Canterbury Tales Research Paper

Leading up to the 15th century, Geoffrey Chaucer began writing his Canterbury Tales. Chaucer would complete only twenty-four tales, of his intended one hundred and twenty, before his death in 1400. Although never seen to their fruition, The Canterbury Tales provide significant insight into the economic, social, and political ambiences during a critical point in history. The portrayal of religious figures show the corruption of the church amidst the Western Schism. On the contrary, the characters also show the lighter side of the church along with the strength of traditional virtues despite the Church's crisis. Lastly, the tales show the growing tendency to personal interpretation and personal reasonability rather than yielding to authority.

According to tradition, Jesus choose Peter to be the successor of his church. The validity and succession of the Popes was not challenged until 1054, during which the Eastern and Western Church split over a minor translation problem. To this day, the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches remain nearly identical. The Western Schism, on the other hand, was more than just a minor dispute. The turmoil of the period is captured in The Canterbury Tales through means of various religious figures whose actions are either wicked or atypical of their reputation. Pardoners, for example, gave blessings to the people in exchange for donations to the church. Yet, the pardoner in Chaucer's tale pocketed donations and sold fake relics for large profit. "And in a bottle he had he some pig's bones./ But with these relics, when he came upon/ Some simple parson, then this pargon/ In that one day more money stood to gain/ Than the poor dupe in two months could attain." (22) The Friar in the tale furthered the portrayal of religious corruption, as the wondering priest accepted bribes and chased young women and rich men. The portrayal of the monk furthers the degradation of the once holy life of religious figures, as the monk devotes no time to prayer and instead to hunting and eating. Given these characters, the tales reveal why people of the time

Many were looking to reform and rebuild the crumbling pieces of the church. This can clearly be seen in the delineation of the clerk. The clerk, being a student of philosophy, is not a person of the church. Despite this, he is a character that is known for his wisdom and moral teaching. "Yet, and for all he was philosopher,/ He had but little gold within his coffer;....And then he'd pray right busily for the souls/ Of those who gave him wherewithal for schools...Pregnant of moral virtue was his speech;/And gladly would he learn and gladly teach." (10) Aristotle and philosophy, at least for the clerk, were thus serving as a substitute for the church's teachings. It is also important to denote, that not all religious figures in the tales were wicked or immoral. The parson is a devout Christian who lives in poverty, preaches the gospel, and lives a very holy life. In addition, the knight is also a Christianly figure and during the time a member of church. Finally, the entire tale is about a pilgrimage to St. Thomas a Beckett. With these facts in mind, the tales seem to show the rejection of the corrupt leaders of the church, rather than its traditional values and moral