The Monk and the Parson of The Canterbury Tales :: Canterbury Tales Essays

The Monk and the Parson of The Canterbury Tales In the prologue, The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer is about the pilgrimage of many different characters to Canterbury. Chaucer writes about the characters' personalities and their place on the social ladder. The Monk and the Parson are examples of how Chaucer covered the spectrum of personalities. The Monk is self-centered, while the Parson cares for the sick and poor. In The Canterbury Tales, the Monk acts like he is part of the upper class of society. He is very tan, he likes to hunt, and he has horses. All of these traits are symbols of wealth and prestige. "His palfrey was as brown as is a berry." (P 120 line 211) This shows that the Monk spends a lot of time outside, only men who are wealthy can afford to relax or hunt outside. Hunters are not considered holy men because they kill for entertainment and pleasure. The common man spends his day working for what little wages he can earn. The Monk also had horses, which is another sign of wealth. "This Monk was therefore a good man to horse;" (p 120 line 193) Very few men in that period had enough time to learn and ride horses. All of these extravagancies are against the oath the Monk took for the Church. The Monk was also lazy and disliked working. Monks, in general, are hard working and are willing to help the less fortunate. The Monk also ignored the monastic rules set up by St. Benedict. The Rule of good St. Benet or St. Maur As old and strict he tended to ignore; P 120, lines 177-178 This shows that the Monk is interested in the pleasures of life, and not his duty as a monk. He is worthless in the eyes of Chaucer and he dislikes the Monk very much. The Parson was a poor man who gave what little he could to the other poor people of his town. He knew the teachings of the Bible and Christ, and preached to whoever was willing to listen. He followed the Bible in life and he believed that a priest must be trustworthy.