Chaucer’s Depiction of the Corrupt Church in the Canterbury Tales

The Canterbury Tales is a famously satirical piece pen by Geoffrey Chaucer at the end of the 14th century. Though there are many theories of what Chaucer was criticizing, he mainly was questioning the motives of the perform building. Chaucer used important figures in the church building service as characters in the story who go on a journey to Canterbury although the characters do not match the typical ideals of those who would be attributed with the church.Historically, fit to the feudal system, the king was to give twenty-five percent of his wealth to the church, which proves the church had plenty of money to use in ways that would not suit with the typical morals of the church. Chaucer is making social com manpowertary by highlighting on the apparitional hypocrisy and the church as it relates to money. Chaucer begins with his criticism in The Prologue by immediately characterizing those who are affiliated with the church in guild of their social status, showing that ther e are many aspects of the church that belittle short morally.For example, the Knight, though he is a nobleman and not a unearthlyly affiliated character, is the near virtuous he comes at the gain of the hierarchy in terms of social status. Chaucer has nothing but keen things to say about the Knight, especially when he says he had proved his charge in his Lords warsin Christendom and in heathen-lands and he had eternally been honored for his valor. (ll 47-50) The Knight was always respected for what he had done, even when he was doing things for his religion which cannot be said for many of the other characters that Chaucer was describing.Though he is not part of the churchman group, Chaucer highlights on the Knights religious affiliation, saying of him that he is a valiant warrior for his lord. (ll 47) French speaking, with a discretion smile and polite demeanor with a hidden agenda, the Prioress offers an discernment to the twisted world of the church that Chaucer wants the reader to see. The Prioress was characterized as a plump woman because she never let a morsel shine from her lips (ll 128), though this is ironic because as a nun she was supposed to analyze a denunciation of pauperisation.Chaucer then goes on to explain that the Prioress had a few small dogs that she provide- with roast meat or milk and hunky-dory bread (ll 146-147), further showing that the nun didnt take her religious duties as seriously as she should have. The Monk comes next in Chaucers hierarchy, with the description being he didnt give a pick off hen for that text that said hunters are not holy men why should he study and drive himself mad. (ll 177-178) Chaucer mocks the Monks lifestyle by criticizing what he chose to do instead of taking his holy vow of silence.He was a hunter and wore expensive clothes I see that his sleeves were edged at the cuff with gray furand to fasten his spunk under his chin he had a very intricate fleur-de-lis made of gold (ll 193) t hough as a man of the church he should not have had the funds to support his lavish lifestyle, which is why Chaucer criticized the church, because he thought that it was corrupt. Chaucer goes on to say, He was a fine plank lord in splendid shape,(ll 200) of the Monk, hinting to the reader that he was well fed as well, though like the Prioress, he should not have been due(p) to a vow of poverty.The Pardoners purpose in the church was to pardon the sins of the church goers, though Chaucer made his character corrupt too, by charging people to pardon their sins, something that should be unheard of, though unfortunately, it happened quite comm wholly. This exclusively relates back to Chaucers thoughts of the church being corrupt by incorrectly using the money that it had. The Pardoners description says, hed make more money in one day alone than the Parson would in two months come and gone, (ll 703-704).This line also makes parent of the Parson, another religious character, though he was not criticized as a great deal as other characters due to his description of being the only pricy churchman. Chaucer uses less harsh descriptions of him and even explains that he does work for the church in non-corrupt ways, much un-like the other religious characters he describes. He says of the Parson, he was poor, but juicy in holy thought and work.He was also a lettered man, a clerk The Christian gospel he would truly preach, piously his parishioners to teach, (ll 479-482) from this line the reader gains a more clear understanding for how the church was supposed to be viewed. Those who were affiliated with the church were supposed to be religious and faithful to their God, though many did not fulfill the stereotypes that they were expected to. wholly in all, the problem with the church is that those who are supposed to be the most holy are not at all.The obsession with money and the illicit spending of it by all of those who are affiliated is what made the church rec eive so much criticism. The implied solution to the corruptness of the church is impartial to remove the money. The one character who received little criticism was the only one who helped the church be seen in a positive light, and that was the Parson. By removing the excessive money from the church, the corrupt clergy members would go back to their vows of silence and poverty and the church would be restored to its original holiness.