Geoffrey Chaucer's The Summoner

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The Summoner The Canterbury Tale written by Geoffrey Chaucer in the late 1400’s is a collection of stories that take place during the Hundred Year War. The Hundred Year War took place between the years 1337 to 1453 between England and France over English territory and was the war that warriors like Joan of Arc and John of Bohemia fought in. Each story is read by an individual who is part group of people who are on a journey to the Canterbury Cathedral and are having a storytelling contest on the way. The winner of said contest will be bought a meal when the journey is complete The story the Summoner tale is about a Friar who begs door to door for money to use as a donation as to the church. He goes door to door until he reaches the house…show more content…
In the 1400’s a Summoner was a person who was employed by the court to summon people to face the charges of a crime, very similar to the person in modern times who brings the papers if you are being served and brought to court. The Friar says that the Summoners were seen as corrupt because he would use violence if you refused to be served and could often be paid off. The Summoner tells many little stories within his tale, all of which are told to make the Friar look a fool since the Friar had told stories of a wicked Summoner to try and insult the Summoners intelligence. The Summoner tells his stories of the friar to show that in his opinion that the Friar is a fraud and is hypocritical. He says that instead of speaking to God the friar sits on the lap of the devil to say that all friars suffer from the sins that the preach against. He uses the example of a friar preaching a sermon about the sins and gluttony and the evil of it while the friar himself is a glutton. The whole theme of his story to highlight his personal dislike for the Friar. Neither story makes ether character look good. Especially because of the fact that the Summoner does not tell a story to defend his character he decides to launch his own attack on the Friar. The Summoner highlights how he despite the friar when they enter the church makes vows of poverty often live lives filled with wealth. Which suggests that the Friar in the Summoner's story is only collecting money for himself and not actually to benefit the
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