Religion In The Canterbury Tales

History has proven the church has been an important component of society from the very beginning of its existence. People always associate themselves with the church because it is a place where they can correct for the wrongs they commit. Although the church teaches the values of being respectable and honorable, the very members who represent the church sometimes fail to be honorable and respectable themselves. This is particularly the case during the medieval period. Geoffrey Chaucer does an exceptional job bringing this unfortunate reality to life in his narrative poem, The Canterbury Tales, when he describes many of the clergy members with more vices rather than virtues, such as the Pardoner, the Friar, and the Nun. Throughout his poem
One of the first characters to falsely represent the church is the Pardoner. While life is presumed best when lived to its fullest, the Pardoner certainly spares no remorse. The Pardoner lives a very dishonest life, always looking to “preach for nothing but for greed of gain” through his deceitful tactics (Chaucer 382). Although, he represents the Church he merely uses its holy image for his personal gains. Unfortunately, the Friar is not much different from the Pardoner. The Friar’s ambition to live a simplistic and lustful life. He more often than not prides himself of being the “finest beggar of his [kind]”, when surrounding himself with the wealthy instead of the poor he should be helping (35). The Friar is nothing more than a man of disgusting values and morals, which reflect in his daily behavior. Lastly, the Nun selfishly misrepresents the church, as she prefers to tend to her needs and luxuries before helping others. When the Nun should be helping others and feeding the hungry, she turns a blind eye to her obligations and tends to her “little dogs she [frequently could] be [found] feeding” (31). Her lack of character and morals are the very traits that misrepresent what the church stands for, leading to corrupt views of the church. Unfortunately, society is not only comprised of virtuous people it
Although not every clergy member is corrupt these few individuals selfishly casts an unpleasant shadow on the entirety of the church. In the strive for a more pleasant and perfect society, there are those who lead society towards these idealistic goals; yet it is almost impossible to avoid the selfish and cowardly individuals who hold societies