Venery In Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales

233 Words1 Pages
We begin with the Monk, “a person typically living a celibate life according to the rule of a particular order and adhering to vows, esp. of poverty, chastity, and obedience” (OED). Chaucer’s monk clearly has broken these vows. In the description of the Monk he is described as someone “who loved venery” (General Prologue, 166). Venery is defined as the practice or sport of hunting beasts of game; the chase (OED). The monk enjoyed hunting, which was an activity that the church would not approve of. The narrator continues on and talks about the Monk’s views of the church. He says “this same Monk let old-fashioned things pass away and held to the ways of the modern world” (General Prologue, ). The Monk regarded the church’s teachings to be worthless.