Satire in the Canterbury Tales - Essay Example

Satire in the Canterbury Tales This essay is based on the satirical representation of the Monk, the Friar and the Knight in The Canterbury Tales, the most critically acclaimed work of fiction by Geoffrey Chaucer. Written during the fourteenth-century, The Canterbury Tales is a collection of stories in a frame story where group of thirty pilgrims are going to Canterbury. Therefore, this collection satirizes the way of life of people from different social classes as they travel to Canterbury. The Monk Chaucer presents the Monk in contrast to what one would expect a typical monk to embody especially based on the expectation that a monk should be someone dedicated to studies, prayers, and performance of manual labour. This is not the picture one gets with the description of the Monk who is presented as being rebellious and living a self-pleasing lifestyle not caring about what a true monk should practice. He is presented as someone whose pastime activities includes hunting hares and riding his horses instead of dedicating significant time of his life to studying, praying, and working for the society. The Monk’s character and actions stand in stark contrast to the rules of the monastery which forbids the monks from leaving the monastery, hunting and leading a reckless life. The monks chooses to disobey these rules as seen in Chaucer’s assertion that "He yaf nought of that text a pulled hen” (Greenblatt, Greenblatt, Abrams and Christ 85). Elsewhere, Chaucer also notes the Monk’s habit when it is noted "Of priking and of hunting for the hare was al his lust, for no cost wolde he spare"(191-192) which implies the Monk breaks these rules because they stand in the way of the things he loves. The way of Monks dressing is also satirized based on his break from traditional attire used by monks. Instead of wearing the plain habits with hoods which are the usual attire, the Monk chooses to put on one with gray fur on the sleeves of his cope and a gold pin with a love knot at the end of the hood. Chaucer describes the Monk as: I seigh his sleves purfiled at the hond With grys, and that the fyneste of a lond; And, for to festne his hood under his chyn, He hadde of gold ywroght a curious pyn; A love-knotte in the gretter ende ther was. His heed was balled, that shoon as any glas, And eek his face, as it hadde been enoynt. He was a lord ful fat and in good poynt”. (190-200) This shows the Monk’s break from tradition where instead of being concerned with the poor in society, he spends his resources on accessories and the best attire. The description of the Monk based also indicates someone who does not fit into a religious lifestyle where instead of having the gold pin, the Monk was supposed to have a rosary. While being “lord ful fat” indicates a contrast from the expectation that monks should be lean due to constant fasting which might also proves he did not participate in these religious duties. The author also satirizes the Monks reasons for being celibate where instead of religious reasons, he notes historical examples of people such as the biblical Samson and ancient Greece Hercules who were betrayed by women. The inappropriateness of the Monk to his title is also seen in the host who says, "God confound him, I pray, whoever first led you to take up monastic life, youd have been a rare cock with the hens" (Wright 177), which implies the Monk would have suited best in a different profession where he was allowed to court women. The Monk does not lack desire for women however as noted in the host’s assertion to the Monk that "If you had the freedom, as you have the power, to copulate as much as you desire, a fellow like you would have fathered dozens!" (Wright 177), indicating that being a Monk did not prevent him from being lustful. The Friar Apart from the Monk Chaucer also satirizes the lifestyle of other religious figures among them the Friar. In The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer satirizes the Friar for abandoning the religious way of life and following one that is characterized by the quest for material wealth. This went contrary to the medieval religious practices in England where friars were licensed to beg from specified regions in addition to being allowed to receive payment from hearing confessions and oversee the administration of sacraments. The friars therefore “made their way in the world by begging, preaching, hearing confessions, administering to the poor” among other responsibilities they were called upon to perform (Allen and Fisher 16). The licenses offered to friars made it possible for them to get basic needs since there were not allowed to own property (Allen and Fisher 16). It was therefore important for the friars to walk around asking for financial assistance while also performing their religious