Characterization Of The Clergy: Chaucer’s View Of The Church

Everyone has their own opinion about religion and the church. In various pieces of literature, the author may choose to express their opinion by directly stating it, or they may offer it to the reader between the lines. Geoffrey Chaucer takes the latter approach by showing his view of the church through characterization of the clergy in the Canterbury Tales. The characters of the clergy that Chaucer focuses on to portray his opinions are the Prioress, Monk, and Friar. These characters allude to Chaucer’s feelings of corruption among the church, although one must thoroughly examine the text and consider all circumstances of the story to pick up on the subtle hints.

The Prioress, also called the Nun, is the first character of the clergy that Chaucer discusses in depth. She is called Madame Eglantine. This name itself is an oxymoron, because it means a wild rose, which is very different than the “simple and gracious” woman she is described as. Chaucer chose this name purposefully, however; his goal is to imply that the Prioress is not as prim and proper as she portrays herself. In the Canterbury Tales, Chaucer mentions that Madame Eglantine intones “her nose quite properly,” speaks French “quite well and eloquently,” and is “well taught overall.” It is odd for a member of the clergy class to act so highly. Chaucer uses many colors to represent hidden aspects of the Prioresses’ personality. He says she wears “beads of green, and… a broach of golden sheen.” The colors green and gold typically represent money and wealth, so the Prioress wears them to display her prosperity, although she is not truly as wealthy as she acts. On her golden broach, she has the words “Amor vincit omnia,” meaning “love conquers all” inscribed; a nun should only truly love her God, so it is out of character for her to wear this phrase. She seems to portray herself royally and with little regard to her religion, which is completely inappropriate for someone in the

Everyone has their own opinion about religion and the church. In various pieces of literature, the author may choose to express their opinion by directly stating it, or they may offer it to the reader between the lines. Geoffrey Chaucer takes the latter approach by showing his view of the church through characterization of the clergy in the Canterbury Tales. The characters of the clergy that Chaucer focuses on to portray his opinions are the Prioress, Monk, and Friar. These characters allude to Chaucer’s feelings of corruption among the church, although one must thoroughly examine the text and consider all circumstances of the story to pick up on the subtle hints.

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The Prioress, also called the Nun, is the first character of the clergy that Chaucer discusses in depth. She is called Madame Eglantine. This name itself is an oxymoron, because it means a wild rose, which is very different than the “simple and gracious” woman she is described as. Chaucer chose this name purposefully, however; his goal is to imply that the Prioress is not as prim and proper as she portrays herself. In the Canterbury Tales, Chaucer mentions that Madame Eglantine intones “her nose quite properly,” speaks French “quite well and eloquently,” and is “well taught overall.” It is odd for a member of the clergy class to act so highly. Chaucer uses many colors to represent hidden aspects of the Prioresses’ personality. He says she wears “beads of green, and… a broach of golden sheen.” The colors green and gold typically represent money and wealth, so the Prioress wears them to display her prosperity, although she is not truly as wealthy as she acts. On her golden broach, she has the words “Amor vincit omnia,” meaning “love conquers all” inscribed; a nun should only truly love her God, so it is out of character for her to wear this phrase. She seems to portray herself royally and with little regard to her religion, which is completely inappropriate for someone in the position she holds. Instead of acting as an example for her church, where she is an authoritative figure who is admired and respected, she acts above them, putting herself on a pedestal. The Prioress is also a bit imposturous—she will “cry for a mouse that she might see caught in a trap,” but feeds her “small hounds… roasted flesh.” She portrays herself as a saint who does no wrong and feels care for every living creature, but it is all an act. Chaucer uses the Prioress to portray corruption of the church in the form of vanity.

Another character that Geoffrey Chaucer uses to show his views on the church is the Monk. The Monk is described by Chaucer as “handsomest to see.” Monks should not be concerned with their physical appearance, but with their spirituality. He is also described as a man who “most loved venery” which can mean hunting or sexual pleasure, both of which are inappropriate for a Monk by church standards. The Monk is similar to the Prioress in the sense that he wears things above value for his status. Chaucer describes him as having sleeves “fur lined at the hand with rich, gray squirrel, the finest in the land.” He also wears a gold, fancy pin. These items are typically reserved for more affluent classes, and caring about them points to the idea that he is more concerned with himself and his belongings than with his supposed religious lifestyle. Chaucer openly states his distaste for the Monk, calling him “a monk out of the cloister… not worth an oyster.” By combining his love of venery and desire for materialistic things, the Monk represents rebellion from the church as a form of its corruption.

The final member of the clergy that Chaucer uses to convey his feelings of the church is the Friar. The Friar is a sly man who manipulates situations to benefit himself. He is described as speaking “smoothly…with such winning speech,” which helps with his cunningness. Chaucer says that the Friar arranges marriages for many young women “at his own expense.” This makes the audience question his sincerity; as a friar, he is supposed to be living from the charity of others, so it is odd that he would be hurt in any way by helping women get married. This suggests that Chaucer wants the readers to come to the conclusion that the Friar is committing devious acts. The Friar listens to the confessions of all of the wealthy men and women of the area in which he lives. Contrary to what one might expect of a Friar, he does not simply listen to confessions and offer absolutions; he has men to “yield up their silver,” quite literally making them pay for their sins. For women, however, he has a different approach. Chaucer says that in his hood, the Friar carries “pins…to give out to fair wives.” The Friar misuses his position as a member of the clergy to gain financially. He is lustful and greedy in giving special treatment to women and taking advantage of men’s wealth. His religious status allows him to get away with these things without anyone noticing. The Friar’s character represents manipulation as an aspect of corruption in the church.

The General Prologue is where Chaucer develops his opinions about each character of the Canterbury Tales. Although he does not disapprove of religion itself, Chaucer feels strongly that the church, especially the clergy, is corrupt. Vanity, rebellion, and manipulation are three qualities of clergy members that he uses to portray this corruption. The Prioress, Monk, and F