The Hypocritical Church Essay - 1237 Words

In the medieval literary masterpiece The Canterbury Tales, written by Geoffrey Chaucer, not only does Chaucer provide the reader with an entertaining story about a group of approximately thirty pilgrims who meet (by chance) at an inn, in a suburb of London, on a trip to see the shrine of St. Thomas #225; Becket in Canterbury cathedral, but he also divulges to the reader a remarkably horrid picture of an English Church run amok with corruption, greed and, more importantly, hypocrisy. Writing about pilgrims drawn from almost every rank of 14th century English society, The Canterbury Tales takes a look at medieval life from (what seems like) every angle and every class, displaying the actuality of the Church by illuminating and†¦show more content†¦First, the bald and oversized Monk that Chaucer tells of is entirely undisciplined. His taste was all for tracking down hare, meaning he engaged in a forbidden pastime for monks, hunting. He was fashionable, with sleeves trimmed with gray fur, the finest in the land, and he was fond of precious metals, wearing a pin made of wrought gold. The Monk is a mere pleasure seeker who relished a plum swan as his favorite roast. The Prioress, in comparison, has a much more shallow aura about her. She kept small dogs as pets, which, of course, were forbidden in convents during medieval times, and even more repugnant, her dogs were fed roasted meat or milk or good wheat bread. Chaucer tell us, She would weep if she b ut came upon a mouse caught in a trap, if it were dead or bleeding, implying that she cares more about the suffering of animals than people. Chaucer uses a barrage of satirical statements when describing and discussing the Prioress, giving the reader the impression that she actually contradicts her appearance. She is focused on irrelevant things such as dignity, charm and pride, as well as wealth, as evidenced by her coral rosary beads with the brooch of golden sheen hanging from it. Next we are introduced to the Summoner and the Pardoner, who are two derelict peas in a pod. One of these men summons those charged by the church for a crime, and the other sells indulgences, certificates from the pope,Show MoreRelatedEssay about The Hypocrisy of Religion660 Words   |  3 Pagesepitome of goodness and morality and are supposed to live lives worthy of emulation. Yet, in Voltaire’s Candide and Goethe’s Faust, the church is infested with hypocrisy what with religious leaders being hypocritical characters that are corrupt, greedy and immoral. These are seen in so many instances in both texts as will be discussed below. 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