Introductory
Religion is the soul of either an individual or the society. Different people have different opinions regarding religion and religious activity. "Rivers, ponds, lakes and streams – they all have different names, but they all contain water. Just as religions do – they all contain truths." says Muhammad Ali. While some people like William Scot are in the view of, "Religion is the clearest telescope through which we can behold the beauties of creation, and the good of our Creator." Mahatma Gandhi also pins point the idea, "When I admire the wonders of a sunset or the beauty of the moon, my soul expands in the worship of the creator.". Jonathan Swift a 'philanthrope' asserts his opinion on religion "We have just enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to make us love one another." To simply put, religion is the code of life. It consists of faith, belief, duties and devotion.
Geoffrey Chaucer is the poet of the Pre-Renaissance Era. His Canterbury Tales is considered the picture gallery of fourteenth-century society. Its Prologue deals with the psyche, actions believes of the people of that particular society. Chaucer has ridiculed the religious class of his society because of their negative outlook on religious codes and morals. There are many characters in Prologue, each portraying virtuous as well as vicious religious practice.
Role of Clergy
The Parson is the ideal character who has been presented, fulfilling all the required duties. Chaucer wants to assert the role of clergy through Parson who is the true follower of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Chaucer mocks other religious members as the vicious shepherds who are appointed to guard the sanctity of their virtuous sheep. "If gold rusts, what shall iron do? " Consequently, the sheep (parishioners) get corrupted. The main duty of a parson or any other clergyman is to guard his people against the wolf of temptations and vices. The ideal character used to visit his parishioners even in stormy weather. Financially helped the poor who were unable to pay tithes. But sooth to say, such virtuous shepherds rarely appeared to offer the protection against the wolf.
Corrupt Clergy
Corrupt clergy were the people who were not doing their duties honestly and justly. They were corrupted by the lust of gold and flesh. The Friar would 'award' the freedom of soul by the dint of money, thus spoiling the noble cause of confession. Chaucer taunts the Friar to be "a beggar of his house", who is in great demand on St. Valentine's Day. Another example is presented of the Pardoner whose bag is "brimful of pardons", brought and signed fresh from Rome, indicating to the false authority of the Pope. The pardoner would use feign religious articles and his voice to extort money from poor parsons and persons.
He had a cross of metal set with stones
And, in a glass, a rubble of pigs' bones.
And with these relics, any time he found
Some poor up-country parson to astound,
In one short day, in money down, he drew
More than the parson in a month or two,
Prioress was
essentially a gentle lady but her gentleness was only limited to the animals
only. She was not performing the duties of a nun in an honest way as she had
violated two of the vows of Christianity, the vow of obedience by not following the
rules of Bishop and religion and vow of charity by wearing expensive clothes and
feeding her (forbidden) small dogs with the food which was not afforded by a
poor person.
Worst Form of Clergy
Then comes the "gentil harlot", who is as lecherous for money as a sparrow, whose Cherub like red face is a sight of fright for the children. Chaucer has set the worst example of the clergy through Summoner as his evil practices were not limited to himself only, but he provoked other innocent sheep to go astray: for a quart of wine, thus taking his part as a wolf. He exclaimed purse Archdeacon's hell; he allowed an unauthorized couple to enjoy their relationship and would blackmail them for another quart of wine. As for education, he could recall some tags in Latin as the Jaybird did.
Reformation
Chaucer is a moralist. He wants to reform his religious class as they are the custodians of Christianity. He asserts the fact that it is easy to shed coins to make one free and liberate from Archdeacon's Curse but in reality, he is damned for good. Chaucer grieves to see his fellow-men boarding to hell: he wants to see them in heaven but "We use religion like a trolley-car--we ride on it only while it is going our way. " Austin O'Malley
You write this topic very lucid way and briefly further you can visit to read this topic here Picture of 14th Century English Society in the "Prologue to the Canterbury Tales"
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