functions. However, the friar in Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales reveals another of the friars’ famed stereotypes where they had been accused of seducing women as they travelled around. It is told that the Friar had "maad many a mariage / of yonge wommen at his owene cost" (212 – 213) which is supposed to indicate the Friar’s generosity. However, this might not be the case going by their promiscuous nature. This might indicate that the Friar does not suggest to the bride price for the womenfolk owing to the wellness of his heart but it is possible that this is in compensation for the virginity he has snatched from them. His tact in seducing women is shown by the assertion that “His tippet was always stuffed with pocket-knives/And pins, to give to young and pleasing wives” (233-234). Chaucer also indicates the expertise that the Friar has in soliciting donations from the most unlikely sources. Chaucer states that "He was the finest beggar of his house" (257). This ability made it easy for them to earn extra money to fund the luxurious lifestyle, as he was even able to convince a widow to part with her last penny. To improve his financial position, the friar promised to offer penance depending on the amount of donation one offers. This was therefore practically selling the church’s forgiveness as the more one gives, the easier the penance given by the Friar which added to their ability to earn in excess of what they actually needed. The narrator does not end his satire on the way the Friar earns money but extends to his activities outside religious duties, which are seen as being inappropriate for one of his profession. Instead of spending time with the needy in the society, the Friar chooses to spend his time with the wealthy landowners, barmaids, noblewomen, and tavern owners as seen in the narrator’s assertion that: “And certainly he possesed a merry note: Well could he sing and play upon the rote. At ballad contests, he bore the prize away. His throat was white as the lily flower I say; Yet strong he was as every champion. In towns he knew the taverns, every one, And every good host and each barmaid too - Better than needy lepers and beggars, these he knew”. (235-242). In this way, the Friar avoids spending time with the poor since he cannot make money by encouraging such associations therefore justifying his lifestyle which is seen as resembling that of the pope or a master. The Knight Based on the description of the Knight, Chaucer is the closest that his characters have come to being the embodiment of their profession. The night has been round the word fighting in the crusades as well as his achievements in the wars the Knight is seen as a nice who has never spoken harsh words to anyone based on the narrator’s assertion that “He never yet had any vileness said” (75). The Knight is presented as someone who takes pride in hearing romantic stories and is upset by stories that centre on tragic falls. Therefore, it was more willing to be presented with narratives of great “joye and greet solas,” as well as about men whose exploits in life has seen them beat poverty ending up as men of fortune and wealth (2774). This presentation of the Knight greatly contrasts with his chosen profession where in the battle field, fights and deaths are the order of the day. In reality, the Knight propagates all the things he appears to be against, since even his crusade wars against the pagan leaves behind sorrow for those left behind after such battles. Additionally, the fact that Knights returned home with the bounty they gained from these battles might also indicate the real reasons behind the said involvements in the crusades. Consequently, it is argued that Chaucer’s portrayal of the Knight is a satirical one based on the belief that the Knight is actually a heartless mercenary, which is not perceived as representing the principles of loyalty. The actual portrait that suits the knight is therefore one not the one where he is “a militant Christian idealist but a shabby mercenary without morals or scruples—the typical product of an age which saw war turned into a business” (Lambdin and Lambdin, 9). Works Cited Allen, Mark, and John Fisher. The complete poetry and prose of Geoffrey Chaucer. Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning, 2011. Print. Chaucer, Geoffrey. The Canterbury tales. Toronto: Broadview Press, 2012. Print. Greenblatt, Stephen, Stephen Jay Greenblatt, Meyer Howard Abrams, Carol T. Christ. Eds. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. New York: W.W. Norton & Co., Inc. 1993. Print. Lambdin, Laura C., and Robert T. Lambdin, eds. Chaucers pilgrims: an historical guide to the pilgrims in The Canterbury tales. Westport: Greenwood Publishing Group, 1999. Wright, David. The Canterbury Tales. New York: Oxford University Press, 1985. Print. Read More