"The Retraction has been read as a real confession by Chaucer the poet in the face of imminent death; as a realistic confession by Chaucer the pilgrim in response to the Parson's sermon; and as an ironic parody of both confession and retraction in keeping with the Manciple's cynical counsel to silence." (Portnoy,1994) Therefore, all the foregoing experts to some extent support the sincerity of the first Chaucer, the genuinely devout Christian, praying that his book of Tales might be accepted as "writen for our doctrine
He stresses that it is up to the reader to either take "any thynge that liketh hem" as such things proceed from God, or "any thyng that displese hem," as such things are created by the writer's own ignorance (Ibid). Sayce identifies numerous examples of analogous rhetorical endings in Latin, French and German writings, in which the convention of apologizing or distancing the writer from the possible negative effects of the writing may be traced, along with some sentiments crediting God for any positive results (Sayce, 1971)
Similarly, the Romance of the Rose is about "a young man who attends a garden party," and Piers Plowman about "a peasant who guides a group of people looking for a nobleman." (Schwartz
" (Chaucer, Parson's Tale, X, 1080) Tupper argues that through this device, the Parson's Tale "provides the organizing principle to the preceding tales, which are exemplary of the sins and their remedies." (Tupper, 1914) If this is true, then clearly the Retraction is Chaucer's capitulation to his own character's prescription for salvation
Young expands upon the religious beliefs of the time, the literal belief in the peril of the soul from impious acts, the depth of which is difficult for the modern Christian to comprehend. (Young, 2000) Speed quotes the view of hell at Chaucer's time as described by the monk of Evesham's Vision, 1197: "Some [sinners] were roasted before fire; others were fried in pans; red hot nails were driven into some to their bones; others were tourtured with a horrid stench in baths of pitch and sulphur mixed with molten lead
" The damage had been done, and "he could not revoke the act nor remedy its evil consequences." (Wurtele, 1980) Chaucer himself does put similar words in the mouth of the Manciple, who laments, "Thyng that is seyd, and forth it gooth, / Though hym repente, or be hym nevere so looth" (Chaucer, Manciple's Tale IX, lines 354-355)
However, when he heard the circumstances of the saga, he was so touched that he released Aurelius from his debt. As John Pitcher writes, "The master is Chaucer's magician, he who grasps the logic of desire" (Pitcher pp)
The juxtaposition of the real with the comic provides "comic satisfaction" as well as "uproarious jocularity." (Jost 232) Jost finds that the wife in the Wife of Bath Tale is "humorous in its excess" since she is opposite to how people would like to see a wife
Some critics have accused Chaucer of being too non-serious about his comic writings. They felt that he simply loved talking about "hot coulters, bare bottoms, and swyved wives" (Garbaty173)
Of his stature he was of evene lenghte, And wonderly delyvere, and of greet strenthe. And he hadde been somtyme in chyvachie, In Flaundres, in Artoys, and Pycardie, And born hum weel, as of so litel space, In hope to stonden in his lady grace" (Chaucer l: 80-88)
The embroidery, on the Squire's clothes, "not only makes his clothes look more handsome, but it makes him appear to be well-to-do and more desirable. His clothing shows him as a vain man indulging in minor illegalities to attract the attention of the opposite sex" (Pfister pg)
His helmet was of beaten gold, princely headgear hooped and hasped by a weapon-smith who had worked wonders" Heaney l:1442-1452). In an interview Seamus Heaney describes the character Beowulf as someone who has "earned majesty of being a representative and a keeper of his people and of being an example of the values of honor and fidelity at their best" (Williams pg)
A good example of this can be seen in the second Knights Tale where Chaucer writes, "The conqueror seems to have been fully appraised of the strength which the new government might derive from the Clergy more cloefully attached to himself by a community of interefts than the native English were likely to be." (Chaucer, 2008, pp 11 -- 15) This is important, because this passage is showing how knight believes that the violence that he experienced in past is still taking place
As this individual could have been some kind of mercenary, who has thoughts of what happened in the past (that are continually haunting him). (Pearsal, 1985, pp
He enters a town to continue his theft and extortion, including from a woman too old and ill even to appear before the ecclesiastical court, and the demon announces that he has condemned himself to hell. This greatly pleases the Friar, who is as hypocritical as the Sadducees and Pharisees of the Bible, and he even preaches one of his sermons warning that that Devil "may not tempt you beyond your might, for Christ will be your champion and knight" (Chaucer, III, D, 1659-1664)
Chaucer's Friar In the Canterbury Tales, the Friar's Tale and the Summoner's Tale are intended to be satires about the corruption of the church in the Middle Ages, and would have been considered comedic by the audience, but also as being quite close to the truth. Chaucer was very likely sympathetic with the early-Protestant Lollards and Reformers and intended this to be a humorous commentary on "the abuse that infected the medieval church" (Hallissy 138)
In the Middle Ages, the feudal concept of rent also included honor, service and homage due to the lord from his vassal, and the relationship between these parties always included a ceremony with oaths and promises. Clerics were also supposed to have the same type of relationship with God, just as knights did with their overlords, and a priest was also a vassal to "his lord and bishop through whom he owed spiritual homage to God" (Jeffrey 113)
Although the Friar and the Summoner work for the church, neither of them is even a remotely holy man, and their reasons for being on the pilgrimage are purely material rather than religious. Both of these characters equally corrupt and venal and have no real spiritual values but only an urge to satisfy their appetite for money (Pearsall 166)
The Pardoner's Tale fits all of the standard criteria of a good short story. Although critics have analyzed "The Pardoner's Tale" extensively, no one has noticed Chaucer's clever use of the word capouns in this work (Reiff, 856)
. chastity, faithfulness, truth, righteousness, and spiritual preparedness," and by omitting these "ecclesiastical girdles, belts, or cords" Chaucer suggests there are lax spiritual values represented (Besserman 2014); b) Chaucer "struggled to write under accepted [Catholic] guidelines of the day, while his creative self was attempting to emerge" (Hubbard-Brown 2009)