Geoffrey Chaucer’s view of the monk in the Reformation

In “The Monk’s Tale”, Geoffrey Chaucer give his point of view on monks and builds upon the reformation. When one thinks of a monk they think of a very religious and kind man who goes to the extreme to help others. Chaucer however, does not think this way. Chaucer is stating that the girth of the monk is causing corruption.

The story shows that the monk focuses on himself even though monks are supposed to give everything to their fellow people and help them as much as they could. Examples of this is that the the tale states that the monk’s boots were soft and his horse of Great Estate. This means that the monk has many excellent horses in his stable, and that his sleeves were made with the finest fur in the land. The monk also owned greyhounds which are pretty expensive animals. Through these examples, Chaucer is saying that monks use extravagance and care for themselves even after taking a vow on putting others before themselves. …show more content…
In the story, it says that hunters are not holy men. The monk is a hunter in this particular story which means that he is defying religious vows and beliefs. The monks also says his point of view in his actions. He asks how the world will be served if he should be working and helping other people. There are many comparisons in “The Monk’s Tale” for example, “Nor that a monk, when he is cloisterless is like unto a fish that’s waterless.” This simile says that a monk that does not care for his religion and vows is like a fish that does not have any