Canterbury Tales" by Geoffrey Chaucer is a staunch creation against the hypocrisy and manipulation of the common people by the corrupted representatives of the contemporary church. Chaucer sarcastically and humoursly depicts church's hypocrisy through some characters like pardoner, friar, monk, Prioress, and even through the knight slightly.
Chaucer presents the prioress and the monk as the epitomes of the luxury and hypocrisy. These two characters perfectly represent the show-off religiosity of the priests and nuns, and of their luxurious life which was very much visible in that society. The practice of hypocrisy reigned among the Prioress which is highlighted through him. The prioress represents the contemporary clerical or sophisticated decorum of the religious people. She was no way closer to the real teachings of Christ. She was simply a lady of self-obsession, self-possessed and of self-consciousness. She is such a lady, worthy of contempt that she seemed to have wept if a mouse got caught in a trap, but she herself had pet dogs that she fed on roasted flesh, or milk and fine white bread. She seemed to be less bothered about people around but busy with her pets. Yet she pretended to present herself as very faithful to Christ which is actually a loophole of his characteristics that expose church's hypocrisy and double standardness. The servants of the church should the servants of the people, always with the people in their need. But she is just opposite of the teaching of the church.
“Full well she sang the services of the divine, through her nose, becomingly.”
The account of the monk is also very satirical. Chaucer portrays him as one not possessing the true qualities of a monk. He was “a manly man” who always rode on horse and love hunting of the hare. He was a monk contrary to the cloistered monk, though he chose a life of cloister. Sometimes he seemed to be a very practical man, but not suited for the cloistered monkhood. The monk too just like the prioress was a man of luxury. He would for no cost spare the pleasure of hunting because “Hunting were all his love.” He was more worldly than spiritual. The socio-political world that Chaucer paints in the tale is full of hypocrisy, ill- practices, vices and double-standardness.
The monk in the tale is focused as a religious character who is corrupt who should be a model for the people as a represents of Christ. Instead of spending time in his place to be available for the people he goes for hunting defying the rules of the old order of saint Benedict. He was meant to be humble, simple and lived the life of the ordinary people rather he goes with decorated clothes.
The Friar, the mendicant monk, named Hubert lived happily and excessively. In Chaucer’s criticism, he was the best beggar in town and was so smooth that he could even get the poorest little old ladies to give him money. He was supposed to help the needy with the last Penny he possesses instead he begs from a begger. A dirty society was projected through him. He is the irony of religion and always ready to befriend young women or rich men who might need his services, especially those of marriage and confession. The guy had a lot of nice stuff, including a fair amount of jewelry in his robes that he used to woo the ladies. He would spend all his time with the wealthy, flattering them so that they would give him money. None was more virtuous than him in a nightmares.
In 'Canterbury Tales', pardoner is one of the most vile and disgusting characters who shows dire hypocrisy and corruption of church in a more destructive way than the monk and the prioress. He breaks the vows that they take to be obedient to their duty and the people. But pardoner cheats and lie to the common people. He claims that the common people have sinned against God. God will not forgive them. To receive God's forgiveness, they must come for absolution. It is a rule that anyone who comes for confession, a pardoner should absolve his sins in the name of Jesus freely. To hear confession, he is not allowed to take any money. But he does take money from the people. Thus he is a hypothetical person who cheats people. Therefore Chaucer presents this character to show hypocrisy and corruption of the church. Chaucer ironically presents a church which is full of wrong practices and ill- teachings through this character. Through this character he manipulates the condition of the church do that church may be mended and lead to the right of the teaching of Jesus.
Chaucer skilfully illustrates the corruption and hypocrisy of the church in his time through the Prioress, Monk and Pardoner. He unleashed the hypocritical practices of the church leaders in his writing representing mink, prioress. The corruption of the church is also displayed in the character of Pardoner. He sold absolution whis was illigal. The practice of carrying illigal matters, corruption and of hypocrisy are regular trend in today's world though not much strong as it was in Chaucer's time. Geoffrey Chaucer with brave heart and clever pen revealed their hypocrisy and todays world we need such writer to unleash corruption and hypocrisy that darken our brilliant human vision.
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