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Shannon Kelley
Mr. Kehowski
Honors English IV
11/15/16
The Canterbury Tales Literary Analysis
The Canterbury Tales was written in 1392 by Geoffrey Chaucer. It is a
long narrative poem in the format of a frame story. A frame story is one story
with several other stories inside of it. In Chaucer’s case, the pilgrimage sets
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up the main story, and it is surrounded by several individual stories told by
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the characters. The prologue of the story introduces the characters and the
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setting, which is the height of spring. Many of these characters who are
taking part on this religious journey are symbolic figures of the church. These
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religious characters are the Monk, Nun, Friar, Pardoner, Parson, the
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Summoner and the Oxford Cleric. Although they are known to be religious
figures, most of them do not live up to the standards that a devout Christian
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would be expected. In The Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer uses satire in
order to criticize and critique church officials and their use of power.
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One church official, the Friar, is a character who is manipulative and

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persuasive in order to get what he wants; money. As a Friar, he is expected

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to travel around and help people to confess their sins and receive penance.
Instead, he sells the church’s forgiveness in return for money and gifts and is
described as “[…] the finest beggar of his batch” (Chaucer 256). Chaucer
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explains that the Friar had “a special license from the Pope” (224), but it is
clear that he takes advantage of this power: “Sweetly he heard his penitents
at shrift / With pleasant absolution, for a gift. / He was an easy man in
penance-giving” (225-27). The Friar is willing to give anybody penance as
long as he gets something in return: “It’s a sure sign whenever gifts are
given / To a poor Order that a man’s well shriven” (Chaucer 229-30). During
this time, a Friar would be very poor and willing to give up almost everything
in order to serve God and help his people without expecting anything in
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return. The Friar gives penance to the rich due to their wealth, “But only with
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the rich and victual-sellers. / But anywhere a profit might accrue. The Friar’s
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abuse of power is evident as he takes gifts from and it not genuine with the
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penance he gives away.
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Another religious character who goes along on the pilgrimage is the

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Pardoner. The Pardoner is someone who dispenses pardons granted by the
Pope. Pardons are small strips of parchment with paper seals and they were
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sold as pardons for sins. He carries these around along with “holy relics” that
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he would sell by telling lies about them. Some of these relics include “[…] a
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cross of metal set with stones / And, in a glass, a rubble of pig’s bones”
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(Chaucer 719-20), and “with these relics, any time he found / Some poor up-
country parson to astound, / In one short day, in money down, he drew /

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More than the parson in a month or two” (Chaucer 721-24).
In “The Theme of Religious Pilgrimage in The Canterbury Tales”, author
Esther C. Quinn analyzes Chaucer’s pilgrimage in order to develop a contrast
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between the acts of religious figures and their actual feelings toward
Christianity. Quinn suggests that “it is easy to lose one’s sense of the
pilgrimage as a religious event because many of the pilgrims are such
rascals: they drink to excess, swear, quarrel, deceive, others and themselves
[…]” (79). As symbols of the church, these people are expected to serve God
and help their people. However, they are manipulative and deceiving and
“the primarily religious motivations might include seeking curves or favors or
giving thanks for cures or favors received, assuaging a sense of guilt, or
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completing a penance imposed by one’s confessor” (Quinn 79). Clearly, they
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are not genuinely devout Christian figures, and the main motivation for
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everything they do is to benefit themselves. By developing a pilgrimage and
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these characters, Chaucer is able to “[…] express religious devotion or to
point out the need for reform” (Quinn 78). This shows Chaucer’s strong
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feelings towards the way religion was in the fourteenth century, and his
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belief in the need for improvement.

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Geoffrey Chaucer’s introduction of a 55 mile religious journey

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contradicts the type of characters that embark on the journey. It is clear that
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these people who are symbols of the church do not portrayed in a negative
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way. They are abusing their power granted by church, and weakening
Christianity while doing it. Chaucer’s use of these characters truly creates an
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awareness of this abuse of power during his lifetime. Author Esther C. Quinn
further analyzes this contrast as he explains the meaning and purpose of a
pilgrimage, and the ways of the Christian people in the 1300’s.
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Works Cited
Chaucer, Geoffrey. The Canterbury Tales. London: Penguin, 2003. Print.

Quinn, Esther. “The Theme of the Religious Pilgrimage in The Canterbury
Tales.” Readings on The Canterbury Tales. Ed. Don Nardo. San Diego:
Greenhaven, 1997. 74-83. Print.
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Shannon Kelley

The Canterbury Tales was written in 1392 by Geoffrey Chaucer. It is a

would be expected. In The Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer uses satire in

One church official, the Friar, is a character who is manipulative and

persuasive in order to get what he wants; money. As a Friar, he is expected

at shrift / With pleasant absolution, for a gift. / He was an easy man in

penance-giving” (225-27). The Friar is willing to give anybody penance as

Another religious character who goes along on the pilgrimage is the

Pardoner. The Pardoner is someone who dispenses pardons granted by the

country parson to astound, / In one short day, in money down, he drew /

More than the parson in a month or two” (Chaucer 721-24).

In “The Theme of Religious Pilgrimage in The Canterbury Tales”, author

Esther C. Quinn analyzes Chaucer’s pilgrimage in order to develop a contrast

pilgrimage as a religious event because many of the pilgrims are such

“the primarily religious motivations might include seeking curves or favors or

giving thanks for cures or favors received, assuaging a sense of guilt, or

belief in the need for improvement.

Geoffrey Chaucer’s introduction of a 55 mile religious journey

further analyzes this contrast as he explains the meaning and purpose of a

pilgrimage, and the ways of the Christian people in the 1300’s.

Chaucer, Geoffrey. The Canterbury Tales. London: Penguin, 2003. Print.

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