Compare and Contrast Chaucer’s Presentation of the Monk and the Pardoner

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        -        Jeremy Beales

Compare and Contrast Chaucer’s Presentation of the Monk and the Pardoner

In the prologue for the Pardoner and the Monk Chaucer satirises both characters, the Monk is only satirised lightly in his choice of vocation, whereas the Pardoner is satirised much more harshly for his morals.

        As a member of the church, the Monk should devote his time to religious matters, for example coping out the bible by hand. The Monk however is satirised by Chaucer for neglecting his duties, many times in the prologue,                                “An outridere, that loved venerie,….

                         Ful many a deyntee hors hadde he in stable”

This tells us that he had a lot of horses and loved hunting, not a sport encouraged by the church, in fact banned by them. There is not a direct criticism of the Monk contained within the description of the Monks actions, all it tells us is that Chaucer believes that the his priorities are confused,

                        “And whan he rood, men mighte his briel heere

                         Ginglen in a whistlinge wind als cleere

 And eek as loude as dooth the chapel belle”

This indicates that the bells on his bridle were as attractive to him as the church bells, which were supposed to call him to prayer, this again criticises his actions as a monk not as a person.

        The Monk obviously is an obsessed hunts man,

                        “Grehoundes he hadde as swift as fowel in flight;

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                         Of priking and of hunting for the hare

                        Was al his lust, for no cost wolde he spare”

        Once again this for a normal man would not be wrong, but for a man of the cloth this is totally the wrong thing to be interested in.      

        He then tries to justify his priorities, of hunting, by claiming to be a new style of monk, where the old rules do not count.

                         “The reule of Seint Maure or of Seint Beneit

                           By cause that it was old and somdel streit

                           This ilke Monl leet olde ...

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