Geoffrey of Monmouth

At first, an indulgence was understood as a certificate given to a person by the Pope whose sins had been forgiven. While never being stated by the church themselves, many members of the clergy believed that Grace was simply achieved by purchasing an indulgence with money (Walter). Martin Luther said in regards to the selling of indulgences that, “If you can get someone out of purgatory for money, why would you not do so out of love?” (Baker). In simpler terms, during this time, money was the…

A man of God should never be greedy, however, the pardoner in “The Pardoner’s Tale” uses his position as a scheme to make money. The theme of “The Pardoner’s tale” is “Radix malorium est cupiditas,” (Chaucer 123) which is Latin for “Greed is the root of all evil.” The pardoner begins his tale by saying, “But let me briefly make my purpose plain; I preach for nothing but greed of gain.” (Chaucer 125) Truthfully admitting to his own greed is ironic because he goes on to tell a story that…

Throughout The Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer repeatedly brings to light and renounces the corrupt activities of the Catholic Church and religious figures of the time. He uses satire to highlight such issues as the insatiable greed and untraditional ways of church officials. Since the most prominent references to the Church are the characters associated with it, it is evident that Chaucer finds the faults of the Church as an institution to be reflected by those directly related to it.…

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…

John Penry is a Puritan and a Welshman. He is the leader of a group criticizing Bishops and clergy. The group started in late 1588 and in 1589. The group began an attack on the established church by making fun of the bishops and officials of the church. They made secret pamphlets signed “Martin Mar-Prelate.” So this meant they were bishop damagers. These pamphlets made fun of the bishops for being lazy and greedy of their duties. He pointed out that the Old Testament should be translated…

Gregory Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales was a satire on the corruption of the Catholic Church in the medieval period. The story is centered on the trip of pilgrims going towards St. Thomas Becket's shrine each member of the group telling stories along the way. Each of the characters, excluding the parson, the knight, the plower, and some less important characters, have some form of religious or moral corruption displayed in their introduction and in the story they tell. An argument can be made…

The Caterbury Tails are written in the 14th century by Chaucer. During the Time around the 14th century church was the greatest power in the world. The Holy Roman Empire had control over the people and the state. But during the later years of its power and began to become more and more corrupt with more and more people abusing their power. Canterbury tales represents the corruption of the problems within the church by the use of its characters. The main character Is off on a pilgrimage to…

Throughout the history of literature, writers have used a variety of different literary devices to reach their intended audiences. “Literary Devices refers to the typical structures used by writers in their works to convey his or her messages in a simple manner to the readers. When employed properly, the different literary devices help readers to appreciate, interpret and analyze a literary work”(Literary Devices Editors). Many great authors are knowledgeable about the various types of literary…

Chaucer’s Genius Many great writers lived during the Middle Ages, but one stands out as the greatest English writers of the time period. Geoffrey Chaucer is one of the greatest English writers of the Middle Ages, and evidence is clearly seen in the General Prologue, “The Wife of Bath’s Tale,” and “The Pardoner’s Tale” in The Canterbury Tales. English was the vernacular language of 14th century England, and Chaucer had a wider influence by writing in a language that was more commonly understood…

“Miller’s Tale” Character Analysis Throughout The Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer uses different ways to diversify his characters such as gender, psychology, formalism, and how they are presented throughout the story, this is most evident in the “Miller’s Tale.” Formalism is a literary criticism that focuses on the literal text rather than the history behind the author or the time the article was published. The first character discussed is John the carpenter, he is arguably the most…