The effect of portraying characters in writing can make an impressionable mark on a readers mind. These descriptions can lead a reader to infer the type of character they are reading about or how they feel about a particular character. Sometimes as we read, things that appear to be certain may be ambivalent. Chaucer’s descriptions of his characters throughout “The General Prologue” are written in such a way where the characters seem to be doing things for the welfare of others or seem to have traits that are excessively praised. However, they really may embody insincerity, selfishness and greed. In “The General Prologue” from The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer, the Parson and the Pardoner, both members involved in the church, are described contrarily in order to provide two completely different effects for the reader. The Parson is shown to be pure and altruistic while the Pardoner who appears to be of good nature, is really not.
The Parson’s character is described differently than any other character. There is nothing throughout the poem that suggests the Parson has anything but good intentions. “There was, and poor, the Parson to a town, / Yet he was rich in holy thought and work” (Lines 489-491). The description Chaucer provides about the Parson is that although he is very poor, the Parson is continuously devout to his religion: “rich in holy thought and work.” The Parson also does not live the luxurious life; instead he lives a life of simplicity. [“…both from church offerings and his property [were how he lived]”] (Lines 13-14). Overall, the Parson is a poor priest who lives off of what he has. He is never doubtful about his life as Chaucer says, “No scrupulosity had spiced his feelings” (Line 536). In life, some m...
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...tal, and pig bones. These are supposed to represent Mary’s veil, the cross, and the holy bones of saints. However, these are all tangible things. He tricks the reader in thinking that he is doing good and he tricks the people of that time to give money to the church in such a discrete way that if it were to be read quickly, his trickery would not be noticed.
Both the descriptions of the Parson and the Pardoner give the reader different thoughts about each of them. Chaucer does not simply tell the reader who they are and how they live, but the reader must decode the clues given by tone and other literary devices. Sometimes things aren’t always as they seem. By reading literature and trying to find the clues to what the author is trying to say, one will always encounter new types of characters, people and ideas that will become engrained in one’s minds forever.
It also states in the text that, “Yet he neglected not in rain or thunder, / In sickness or in grief, to pay a call / On the remotest, whether great or small,” (ll. 502-504). This is stating how the Parson never said no and also helped whenever and wherever they needed him. Not only does Chaucer values morals, but he also values
In “The Pardoner’s Tale,” Geoffrey Chaucer masterfully frames an informal homily. Through the use of verbal and situational irony, Chaucer is able to accentuate the moral characteristics of the Pardoner. The essence of the story is exemplified by the blatant discrepancy between the character of the storyteller and the message of his story. By analyzing this contrast, the reader can place himself in the mind of the Pardoner in order to account for his psychology.
Chaucer presents characters in the Physician's and Pardoner's Tales who are very similar to each other in one important way. Although the characters seem on the surface to be mirror images of each other, they have an important underlying similarity: both the physician and the pardoner are not what they appear to be to most people. Both are hypocritical, although they show this hypocrisy in different ways.
He must be a sailor As critical as he was of ecclesiastical abuse, Chaucer was, nevertheless, Christian. I am a Christian. As impressive and complex as it is, even the Pardoner's. self-awareness has its limits. If the relationship between the teller and his tale is consistent with the other tellers and their tales, we can assume that Chaucer is suggesting that the Pardoner quite.
However, after hearing his tale it is quite shocking about his frankness about his own hypocrisy. We know that he bluntly accuses himself of fraud, avarice, and gluttony, all things that he preaches against throughout this tale. It is in lines, 432-433 that the Pardoner states, “But that is not my principal intent; I preach nothing but for convenience.” It is here that we truly begin to learn that The Pardoner’s Tale is merely an example of a story that is often used by preachers to emphasize a moral point to their audience. That is why, this tale in particular helps to comprehend Chaucer’s own opinions, and how he used satire to display them.
Chaucer identifies a pardoner as his main character for the story and utilizes the situational and verbal irony found in the pardoner’s interactions and deplorable personality to demonstrate his belief in the corruption of the Roman Catholic Church during this time. Chaucer first begins his sly jab at the Church’s motives through the description of the Pardoner’s physical appearance and attitude in his “Canterbury Tales.” Chaucer uses the Pardoner as a representation of the Church as a whole, and by describing the Pardoner and his defects, is able to show what he thinks of the Roman Catholic Church. All people present in the “Canterbury Tales” must tell a tale as a part of a story-telling contest, and the pilgrim Chaucer, the character in the story Chaucer uses to portray himself, writes down the tales as they are told, as well as the story teller. The description of the Pardoner hints at the relationship and similarity between the Pardoner and the Church as a whole, as well as marks the beginning of the irony to be observed throughout the “Pardoner’s Prologue and Tale.”
