An exploration of the Christian background of Geoffrey Chauc
An exploration of the Christian background of Geoffrey Chaucer's "the Miller's Tale" and Nicholas and Alisoun, Lucresse and Tarquyn and not forgetting Absolon, John the Carpenter and Colyton are the characters at the centre of two of Geoffrey Chaucer's tales that are rich in their Christian and religious bases and innuendo. The Miller's Tale and The Legend of Lucretia though vastly different in tone, The Miller's Tale being a fabliaux and The Legend of Lucretia a tragic account of the rape and suicide of Lucresse, are also very similar in many ways when looking at these tales from a Christian perspective and exploring their Christian background. Yet how far should the study of the Christian bases of these tales, and other Chaucerian and medieval literature, be taken? Is the Bible and Christianity peripheral to the themes of this literature or should it be considered central? I agree with Robert Graybill's assessment; "Since in the medieval view everything existed in the economy of God then everything must either be a manifestation of His glory and benevolence or a mockery of it." A brief reading of these tales will help validate Graybill's claim. The Miller's Tale raises moral questions about adul
By raising her up as a saint, and one who is unequalled in faith, Chaucer, though going against the treatment of the patristic theologians, enters the debate into the guilt, or lack thereof, of innocent women, who suffer at the hands of malicious males, who are out for one thing, to satisfy their lust. " Here we have two vastly different ideas. Chaucer leaves no doubts in the reader's mind, Lucresse was not in sin by either the rape or by committing suicide. He is placed next to the hypocrisy of the church as seen through Absolon's example. Christ did say "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her. In this she was not a model to be a Christian woman. It is clear that, in the eyes of Augustine, Lucresse bore no guilt in her rape. "They fornicate until the very instruments of heavens rejoice: the bells of the church ring out and the friars begin to chant their orisons. " Chaucer may be saying to Lucresse "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you? Then neither do I condemn you," Both The Miller's Tale and The Legend of Lucretia are undergirded by strong Christian themes. Chaucer does not ridicule "true religious faith, he goes well out of his way to expose hypocrisy, that huge gap between professed ideals and actual actions. The Church uses the story of the fall, when Eve picked the fruit from the Tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil and thus, condemned mankind to a life of sin, decay, and ultimately death. It could also be said, as Nass asserts, that suicide is self-murder and thus is in direct contradiction to God's commandment "You shall not murder. Chaucer uses Absolon to highlight the hypocritical nature of the church.
Common topics in this essay:
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Percival Lucretia,
Augustine Lucresse,
Miller's Tale,
Found Genesis,
Augustine Lucretia,
Church Absolon,
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chaucer's legend lucretia,
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Acceptance Essays
