Fraudelence Personified :: essays research papers

Fraudulence PersonifiedThe forgiver is the best representation of an allegorical lawsuit in The Prologue of Geoffrey Chaucers The Canterbury Tales. The forgiver is the perfect personification of fraudulence. He shows this in three basic ways his appearance, speech, and actions. If one just glances through the reading of the Pardoner than one will think that he is a good religious serviceman, but if one look further into it than he will find the elfin double meanings that he is the exact opposite. Chaucer likes to use an allegorical style to add some comedy and sophistication to his writings.The comedy is most heavily used in the Pardoners description than in any other part of The Canterbury Tales. For example (page 135, line 712) There was no pardoner of equal grace/ For in his trunk he had a pillow case. When the words no pardoner of equal grace are used you are lead to believe that the Pardoner is a great man, but if you look back in the reading you will find totally different things. He is a dirty, immoral man that really does not have much grace. Another example of the sarcastic comedy is (page 135, line 727) In church he was a noble ecclesiast. How swell up he read a lesson or told a story But best of all he sang an Offertory, For well he knew that when that song was render Hed have to preach and tune his honey-tongue Thats why he sang so merrily and loud. Again the text seems to be utter he is a noble ecclesiast and that he likes to preach the word of God to others. If one looks at it closer one will find out that affair him a noble ecclesiast is a joke and that he only preaches and sings so that he can take the tithes for himself.There are quite a some examples of the Pardoners actions being the personification of fraudulence throughout lines 608-734. For instance (page 135, line 705) Hed sewed a holy relic on his cap/ His wallet lay before him on his lap,/ Brimful of pardon come from Rome all hot. The relic sewed on his hat showed that he thoug ht of himself as a righteous holy man, and that is one thing he was not. The wallet and the pardons was the most disturbing of his acts. Since he was holding his wallet on his lap, it shows that he is very interested in money.