The Canterbury Tales Clerk and Monk - 1078 Words

The Contrasting Characters: The Monk and The Clerk of Oxford The Monk and the Clerk are two characters lying in opposite extremities. What one person lacks, the other has gained in abundance. This essay will explore the major differences between the Clerk and Monk in the Canterbury Tales; its focus mainly pointed to physical descriptions, differences in personality and the underlying themes in their tales of sacrifice and betrayal. Chaucer the pilgrim is quite keen on both of these opposite characters in respect to their attitudes. The Monk is a merry man who has a portly body and not an inch of hair on his head and is explained as attractive. His love for†¦show more content†¦Every man in the Monk’s tale suffered from betrayal. The Monk’s moral tale of not to divulge secrets to your wife was shown in Sampson’s segment. Conversely, the Clerk’s tale had learned his tale from the scholar and poet named Petrarch at Padua. The outlining themes of this tale involve inner purity and it is a story of philosophical morality. Griselda has given her husband total control and Griselda regards them as one person, she acts and thinks as Walter does, giving him complete sovereignty. The themes of revenge and betrayal in the Monk’s Tale contrast with Griselda’s sacrifice and her purity. The Clerk had mentioned to the other pilgrims that Griselda was not a model for women to imitate but an example to be patient when God tries us. Griselda’s voluntary acceptance to suffer contrasts with the famous people in the Monk’s tale who died out of spite, revenge, hatred or who killed themselves to avoid suffering. In conclusion, The Monk and the Clerk lie on opposite extremes. The Monk physically is a stocky man, showing his wealth through jewellery and the finest horses and equipment. The Clerk is thin and trying to make ends meet. Personality-wise, he Monk displays curious behaviours that go against a Monk’s usual beliefs. He has broken his vow of chastity, of poverty; he has taken up hunting as a hobby and eats the finest foods. HeShow MoreRelatedChaucer s The Canterbury Tales1064 Words   |  5 PagesGeoffrey Chaucer, The Author of the Canterbury Tales, is known as the Father of English Literature and is one of the greatest English Poets of the Middle Ages. Chaucer was a soldier, a diplomat, a civil servant, and a courtier, enabling him to experience different aspects of each social ranking, which he demonstrated through his poetry. The Canterbury Tales, his most famous work, is a collection of short stories within a frame story, making for an interesting and memorable narrative about 29 pilgrimsRead MoreAnalysis Of The General Prologue To The Canterbury Tales Essays1044 Words   |  5 Pagesthe lowest order was involved in this practice. Geoffrey Chaucer, one of the most important writers in English literature, was the author of The Canterbury Tales, an elaborate poem about the religious pilgrimage of twenty nine people to Canterbury. In the General Prologue Chaucer introduces each individual along for the journey. Through The Canterbury Tales, we discover the hypocrisy and virtues Chaucer narrates in his characters and can appreciate the nuances in this superior piece of literatureRead MoreThe Canterbury Tales By Geoffrey Chaucer862 Words   |  4 PagesThe Canterbury Tales is a book made by Geoffrey Chaucer in 1478. The Canterbury tales consist of twenty-four stories; each story being spoken by a person within a specific group. The Canterbury tales begin by introducing an unbiased host who chooses to go on a pilgrimage to Canterbury, England. He wis hes to visit the Saint Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral and thank the martyr for its assistance. While staying in a tavern, he comes across a large group of individuals who are also attempting toRead More The Canterbury Tales - Corruption in the Church Essay629 Words   |  3 PagesThe Canterbury Tales - Corruption in the Church Chaucer lived in a time dictated by religion and religious ideas in which he uses The Canterbury Tales to show some of his views. Religion played a significant role in fourteenth-century England and also in Chaucer’s writing. His ideas of the Church are first seen in â€Å"The Prologue,† and he uses seven religious persons to show the influence of the religion in his writing. Although many of his characters appear to portray part of the corruption inRead MoreThe Portrait of Medieval Social Classes as Presented in the General Prologue to Geoffrey Chaucer’s the Canterbury Tales4628 Words   |  19 PagesIntroduction The General Prologue fulfils two functions: it tells the story of how the tales came to be told, and it introduces the tellers. There are about thirty pilgrims travelling to Canterbury to pray to the holy blissful martyr- St. Thomas of Becket. These characters can be considered the portrait of the whole Middle English society. All the pilgrims can be divided into particular hierarchic structure of classes. The simplest division of society was into three estates: those who fight, thoseRead More The Canterbury Tales Essay972 Words   |  4 PagesThe Canterbury Tales The Canterbury Tales, a masterpiece of English Literature, written by Geoffrey Chaucer, is a collection, with frequent dramatic links, of 24 tales told to pass the time during a spring pilgrimage to the shrine of St. Thomas a Becket in Canterbury. The General Prologue introduces the pilgrims, 29 sondry folk gathered at the Tabard Inn in Southwark (outside of London). Chaucer decides to join them, taking some time to describe each pilgrim. According to the Norton AnthologyRead More Canterbury Tales Essay646 Words   |  3 Pages Corruption in the Church nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Chaucer lived in a time dictated by religion and religious ideas in which he uses The Canterbury Tales to show some of his views. Religion played a significant role in fourteenth-century England and also in Chauceramp;#8217;s writing. His ideas of the Church are first seen in amp;#8220;The Prologue,; and he uses seven religious persons to show the influence of the religion in his writing. Although many of his characters appear to portrayRead More Canterbury Tales Essay - Wife of Bath as an Attack on Married Life?1291 Words   |  6 PagesCanterbury Tales - Wife of Bath is Not an Attack on Women and Married Life Feminists have proposed that the Prologue of the Wife of Bath is merely an attack on women and married life. The Prologue is spoken by a woman with strong opinions on how married life should be conducted, but is written by a man. It is important to examine the purpose with which Chaucer wrote it. This is especially so as many of the pilgrims in The Canterbury Tales condemn themselves out of their own mouths, such asRead MoreQuestions Macbeth Essay3342 Words   |  14 PagesMacBeth Questions 1) The season that is described in the opening passage of The Canterbury Tales is spring. According to the narrator, when the season comes the people long to go on pilgrammages. 2) English people want to go down to Canterbury to seek the holy martyr, St. Thomas a Becket. 3) The narrator claims he meets some twenty nine pilgrims. 4) The Knight has fought in Alexandria, Prussia, Lithuania, Granada, North Africa, and Anatolia. 5) If the Knight beats his opponentsRead MoreAnalysis Of The Canterbury Tales1806 Words   |  8 PagesThe Canterbury Tales is a collection of twenty-four stories regarding numerous pilgrims and their pilgrimage to Canterbury written in Middle English by Geoffrey Chaucer. The subjects of these tales range from knights to the clergy to government officials. The various tales in the Work are presented in the manner of a contest at the Tabard Inn in London, in which the prize for the best story is a free meal upon their return. Chaucer’s first impressions of the Miller as a rude and sinful man continue