Comparing The Friar In Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales

The Canterbury Tales, by Geoffrey Chaucer was written in 1387 and provides tales depicting life in the Middle Ages. During this period, the Medieval Church was extremely corrupt and had total control over the people. People firmly believed in God, Heaven and Hell, and paid large sums of taxes to the Church. This resulted in the increased wealth of the Church and Church officials. Church officials often took advantage of the Church’s wealth and neglected their religious duties for personal benefit. Through the contrast of moral characters such as the Parson and the Oxford Cleric, and immoral characters like the Monk and the Friar, Chaucer is making a critique of the Church though the characters’ actions, such as the way they dress, in addition

This attention to wealth is seen in the passage from the Prologue that states: “Therefore instead of weeping and of prayer/ One should give silver for a poor friar’s care” (Prologue 235-236). The Friar does not not want anything to do with religion which is immoral since he is a friar. He is consumed by becoming rich and taking money from parishioners who believe he has their best intentions in mind. The Friar puts aside his religious responsibilities to extort money from the people who look up to him. The Friar does not match the image of a Medieval Friar, as he does not enjoy tasks that would normally be performed by religious figures. This contrast of the stereotypical friar and the Friar Chaucer writes about is seen when Chaucer writes: “It was not fitting with the dignity/ Of his position, dealing with a scum/ Of wretched lepers; nothing good can come/ Of commerce with such slum and gutter dwellers,/ But only with the rich and victual-sellers” (Prologue 248-252). It was a normal occurrence for religious figures, including friars, to visit with the poor and greet the people of a village. However, the Friar does not enjoy dealing with people who are poor or less fortunate because they do not have any money and he cannot get anything from them. He is only in it for the money, not God and religion. The Friar uses his image as a religious figure to take advantage of people and make money. He is in it for all the wrong reasons and is willing to sacrifice morals for