How Is There Corruption In The Canterbury Tales

The main purpose of Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales is to satirize the corruption within the church. Chaucer does this in one way by giving background information on two pilgrims named the Parson and the Monk. These two people are accompanying Chaucer, along with others, on their pilgrimage to the shrine of Sir Tomas’s at Canterbury. In the prolog, Chaucer talks about how the Monk is self-centered and how he does not hold up the standards that a monk should. The prolog also gives us the background on the Parson, who holds others needs before his own. the background information Chaucer gives on these two helps the reader see the corruption within the church. In The Canterbury Tales, the Monk acts as if he is above everybody in the social classes. Monks are supposed to withhold three vows: poverty, obedience, and chastity. This monk, however, breaks all of these vows. The Monk wears fancy furs and a gold pin. He also owns dogs, glittery boots, and horses. These are all things make the monk look like a wealthy man, which he is not allowed to be.

Men of the church not fulfilling their religious duties; instead, they focused on worldly materials such as wealth. Geoffrey Chaucer laminates this corruption by giving us background information on the different people that are with him. He gives us examples, like the monk, of people who are supposed to be Christ-like, but through their actions show otherwise. Although there are many people with Chaucer who are corrupt church members, there are a few members who are not corrupt. The parson is a great example of how a church member should act. He is loyal to the preaching’s of the church and always helps out the poor whenever he can. For these reasons, Chaucer admires the Parson and does not the Monk. The prolog does a great job of highlighting the different qualities that show the difference from being a man for God and a man for