Satire In The Canterbury Tales

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The Church is a place for worship, love, hope, faith, and even forgiveness. It is a safe haven for people who are looking for answers or maybe even guidance. Those who are involved in the church should live out the life of a Christ follower and set a good example for those around them to follow. If one shall live out a false life that goes against their job title or against the Lord then they should not be in the position they are in. Chaucer uses satire to set an example for the reader about the Nun, Friar, Monk, and many more that shows that their actions go against the Church and God. A hypocritical life is not a life you want to live and the characters prove that statement.
A Nun is a member of a religious community of women that live their …show more content…
A Monk’s primary duties they must fulfill are very simple. They must present a behavior worthy of respect, clean the temples, make confessions, and care for the Temple’s property and its responsibilities. Monks typically live their lives under vows of poverty as well. The Monk that Chaucer mentions does not come close to fulfilling any of those responsibilities. He has many different hobbies such as hunting, keeping up with his horses and greyhounds, eating, and wearing extremely expensive attire. He treated his animals well, “This Monk was therefore a good man to horse; Greyhounds he had, as swift as birds, to course” (lines 193-194). This is ironic because as a Monk you should not be spending your time caring for animals but instead should be living out the life that you promised God and in the temple.
All of these characters at the end of the day did not live out their lives the way they were supposed to. As members of the Church you are held to a higher standard and are expected to set an example for others to follow. In Chaucer’s Cantebury Tales he shows how each of these Church members failed to do so and disrespected the positions that they were in. Chaucer used satire to make an example of these characters and prove that not all Church figures are as Godly as they seem. Their actions have a negative impact on the Church and how it is viewed by the
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