Ecclesiastical Pilgrims

The characters of The Canterbury Tales can be categorized into three groups, feudal, ecclesiastical, and urban. I think Chaucer puts in a lot of effort in building up the characteristics of the ecclesiastical group in order to show the malpractice of the people of Church at that time.

Out of the seven pilgrims in this category, five of them are either hinted to have inappropriate behaviour or directly criticized. The prioress is a graceful person with an elegant posture and nice table manners, she speaks fluent but improper French and she wears a brooch that says "love conquers all". Chaucer doesn't give any information on the Prioress' background or history, leaving the readers to wonder the story behind the brooch which isn't what people would expect to find on a nun. The Friar is an obvious bad example. Not only does he not to what the church expects him to do - help the poor - he flirts with young women and only cares about making profit and getting benefits for himself.

The Parson is the ideal figure that stands out from the bunch. He is a true follower of Christ, and he serves as a character foil to the Monk and the Friar. Chaucer describes that he doesn't pay someone else to do his parish duties, earn an easy living by holding masses for the rich people, or do his duties just to seek glory. These examples all suggest that there are other churchmen who do so, further supporting the message that many parts of the church is corrupted.