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Corruption In Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales

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Everything is not what it seems. Geoffrey Chaucer, the author of The Canterbury Tales, elaborates the previous statement in the best way possible. Chaucer’s descriptions of the religious characters reveal the ugly truth about the Church in the Middle Ages. Chaucer portrays most of the religious characters negatively, having them not follow usual stereotypes. The nun, who certainly goes against the status quo, reflects the Church structure. The characterization of the nun shows the Church’s power and mindset during the Middle Ages.
Most religious characters of The Canterbury Tales seem to be characterized negatively. Excluding the Knight and the Yeoman, the rest of the cast have a tendency to want for wealth, to have a sexual impulse, and …show more content…

The satire specifically looks into the corruption which comes with wealth and power. The nun has “a golden brooch… graven” with the words “Amor Vincit Omnia” (Coghill). Although, wealth was previously shown through implication, this time the nun has a visual representation of wealth, that being, gold. The character description of the nun is synonymous to the Church. Just as how the nun could not control herself from obtaining wealth, the Church could not the temptation of wealth. But the temptation of wealth was not the only thing which was holding the Church back from true Christianity. The nun also had a phrase graven on the brooch, which translates to “love conquers all” (Coghill). Just like how the nun’s greatest oath was contradictory, her brooch contradicts the vows which she was to recite. Nuns are to keep a promise, to make a “vow of chastity” (Daily). This brooch says otherwise. The nun believes love conquers all. She does not control herself from romantic love. Romantic love is defined as “love characterized by romance and involving sexual attraction” (Collins Dictionary). In other words, romantic love is the kind of love that conquers all, the kind of love which is unbounded. It is a “passionate fervor” over someone (Nugent). In the Middle Ages, romantic love was considered satanic while courtly love was godly and pure (Cohen). Vows of chastity were done to maintain a courtly …show more content…

At the time of when Chaucer lived, the lifestyle of the Middle Ages encircled the Church, both figuratively and literally. It was relevant and well-timed for Chaucer to discuss the issues going on in the Church. Instead of writing directly about the issues, he discusses these issues through indirect descriptions of religious characters in The Canterbury Tales. The nun was one of the many religious characters, which reflected the condition and the issues of the Church in the Middle Ages. The negative characterization of the nun shows the Church’s main areas of corruption: wealth, love, and vanity. Chaucer manages to expose the Church in the most humorous and negative way possible for the right

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