Analysis Of The Prologue Of The Canterbury Tales

Bhakta, Karan English IV, Sixth Hour Mr. Adcock 8 December 2015 The Religious Vows In The Prologue of The Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer has some religious characters who break the vows they pledge for, to get a place in the Church. Many characters in the story seem to have an awkward characteristic that the writer did not notice. Why do the religious characters break the vow? How do they break it? For example, the monk was a primary part of the church, but as you keep reading, the characters start to change in ways you could never imagine. Some character do not interact with each other depending upon their social class level. The vows that the religious characters break are the Vow of Poverty, the Vow of Chastity, the Vow of Obedience, and the Vow of Stability. The vow that is probably the most frequently broken is the Vow of Poverty. According to the â€Å"Prologue† of The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer says; â€Å"I saw his sleeves were garnished at the hand/ With fine grey fur, the finest in the land. / And on his hood, to fasten it at his chin/ He had a wrought-gold cunningly fashioned pin† (197-200). As a religious figure, the monk probably should not be expensively dressed in fine fur or gold jewelry. He is also showing others that he is rich with all this jewelry. Later Chaucer says, â€Å"He did not rate that text at a plucked hen/ Which says that hunters are not holy men†(181-182). He ignored the rules of the monk and acted on his. Also he isShow MoreRelatedAnalysis 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. 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