Corruption In The Church In Geoffery Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales

821 Words4 Pages
Estep, Sequoyah Mrs. Adcock English IV 4th Hour 9 December 2015 Corruption in the church In Geoffery Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales the characters are giving vows by the church to live there life by. The four vows the characters are not supposed to brake are the vows of Poverty, Chastity, Obedience, and Stability.. Although these characters are trusted to follow these vows, many of them go against their learning's and break them. The Vow of Poverty means a person promises to own nothing personally but rather to live modest and not be so attached to material or worldly belongings. The Nun breaks this vow by owning material things such as jewelry.” Her cloak, I noticed, had a graceful charm. She wore a coral trinket on her arm.” (Line 161-162). The Nun was faulting her jewelry not trying to keep it hidden. “A set of beads, the gaudies, tricked in green, /whence hung golden brooch sheen.” (Line 163-164). People would think the Nun of all people would respect these vows. The Monk…show more content…
In this way, the person loses his own will and follows one that leads him more directly to God than he might be abler to achieve. The Friar broke this Vow by taking money from the church people. “Therefore instead of weeping and of prayer /one should give silver for a poor Friar's care.” (Lines 235-237). The church people are giving Friar money for cleaning their sins, when he should be doing it for free. The summoner broke this vow by also by taking money from the church to keep them out of trouble. “In one short day, in money down, he drew/ More than the parson in a mouth or two.” (Lines 699-700). Summoner was making more money then the Parson, but the Parson was doing it the right way instead of stealing from the people. The Parson doesn’t live in a rich house, nor does he practice worldly ideas. He preaches to the gospel and obeys the law. (Web
Show More
Related

  • How Does Chaucer Use Social Commentary In The Canterbury Tales

    842 Words  | 4 Pages

    about issues in society. On the journey from London to Canterbury, Chaucer describes many characters in different social classes and uses them to illustrate various aspects of the general public. In Chaucer’s description of his characters, he explains how well of a representation they are for their profession. In the 14th century narrative poem, “Canterbury Tales” written by Geoffery Chaucer, it is made clear that his work depicted the corruption of jobs in the 1300’s.

    Read More

More about Corruption In The Church In Geoffery Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales

Open Document