Write a 750-word essay on the following topic:
Compare the different functions of, attitudes towards, and/or adherence to Christian values in two or three of the pilgrims’ tales. Consider ways in which each pilgrim’s life role and appearance compares or contrasts with his or her actions and the story he or she tells.
The Canterbury Tales is one of the milestones of English literature. Its author, Geoffrey Chaucer stands side by side with giants of the literary world such as Shakespeare, Austen and Dickens. In the same way as Austen pokes fun at the people in her time, Chaucer also does the same thing, however in a subtler way. He uses the pilgrims to show the different characters who, and reasons why people went on pilgrimages. Through his characters, for example the prioress and the pardoner, Chaucer shows how worldly and dishonest the Catholic Church was.
A prioress is expected to live a life of humility and charity in a nunnery. However Chaucer’s prioress, who calls herself Madam Eglantine, does not display humility, instead she is shallow and worldly. When she eats at the table she ‘never from her lips let morsels fall, Nor dipped her finger deep in sauce,’ (4) Although a prioress should set an example of manners she seems to be overly fastidious. This shows that Madam Eglantine wants people to observe how genteel she is compared to the other pilgrims. Chaucer informs the reader that ‘She was so charitable and piteous’ (4) yet then shows examples of her charity to her lap dogs. As a prioress Madam Eglantine would have been expected to supervise the alms giving to the poor out of her Christian duty, yet she feeds and nurses her lap dogs. Chaucer does not give one example of the prioress helping and caring for the poor. From the character of the prioress the reader is able to see how members of the church could abuse their position for worldly reasons.
The pardoner sold church indulgences, which said that people’s sins were forgiven. He also sells fake relics such as ‘a pillowcase The which, he said, was Our True Lady’s veil:’ (19). The pardoner is a dishonest man who admits that he only sells the indulgences and relics for the money. You would expect a man who was in such a respected
The Canterbury Tales by Chaucer begins at the Tabard Inn, near London, where a group of twenty-nine people decide to go on a pilgrimage to the shrine of the martyr Saint Thomas Becket in Canterbury. Chaucer uses the different Prologues to show the reader why these pilgrims were not making their pilgrimage in the right way and therefore will not reach salvation in the end. An important key to the story is the Chaucer starts these people on their pilgrimage during the scale of Libra that marks the…
The Canterbury Tales: The Miller’s Tale The Canterbury Tales, written by Geoffrey Chaucer was adapted and made into a television series, which adapted all of the writer’s works. In The Millers Tale movie, Nicholas arrives in Kent, driving a shiny red sports car, which appears to be running out of gas. Nicholas breaks down in front of a pub, which has a popular karaoke bar night. The pub and bed and breakfast inn are both owned by John. John is not a carpenter in the movie, but is described…
Lauren Schmitt Mr. Beyrouty English AI December 13, 2013 Differences in Morals The story of The Canterbury Tales is one full of different characters who all display a wide range of ideals and beliefs. The reader learns a lot about each of the character’s moral standpoints, with the scale ranging from true decency to dishonesty. Some of the characters that Chaucer describes seem to live an admirable life, while others live lives that are nothing to be proud of. In this way, Chaucer presents…
The Canterbury Tales, a collection of tales by Geoffrey Chaucer, was written in Middle English at the end of the 14th century (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2011). It is considered to be the best work of literature in English in the Middle Ages (Johnston, 1998). Chaucer uses literary devices as no one had ever done. In addition, he chose to use English instead of Latin. This masterpiece is structured in a similar way as Bocaccio's Decameron. The tales are organized within a frame narrative (Encyclopaedia…
Close Analysis Essay In "A Dialogue Concerning Heresies" by Sir Thomas More, and "An Answer unto Sir Thomas More" by William Tyndale, both authors present their thoughts about religion and the Roman Catholic Church. Each author used several arguments to support their thoughts. In the arguments Sir Thomas More and William Tyndale used, some lacked validity and effectiveness. Sir Thomas More's thoughts about religion and the Roman Catholic Church differed greatly from Tyndale's thoughts. More…
author of “The Canterbury Tales” he writes of a pilgrimage that he goes on with other pilgrims. On this pilgrimage each pilgrim is to tell four tales each two tales on the way to the Canterbury Cathedral and two tales on the way back. Many of these tales have hints of irony. Irony is when the use of the words the pilgrims use in their story conveys a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning. Two of the stories that Chaucer writes are “The Prioress Tale” and “The Pardoners Tale”. Both of these…
Sorry there are some mistakes not my best work The Daughter’s Tale The Prologue Momma always warned me of “the big city” Because I’m so young and pretty, But the people seemed so nice One gentleman to be precise, He goes by the name “Leon” His stories seemed to last for an eon, But his eyes so sweet, his smile so inviting, How was I to know that his so called “sighting” Of the lord was just a ploy To rob me of my joy And all my hard earned…
Jackie McEvoy Klastava English III 24 October 2014 Canterbury Tales Although The Merchant is a commoner, he is classified as being in the wealthy class. He is a seller of goods. The Merchant appears to be high maintenance because of his fashion choice and is very egotistical and selfish. Chaucer says “he told of his opinions and pursuits in solemn tones, and how he never lost” (284-285). The Merchant is a man who speaks highly about himself and his appearance. Additionally, The Merchant is hard…
Ryan Sebastian Mr. Laverty British Literature March 23, 2012 A Tale with Meaning Throughout history, books have always been a popular form of entertainment. Ever since the days of the first writing systems in ancient Mesopotamia, writing has always entertained us with stories and indulged our minds by taking us on adventures—some of which we would never be able to go on in our earthly bodies (as well as being used to relay valuable information). Writing has always told the story of a people and…
Canterbury Tales After participating in the pilgrimage to Canterbury, Geoffrey Chaucer wrote the “Canterbury Tales”. This tale consists of twenty nine pilgrims traveling to Canterbury. On their way to Canterbury a challenge is set for everyone to tell a total of four stories − two stories going and two stories coming back. One of the twenty nine pilgrims was a Wife of Bath who was a woman that was married five times. There was also a Pardoner who was a seller of religious artifacts and boasted about…
