The English Church Exposed in Canterbury Tales

The 14th Century is a time in which the power of the English Church started to vanish because of multiple reasons. And Geoffrey Chaucer’s greatest work, the Canterbury Tales, can be a good evidence of the profligacy and immorality of the England Church at that time. In this magnificent piece of English literature, Chaucer expresses both his disappointment and admiration for the England Church through many different Church pilgrims form high social class to common people. By his description about the living qualities and moral standards of the various Church people, we can see that Chaucer thinks the English Church is a greedy institution where money comes before religion. And the Churchmen’s lavish personal lives indicate that most of the Churchmen don’t act in a Christian way. However, regardless of these Church people’s good or bad characteristics, they are all well educated in Chaucer’s Tale. Quite interestingly, Chaucer doesn’t say a word about the Medieval English Church in his prologue. But through these Church pilgrims, he spread his comments on the Church and Churchmen in a “silent” way.

Writing about the pilgrims drawn almost from every rank of 14th Century English Church, the Canterbury Tale takes a look at almost every angle and class of the Church. Each of these Church pilgrims has his or her instinct stories. But these people’s different experiences and characteristics are all reflections of Chaucer’s point that Church is a hypocritical institution in which money is the real religion. Lots of these Churchmen use God’s name to get money for their own wills. The pardoner once said in front of everybody that his only desire is to be rich. In order to achieve his dream he sells relics and pardoners to people. And the ...

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...s a dictionary of 14th century English peopleIn this majestic piece of Literature, Chaucer uses physiognomy and striating to express his suggestion, dislike and admiration to the Church. He thinks Church has been polluted by people’s own greed and lost its original faith. He doesn’t like the Churchmen because they are nothing like their spiritual leader Jesus and don’t practice their religion in life. But he admires how people are well-educated in Church though these educations don’t do much in building of their moral standards. Today, more people think that indeed Canterbury Tale is a historical critique against the society during Chaucer’s time. But no matter how people define it, its sparkling dialogue, acute rendering of characters, warm humor and sympathetic understanding of Church, society and human nature will always shine in the universe of literature.

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