The Friar In Relation To His Tale — страница 2

actualpractice of a holy man, the Friar possesses a fondness for middle-classestablishments, agreeable women and smooth talk (Cooper 131). Friars, asa clerical order, hold vows of poverty and humility, as well as thevows of chastity and obedience (Bloom 113) However Friar Hubert exposeshimself to women. Chauser wrote describing the Friar , Highly andintimate was he with Country Folk within his boundary, and city dames ofhonour and possessions. In The Friar s Tale the summoner breaks hisvows of chastity by relating with other women. Summoners hold a positionin the church and are required to remain focused on their duty. On thecontrary the summoner in The Friar s Tale overlooks this undeniablepledge. The Friar speaks about a hypocritical summoner who takespleasure from the presence

of women. The Friar stated , He was a thief,a summoner, a pimp. The Friar s summoner had a network ofacquaintances among medieval low-lives, bawds (pimps) and wenches (Hallissy 139). Without the objective of relating himself withthe summoner in his tale, the Friar similarly broke his vows ofchastity. Chaucer wrote, He d fixed up many a marriage, giving each ofhis young women what he could afford her. The breaking of his chastityvows demonstrates the significant character which the Friar possesses.Although he deceives sinners in order to receive a personal gainand breaks the vows of humility and chastity, the Friar is not absolutely an immoral individual. The Friar preaches about repentance inhis tale. In The Friar s Tale the summoner collaborates with the Devilin deceiving

people. Despite the knowledge of the identity of hispartner, the summoner continues to associate with the Devil. Thesummoner stated, Though you are Satan s self, the very Devil! I keep myword of honour to a brother, as I have sworn, and so shall each toother. An argument takes place in the situation where the summonerconfronts an old widow. The innocent lady curses the summoner to Hell.The Devil suddenly shows his presence to the two individuals and willingto take the soul of the summoner unless repentance was offered. Thesummoner refused and as a result, he was damned in Hell, wheresummoners have their special shelf. Since the summoner refused torepent, his life on earth ceased. The Friar urges others to repent fortheir sins in order to be saved from Hell. In The Friar s Tale

thesummoner did not repent; therefore he damned himself (Hallissy 144).The Friar does remain faithful to Christ by encouraging others torepent. This action makes the Friar a moral individual in a particularmanner, despite his actions of fraud and lack of humility. Damnation is not God s will for His creatures. The Friar reminds the audience that the pains of this cursed house of hell can be avoided by prayer and avoidance of temptation. The Friar, inadequate of God s grace though he is, ends his tale with sound spiritual advice to the audience (Hallissy144).In conclusion, the Friar, a man holding a particular office in thechurch, shares several similarities with the character of the summonerin his tale. Authorized to hear the confessions of sinners and to raisemoney for his

order, the Friar abuses his power by misleading others.This action goes against the true obligation of friars. As a result ofhis deceptions, the Friar is considered to be a hypocrite. He haspledged his commitment to the mission of Christ, but has misused hisauthority in order to get a personal benefit. The Friar also pledged tochastity; instead of fulfilling his vows of chastity, he exposes himselfwith prostitutes for pleasure and self gratification. However the Friardoes advise those who have sinned to repent. This moral suggestionpresented by the Friar reveals some sort of righteousness within him. 349