Do the Canterbury Tales suggest that people are individuals or people are merely representations of their profession?

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Cristina Hall

October 22, 2002

Canterbury Tales Essay

Prompt: Do the Canterbury Tales suggest that people are individuals or people are merely representations of their profession?

        In the specific instances from the stories “Wife of Bath’s Tale” and the “Pardoner’s Tale”, the Canterbury Tales describes how two people view their lives and subconsciously reveal secrets about themselves through these tales.  The Wife of Bath is a prime example of how people are individuals; alternatively the Pardoner does not break away from the typical stereotype of his job.

        In the “Wife of Bath’s Tale” we see the Wife of Bath tell a story about man failing in their quest to please women, which subconsciously justifies her own reasons for not showing respect towards men.  The Wife of Bath's Tale centers around feminine issues, making the knight answer the question, “What is the thing that Women most desire?” (Line, 157).  The Wife of Bath can be described as a whore, but lives outside of her profession.  She has reasons for not liking men and using them until one shows her what she truly desires.  It ends with the moral that wives deserve kind and devoted husbands who will give up dominance in a marriage to them and treat them as their equals, “Yet will not choose to be, for all the gold; That’s bedded in the earth or lies above; Less than your wife, any, than your very love!” (Line, 240-243).  The wife of bath tricks men into believing that she is what they really want, but when they fail to live up to her ideals she leaves them for the dogs.  The Wife of Bath is a cruel woman who takes a man so noble as a knight and turns him for a fool, making her true intentions for hating men and wanting to hurt them as they do woman.

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        The Pardoner's Tale is an example of the narrator’s personality, and the story has a strong moral, and is used to get a specific response from the people who listen to his tale.  The Pardoner is a money grubbing person who wants to make the listeners of his story feel bad for keeping any money in their possession, “A pile of golden florins on the ground, New-coined, eight bushels of them as they thought.  No long was it Death those fellows sought,” (Lines 169-171).  Because of Chaucer’s critical view of the catholic church it is fair to assume that these ...

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