The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer is a collection of stories by a group of pilgrims who are heading to Canterbury Cathedral. In this book, the pardoner and the reeve show antipodal characters in many ways. The pardoner is beautiful blonde hair man who is being loved by everyone. However he is very corrupted and smart and sells fake religious stuff to people saying very good compliment. On the other hand, the reeve is very serious and honest business man. He is very smart enough to know what criminals think and do. The pardoner story-tells a great example (or tale?) of seven deadly sins and reeve’s story is mocking of the miller. These very different characteristic men tell story telling that human beings are always punished for being greedy. The crooked pardoner and the honest reeve have different purposes for telling their tales, but their stories have the same major theme; sins deserve punishment.
The monk receives some scathing sarcasm in Chaucer’s judgment of his new world ways and the garments he wears “With fur of grey, the finest in the land; Also, to fasten hood beneath his chin, He had of good wrought gold a curious pin: A love-knot in the larger end there was.” (194-197, Chaucer). The Friar is described as being full of gossip and willing to accept money to absolve sins, quite the opposite of what a servant of God should be like. Chaucer further describes the friar as being a frequenter of bars and intimate in his knowledge of bar maids and nobles alike. The friar seems to be the character that Chaucer dislikes the most, he describes him as everything he should not be based on his profession. The Pardoner as well seems to draw special attention from Chaucer who describes him as a man selling falsities in the hopes of turning a profit “But with these relics, when he came upon Some simple parson, then this paragon In that one day more money stood to gain Than the poor dupe in two months could attain.” (703-706, Chaucer). Chaucer’s description of the pardoner paints the image of a somewhat “sleazy” individual “This pardoner had hair as yellow as wax, But lank it hung as does a strike of flax; In wisps hung down such locks as he 'd on head, And with them he his shoulders overspread; But thin they dropped, and stringy, one by one.” (677-681,
The Friar and the Parson, as described in the General Prologue of the Canterbury Tales, can be used to portray both the good and the bad sides of clergy. They make a stark contrast to each other, often even directly, with their characteristics as told by the narrator. From physical traits to their actions, these two pilgrims are almost exact opposites in certain ways. Their motivations for these actions describe the differences in the mind sets of the good holy man and the one who is less true to his orders, the Parson and the Friar respectively. Throughout their portraits, the descriptions of the two are set at odds, so as to highlight their contrariety.
The Prologue to The Canterbury Tales is a masterpiece of satire due to the frequent use of verbal irony and insults towards the characters and their roles in society. A major source of Irony is Chaucer’s representation of the Church. He uses the Prioress, the Monk and the Friar, who are all supposed to be holy virtuous people to represent the Church. In his writing he suggests that they are actually corrupt, break their vows and in no way model the “holiness” of Christianity.
The Canterbury Tales is an in-depth narrative analysis of twenty-nine unique characters and their Host on a collective pilgrimage to Thomas Becket’s shrine in Canterbury. Chaucer paints vivid pictures of each pilgrim through his description of their physical appearance, inner nature, and outward behavior towards others. The individuals are not given names but the reader can identify them by their titles. One of the clearest cut characters in this work is the Parson. Chaucer presents the Parson in The Canterbury Tales to create a stark contrast for the other religious figures by his description of the Parson’s inner constitution, outward actions, and shepherd like qualities.
In the “General Prologue” of The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer indirectly denounces the church describing that they are corrupt, greedy, hypocritical, and selective. The people that have some sort of relation to the church are The Prioress, The Nun, The Priest, The Friar, The Monk, The Parson, The Summoner and The Pardoner. The “General Prologue describes each of the pilgrims and their general traits. Some characters are described more than others because of the fact that Chaucer likes people who are affluent, beautiful and noble. The problem with some of the characters that were described by Chaucer is that they were negatively viewed based on stereotypes and appearance. Overall, Chaucer wants the readers to know that the church people are corrupt and deceptive. Chaucer wants the reader to understand that most of the church people do not live their life by the holy book.
In the Pardoner’s Prologue, Chaucer attacks the hypocrisy of the church to reach the audience. In this tale there are a lot of crooked people like the fryer, the sumner, and most importantly the Pardoner. The Pardoner was priest of a Catholic Church at the time. He took advantage of the church and was making people pay him for their sins.
The Church is the first institution that Chaucer attacks using satire in The Canterbury Tales. Chaucer wants to attack the church’s hypocrisy. Chaucer decides to create the character of the pardoner to prove his point. Cawthorne conveys, “His Canterbury Tales collects together 24 narratives with a General Prologue and an epilogue or Retraction.” Chaucer describes the character before telling their tale. The Pardoner is a man who steals from the poor. Chaucer says on page 127 line 77, “For though I am a wholly vicious man don’t think I can’t tell moral tales.” The pardoner knows what he does is wrong, but he continues to do it anyway.
In the general prologue, Chaucer introduces the reader to the Parson. He is a "holy-minded man of good renown" (475). The reader soon gets to know him as a devout, educated, altruistic, caring, gentle, humble, giving, and brotherly man through the general descriptions of who the Parson is and what he does. The parson is "benign" and "diligent" (481) as well as being "holy and virtuous" (511). Chaucer portrays this pious Christian through his reverent and venerable t...