Maturity In Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales

Geoffrey Chaucer introduces numerous ideas regarding an individual's personal status within his book Canterbury Tales. However, throughout all his tales, from a cherler to that of a priest, one specific theme regarding the status of an individual remains central. This is that status of one’s spiritual purity. Chaucer posits an idea regarding the status of one’s spiritual purity, claiming all would agree from merry millers, to prudent prioresses. This idea in which he holds is central to the way all individuals act and are motivated. He claims that a status purity of is not sustained by pure actions. Rather a status of purity can only be sustained by experiencing the impure. Throughout the Canterbury tales foodstuffs are used as a metaphor …show more content…
This is shown during the Prioress’s description in the General prologue. The text states:
“Of smale houndes hadde she, that she fedde
With rosted flessh, or milk and wastel-breed.” (127-149, General prologue)
In this passage the Prioress presents two options in which an individual may be “fedde” or fed, meaning strengthened. This is shown when the prioress is described as feeding “with rosted flessh, or milk and wastel breed” In this passage rosted flessh, meaning roasted flesh, is separated from the others with an “or”. However, milk and wastel breed are joined with an “and”. The usage of “and”s and “or”s denotes that the two possible options in which to feed or strengthen an individual are either through roasted flesh or a combination of milk and wastel bread. By creating these two options, the Prioress is demonstrating that the two foodstuffs options create equivalent results, strengthening. Therefore, there is some attribute …show more content…
Rather a status of purity can only be sustained by experiencing the impure. From the Wife of Bath, it was shown that unrefined foodstuffs leads to spiritual Purity. This can be applied to when the Prioress states that an individual can be fed “with rosted flessh, or milk and wastel-bread.” While both roasted flessh, representing black and the impure, and milk and wastel bread, representing white and the pure, affect one’s status of purity, the Wife of bath shows that unrefined, darker foodstuffs leads to spiritual purity. Therefore, when then fact that darkened foods represent impurity is added to the fact that darker unrefined foods cause spiritual purity, it is shown that impurity is necessary to increase one's purity. Further, the Carpenter inadvertently showed that white refined, white foodstuffs leads to spiritual impurity. Therefore, when the fact that whitened foods represent purity is added to the fact that whiter refined foods cause spiritual impurity, it is shown that a status of purity is not sustained by pure action, rather as status of impurity is. Altogether, when the findings of the Prioress, Carpenter, and Wife of bath are combined, it can be found that A status purity of is not sustained by pure actions. Rather a status of purity can only be sustained by experiencing the

Show More

Maturity In Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales

Related Documents: Maturity In Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales

The Portrayal of the Clergy in the Canterbury Tales Essay