Canterbury Tales - Criticism of the Church in the Summoner’s Tale and t

Criticism of the Catholic Church in the Summoner’s Tale and the Prioress’s Tale Many pilgrims in Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales held a religious position. Some of these people’s personal ideas have caused debates and criticism over Chaucer’s opinion of the Catholic Church. Critics have discussed the ideas that were presented both subtly and openly. Two of the pilgrims and their tales will be discussed: the Prioress and the Pardoner. Both of these tales offer points of criticism in the Catholic Church. The Prioress introduces herself as being like a child who does not know many words. She is going to try to tell a tale as best as she can. This child-like language can be seen through the whole tale. The Prioress speaks her tale in a fluent, sweet tone. Her innocence, like a child’s, can be seen as she tells her tale. To see the entire criticism of the Prioress’s tale, the General Prologue must first be recounted. The Prioress was described as a very correct lady; all of her actions showed a very refined lady. She was also portrayed as being very sympathetic, â€Å"She wolde wepe, if that she saugh a mous kaught in a trappe, if it were deed or bledde.† (lines 144-146) She was sentimental enough to feed animals the best food she had. Thus, the Prioress was presented as a very compassionate, well-mannered lady. However, in her tale, the Prioress has an obvious dislike for the Jewish. She relates them to the devil, â€Å"Our firste foo, the serpent Sathanas, that hath in Jues herte his waspes nest...† (Lines 558-59) She describes the Jews as â€Å"cursed† and â€Å"guilty.† She mentions the history of the Jewish as notoriously bad, â€Å"O yonge Hugh of Lyncoln, slayn also with cursed Jewes, ... ...ummoner’s tale more openly criticizes the church, but the Prioress’s faults are fairly easy to recognize once the story is looked at closely. Chaucer used his tales to confront questionable acts of the Catholic Church. Works Cited and Consulted Ames, Ruth M. God’s Plenty Chaucer’s Christian Humanism. Loyola University Press: Chicago, 1984. Colby, Elbridge. English Catholic Poets Chaucer to Dryden. The Bruce Publishing Company: Milwaukee, 1936. Ellis, Roger. Patterns of Religious Narrative in the Canterbury Tales. Banes & Noble: Totowa, 1986. Patterson, Lee. "The living witnesses of our redemption: Martyrdom and imitation in Chaucer's Prioress's Tale.† Journal of Medieval and Early Modern Studies. Durham; Fall 2001. 507-560 Reiff, Raychel Haugrud. â€Å"Chaucer’s The Pardoner’s Tale.† The Explicator. Washington, Summer 1999. 855-58 Canterbury Tales - Criticism of the Church in the Summoner’s Tale and t Criticism of the Catholic Church in the Summoner’s Tale and the Prioress’s Tale Many pilgrims in Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales held a religious position. Some of these people’s personal ideas have caused debates and criticism over Chaucer’s opinion of the Catholic Church. Critics have discussed the ideas that were presented both subtly and openly. Two of the pilgrims and their tales will be discussed: the Prioress and the Pardoner. Both of these tales offer points of criticism in the Catholic Church. The Prioress introduces herself as being like a child who does not know many words. She is going to try to tell a tale as best as she can. This child-like language can be seen through the whole tale. The Prioress speaks her tale in a fluent, sweet tone. Her innocence, like a child’s, can be seen as she tells her tale. To see the entire criticism of the Prioress’s tale, the General Prologue must first be recounted. The Prioress was described as a very correct lady; all of her actions showed a very refined lady. She was also portrayed as being very sympathetic, â€Å"She wolde wepe, if that she saugh a mous kaught in a trappe, if it were deed or bledde.† (lines 144-146) She was sentimental enough to feed animals the best food she had. Thus, the Prioress was presented as a very compassionate, well-mannered lady. However, in her tale, the Prioress has an obvious dislike for the Jewish. She relates them to the devil, â€Å"Our firste foo, the serpent Sathanas, that hath in Jues herte his waspes nest...† (Lines 558-59) She describes the Jews as â€Å"cursed† and â€Å"guilty.† She mentions the history of the Jewish as notoriously bad, â€Å"O yonge Hugh of Lyncoln, slayn also with cursed Jewes, ... ...ummoner’s tale more openly criticizes the church, but the Prioress’s faults are fairly easy to recognize once the story is looked at closely. Chaucer used his tales to confront questionable acts of the Catholic Church. Works Cited and Consulted Ames, Ruth M. God’s Plenty Chaucer’s Christian Humanism. Loyola University Press: Chicago, 1984. Colby, Elbridge. English Catholic Poets Chaucer to Dryden. The Bruce Publishing Company: Milwaukee, 1936. Ellis, Roger. Patterns of Religious Narrative in the Canterbury Tales. Banes & Noble: Totowa, 1986. Patterson, Lee. "The living witnesses of our redemption: Martyrdom and imitation in Chaucer's Prioress's Tale.† Journal of Medieval and Early Modern Studies. Durham; Fall 2001. 507-560 Reiff, Raychel Haugrud. â€Å"Chaucer’s The Pardoner’s Tale.† The Explicator. Washington, Summer 1999. 855-58