Chaucer essay

Kristen Wingert
Chaucer Essay Test
English 205
14 May 2013
The Monk Typically a Monk spends his days in a Monastery studying, praying, and working hard for the greater good. The Monk in “The General Prologue” to The Canterbury Tales is almost just the opposite. He is very defiant and wishes to rule his own life and live the way he wants too. Chaucer, the narrator in The Canterbury Tales, does an excellent job at highlighting some of these defiant characteristics of the Monk. The Monk is certainly more concerned about the luxurious pleasures of life than he is about being a Monk. He acts like he is in the upper class, maybe because he wants to be. Based on his appearance, one would be puzzled as to if he really were a Monk or not. “I saw his sleeves were made with fur at the hand/With fine grey fur, the finest in the land;” (193-194), usually Monks robes are plain, and drab and not attention grabbing. He seems to want all the fine things in life no matter the consequences. Monks are humble, noble people. They wouldn’t want something killed for their sole pleasure. Especially as a flashy upgrade to their robes. “Also to fasten his hood under his chin,/he made of wrought-gold a curious pin;/” (196-197), this seems to be another gaudy accessory. Most Monks have a rosary hanging from their necks to signify their religiousness. It almost seems as though this Monk doesn’t really care to be a Monk, or at least doesn’t want to showcase it with his appearance. The Monk rule breaking doesn’t stop with appearance, he doesn’t act like a typical Monk either. Monks are humble, hard-working humanitarians. This Monk on the other hand seems to do his on thing. “Since riding and the hunting of the hare/were all his love, for no cost would he spare” (191-192), Monks do not hunt for pleasure. Monks do not believe in bringing harm to anything. The Monk in The Canterbury Tales seems to want to hunt and puts it above his duties as a Monk. He knows he is breaking the rules and just brushes it off. He thinks since it is his love to hunt and have the best greyhounds that he should not have to stop for the Monastery. But being a Monk means giving up those things for the greater good. Another rule that seems to be broken is his eating habits. “A fat swan he loved best of any roast” (206), a swan doesn’t seem like a “Monk meal” per say. A swan seems to be a meal of the rich and fabulous, someone of a higher class. Monks usually eat from the land, vegetables and fruit and they fast often. Fasting in return helps in the weight department, meaning most Monks are thin. But not this Monk, “Fat was this lord, he stood in a goodly case” (200), he was fat, bald and round. He seems to want the title “Monk” but doesn’t want to live up to the expectations that come with that title. It appears as though Chaucer approves of the Monk’s way of life or at least doesn’t see that he is doing anything wrong. He says, “Why should he study as a mad men would/Poring a book in a cloister cell? Or yet/Go labour with his hands and work and sweat,” (185-187). Typically Monks spends their days praying, and studying and working rigorously without complaint. Chaucer is saying why would he study all day? Why would he give up everything he loves to study and pray? It almost seems like sarcasm though with the Chaucer. Even though he is saying why would he go work hard and sweat, in reality, why would he? If he doesn’t truly want to then he doesn’t have to. He is his own person and he ultimately controls his life. Chaucer describes the Monk, “one of the finest sort” (165), with a hint of sarcasm there. He seems to dislike him as a person because he is not a pure, whole-hearted individual but since the Monk doesn’t really do anything deceitful, he doesn’t have abhorrence for him. Chaucer seems to only truly like the Knight, the plowman, and parson. Chaucer, the narrator, in “The General Prologue” to The Canterbury Tales does an excellent job at showcasing the Monks characteristics in the way that he dresses, and the way that he looks and the hobbies that he has. From reading the description of the Monk, one may have a hard time determining if he really was a Monk. Given the description of the Monk it seems as though he is more of a common or ordinary person than a Monk.