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The aim of any true satirical work is to poke fun at a certain aspect of society, while also inspiring reform to that very same aspect in one way or another. In Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, Chaucer satirizes the Medieval Church and those associated with the church. Medieval society was centered largely around the Church. Ideally, the people were expected to understand that earthly possessions were meaningless when compared to the prospect of closeness with God. Man was expected to work until he died, at which time he would receive eternal salvation. This eternal salvation was achieved by obeying God's commandments. This theory, however, was becoming progressively corrupted as hypocrisy began to pollute the Church, particularly at the higher levels. Chaucer recognized this degradation of religious ideals. He exposes this in his prologue by skillfully and subtly satirizing the religious figures. Using a unique view of ‘Chaucer the Pilgrim' to describe them, he points out that certain......

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Approximate Pages: 5 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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