…
The Pardoner does not deny his perversion unlike the Friar and the Summoner who refuse to admit their avarice. Both characters become angry and highly insulted; revealing their cognitive dissonance to the harsh reality of their works. The Pardoner, however, seems to be proud and boastful in his “slandering falsehood” (33); he applauds himself to have the ability to trick the naive. The Pardoner believes to be superior due to the influence he has gained through the Church. Power and his “principle intent, covetousness,” (50-51) has completely corroded him, and for this reason, he is the worst of the three: the only thing worse than a decadent church official is a one who flaunts his