Compare/Contrast The Friars Tale and The Summoners Tale

Compare/Contrast The Friars Tale and The Summoners Tale Isaac Atayero Sir. John Campion Advanced Placement United States History 12/14/11 In Chaucer’s genius work, The Canterbury Tales, the Friar and the Summoner tell tales of mockery about one another. Like the Miller and the Reeve before them the Friar and the Summoner are in rivalry with each other. However the difference between the rivalry between the Reeve and the Miller and the rivalry between the Friar and the Summoner is the competitive spirit. Unlike the Reeve and the Miller, the Friar and the Summoner’s rivalry is not a personal hatred but a hatred for the other’s office.This hatred inspires the tales of both the Friar and the Summoner. The two tell tales†¦show more content†¦The Friar’s tale mocks the idiotic summoner who says â€Å" i’ll hold to my engagement...though you were...the very Devil†(298). The Friar’s mockery of the Summoner and his occupation would soon be repaid by the vengeful and angry Summoner. After the Friar’s offensive tale, the Summoner â€Å"rose in wrath against th e Friar†(303). As a bitter response to The Friar’s Tale, the Summoner tells a tale that mocks the Friar. Before his tale, the Summoner mocks the Friar in his prologue. In his prologue, a friar goes to hell with an and he is surprised that of all the friars â€Å"none ever come into this place?†(304). The angel then shows the friar â€Å"some twenty thousand friars...crept into his (the Devil’s) arse†(304). After his funny prologue, the Summoner then tells his even funnier tale.In The Summoner’s Tale , the tale includes acts of perversion of office committed by the friar. These perversions are mainly related to the Friar’s vow of poverty such as â€Å"pretence of praying†(308) for â€Å"those who gave him offerings or food†(305). Like the Summoner did earlier, the Friar interrupts the Summoner while he is telling his tale , saying â€Å"there you lie, you Summoner!†(306). The Summoner continues his tale about a fr iar who stops at the home of a sickly man named Thomas and attempts to get money from the ailing man and his wife. The Summoner chronicles that the friar â€Å"kissed her (Thomas’ wife) sweetly, chirping like a sparrow†(307). When the friarShow MoreRelatedThe Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer1969 Words   |  8 PagesIn his novel The Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer presents the corruption of the Catholic Church through several of his characters. Chaucer lived in a time of controversial indulgences, a way to pay off sins. Chaucer’s tales show his opposition to these sinful behaviors that he believed were common among the clergy. In order to protest against sinful behavior and religious corruption, Chaucer uses characters such as the pardoner, the friar, the summoner, and the prioress to show the lack of moralityRead MoreQuestions Macbeth Essay3342 Words   |  14 PagesMacBeth Questions 1) The season that is described in the opening passage of The Canterbury Tales is spring. According to the narrator, when the season comes the people long to go on pilgrammages. 2) English people want to go down to Canterbury to seek the holy martyr, St. Thomas a Becket. 3) The narrator claims he meets some twenty nine pilgrims. 4) The Knight has fought in Alexandria, Prussia, Lithuania, Granada, North Africa, and Anatolia. 5) If the Knight beats his opponents