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The Monk In The Canterbury Tales

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The Monk is one of the thirty pilgrims travelling to Canterbury. This Monk is not what one would identify as being a monk. He does not adhere to his vows to the Church. He does not study, do manual labour or pray which is what monks were typically known for doing. The Monk in the Canterbury Tales enjoys hunting hares and riding horses. He leaves the monastery, where monks are expected to stay. It appears that he just enjoys the prestige of being a monk but has no interest in living like one and adhering to their rules. His appearance is bald with a shiny head and face which can be a common interpretation for monks and what they looked like. The monk is in good physical shape which is unusual for monks as they are usually thin and frail due to their regular fasting which this monk clearly doesn’t adhere to. The Monk is not a highly-spiritual man, it appears as though he is enjoying the wealth that the Church takes in from the ‘tithes’. From the Monk’s robe it shows that he is not a religious man. The usual robes that monks wear are plain habits with hoods, whereas this Monk has grey fur on his sleeves and a gold pin at the end of his hood, where the rosary should be. In this tale, the Host wants the Monk to tell a ‘myrie of cheere’ thinking it would brighten the mood but instead the Monk speaks about different tales which focus on fortunes in each man’s …show more content…

In the Canterbury tales, the Wife of Bath represented the extravagant and lusty woman. She was not represented the admirable and devoted follower of the church, like the Prioress was. The Wife of Bath represents the "liberal" extreme in regards to female stereotypes of the middle Ages. Unlike most women being ignored during the middle Ages, she has a mind of her own. She voices herself. She intimidates men and women alike due to the power she possesses. Because of her obnoxious attitude Chaucer makes her toothless, fat and large. Doubtlessly, she is very ugly. This to me shows how Chaucer depicts what men don 't

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