Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales

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The Canterbury Tales, by Geoffrey Chaucer, is a collection of twenty-four different stories which are built around a frame tale. A frame tale is a narrative that provides a vehicle for telling other stories. The twenty-four stories are told by the different pilgrims on the pilgrimage to see the shrine of St. Thomas Becket. Some of these pilgrims include The Wife of Bath, The Summoner, And The Prioress. When describing each character, Chaucer makes aware his opinion on the character through his use of diction. He also makes sure to include the character’s physical appearance, morals, how they are viewed throughout society, and what they do for a living. Two specific characters that Chaucer describes are the Parson and the Monk who have very distinct differences and some similarities.
A parson is somebody who is a part of the clergy. A monk is a member of a religious community of men who usually lives under the oath of poverty, chastity, and obedience. Both of these men are expected to live simple lives in which they are fully devoted to God. The way that the Parson dresses in the story shows that he is a humble, kind man who is committed to God. He wears very simple clothing and does not use his wardrobe to flaunt his money even though he lives in poverty. The Monk, however, is the …show more content…
The Parson is a man who is “rich in holy thought and work” (Prologue pg.125 line 489.) He also “truly knew Christ’s gospel and would/preach it” (Prologue pg.125 line 491.)These examples from the text show how the Parson is devoted to God and is committed to the Church. The Monk “did not rate the text at a plucked hen / Which says that hunters are not holy men” (Prologue pg. Lines 181-182) which shows that he did not care what the Gospels said about hunting, he did it anyway, The Monk also did not live in his cloister and he considered that rule “not worth an oyster” (Prologue pg. Line
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