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Religion in The Canterbury Tales

 

            How Chaucer's attitude toward religion in the General Prologue show his disappointment in the Medieval Church. .
             Geoffrey Chaucer's, The Canterbury Tales, is known to be a critique of the Medieval Church. In the General Prologue, Chaucer introduces the characters that are participating in the "Canterbury Tales." Chaucer uses his introductions to indirectly take shots at the Medieval Church. He sees the Medieval Church and its clergy as corrupt. His descriptions of the characters that are involved in the church, the Prioress, the Monk, the Friar, the Summoner, and the Pardoner, gives reason to say that is what Chaucer believes. .
             It seems that Chaucer does not have one bad thing to say about the characters he is presenting. He forms each character's flaws into compliments. As each clergy member's description goes on, readers get the sense that Chaucer is describing each character as deceptive. The things that are being said about the characters do not add up to their professional title. Chaucer satirizes the Medieval Church. .
             Chaucer begins his critique of the church with the second character introduced, the Prioress. Her appearance is described as modest, dainty, and extremely proper; the way a nun should be pictured. However, this nun is not really what she seems to be. Her appearance is nothing close to dainty, "for certainly she was not undersized" (Chaucer 156). As a nun, it is expected for her to carry around rosary beads, but instead is seen with coral green vanity beads that reads, "Amor vincit omnia," or "love conquers all." The way Chaucer describes her, that "love" is assumed not to be God's love. The Prioress is also known to have a flirtatious side to her and is way to caught up with her appearance and stately manner to be involved with anything holy.
             In the church, monks are known to be very reserved and very old-fashioned.


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