The Cantebury Tales was Geoffrey Chaucers Satire Towards...

Geoffrey Chaucer expresses his disillusionment with the Catholic Church, during the Medieval Era, through satire when he wrote, The Canterbury Tales. The Medieval Era was a time when the Catholic Church governed England and was extremely wealthy. Expensive Cathedrals and shrines to saints relics were built at a time when the country was suffering from famine, scarce labor, disease and the Bubonic Plague, which was the cause of death to a third of Europes population and contributed to the rise of the middle class. It seemed hypocritical to the people when the church preached against the sin of greed when the church was built and dressed so lavishly. There were rumors of corrupt Popes, church clerical†¦show more content†¦So it is apparent that some of the pilgrims are going for health rather than religious reasons. Two examples are the Pardoner was beardless and the Summoner had skin problems. Relics are sacred objects that hold religious significance and became popular when books were written that told of their link to miracles. Pilgrimages were also of importance to people during the Medieval Era because relics were sought after during this duration. People would visit the shrines of the holy people and take a piece for remembrance, and to feel close with the saint even if they are at a great distance to the shrine. Many churches claimed to possess relics of the burial site of Jesus Christ and of his Cross. The Pardoner is one of the characters Chaucer selects to satirize the corruption of the Church. The Pardoner is an untrustworthy character whose sexuality is questioned. It is suggested, by Chaucer, that he might have an ongoing affair with the Summoner. The Pardoner is a vain man who has thin, scraggly hair, a high voice, and is beardless. He had difficulty growing one and his face is described as freshly shaven. He hated to do manual labor and despised poverty. He refused to live humbly like the apostles. The Pardoner had a dubious profession. He was paid by the Church to offer and sell indulgences. The message the Catholic Church was