Geoffrey Chaucer (1343-1400) is known for his contribution to the
English language as a great writer. Dryden named him as ‘Father of English’ for
his contribution as his writings and variety of work did much to establish
English as a national language. It was he, who standardized the East Midland
dialect at that time. Not only had he written in English language but also in
French and Italian. Born in a bourgeois family, he was considered a part of the
ruling class. It was the time when the “100 years’ war” was coming to an end and it
is considered a time of transition.
It was the transition from Medievalism to Modernism, known as the ‘Renaissance’. The social and political situation was quite disrupted due to the rise of the middle class. The class system hierarchy consisted of the king/Queen, who was the noble class with money and power, and then Barons who managed everything for the higher authorities.
Then there were Church leaders and at the lowest, peasants. The middle class consisted of peasants who wanted to end this monarchical system. They started a revolt against the upper class. Although they succeeded in achieving their objectives of getting money and power, they were still naïve to utilize it properly.
Chaucer started to write Canterbury Tales in 1387 but was left uncompleted as he died. This poem is a reflection of his style of storytelling, use of humor, and art of characterization. It is a satirical epic poem. He used 7 7-line stanza known as ‘Chaucerian Rhyme Meter’, another name for it is ‘Rhyme Royal’ [ABABBCC]. Other than that, he also used imagery, a poetic device in this poem. This poem was also inspired by French Ballads and is written in the tradition of Classical Poetry.
The general prologue of the poem starts with the poet talking about
the surrounding, that it is the time of April season. People from different
social statuses are going to Canterbury for a pilgrimage to the shrine of St
Thomas Becket. This poem consists of around 24 stories narrated by different
characters.
In this article, we will only analyze two of them to highlight the
corruption in the Church at that time. Those are the characters of Prioress and
Monk. The church is considered the most sacred and respectable place. It is a
source of blessing and the people of the Church as a source of guidance,
focusing on the teachings of God. They display modesty, discipline, and
allegiance towards their duties. Prioress and Monk, both are the members of
Church and in this poem, they are portrayed as the complete opposite of their
original impression.
Prioress, the nun is a pious and modest being in the Church who vows to be obedient to God willing. But here is quite the contradiction. Madame Eglantine is the prioress going on the pilgrimage. In appearance, she is wearing quite expensive and vibrant clothes, catching people's attention around her, specifically men.
She is an immature character who is inspired by worldly
materials. She was also pretentious in her behavior, be it while eating or
carrying herself. Chaucer talks about her manners and behavior in a very ironic
way. She also has hound dogs for her protection. All these factors refer to the
Church at that time. The church was also involved in political activities
making them corrupt and changing their path from spirituality to a
materialistic approach.
Then there was a character of Monk, who is also an important religious figure in the Church. The poet used an ironic tone throughout for his character. He is nothing like a pious, religious person. He devalues his moral authority and the responsibilities he is supposed to perform.
Instead of
praying in seclusion, he is out there involved in worldly affairs. This monk
was also a hunter, Chaucer mocking the character as he is supposed to be kind
and loving to every creature. Even the image he created of his appearance is
quite repulsive. A monk is supposed to dress decently but this monk is
different, he is even wearing a gold pin on this dress. It is obvious from his
actions that he did not want to be a monk as he ignored all the teachings of
the Church.
Chaucer used his wit to entertain his readers and satirized the
reality of that time. This masterpiece is known for its vastness as it has
covered many characters belonging to different lifestyles with distinctive
stories of their own. The characters of Prioress and Monk were used to depict
the vices of the Church at that time and how those people were moving away from
their assigned fate.
This article is written by Hafsah Afridi, one of the contributors at the School of Literature.
