Sins and Cures Embodied

Sins and Cures Embodied

Through class discussions and via the blog we have discussed the seven deadly sins and the holy virtues represented by both the pilgrims and characters of The Canterbury Tales. Now that we have completed this challenging work I thought it would be interesting to revisit the tales to find the characters who best embody the seven sins and those who might represent the cures, according to Prudentius's model, for the sins.



 Pride-Humility
According to the OED, pride is “a high, esp. an excessively high, opinion of one's own worth or importance which gives rise to a feeling or attitude of superiority over others; inordinate self-esteem.” Cenobia of “The Monk’s Tale” is guilty of pride. She lived life mostly according to her rules. She “kept hir maidenhead from every wight; / To no man deigned hire for to be bonde.” Once married, she still controls all aspects of her life, even her sexual relationship with her husband:

Save o thing: that she wolde nevere assente

 By no wey that he sholde by hire lie

But ones, for it was hir plein entente

To have a child (Chaucer 2279-2282)

Eventually, when she sets out to gain further realms she is caught by Aurelian and forced to flee. The cure for Cenobia's sin of pride is humility, which is embodied by Grisilde. In "The Clerk's Tale" she is "stripped" of any pride prior to marrying the marquis. As his wife, Grisilde demonstrates humility through obedience despite the pain and suffering inflicted upon her and again and again.

Envy-Kindness

The characters who best embody envy are Arcite and Palamon of “The Knight’s Tale.” This is due to the fact that both wanted what the other had- freedom or power- that could lead them to Emelye. The character who best defines kindness, which is the cure for envy is the queen in "The Wife of Bath's Tale" because she does not order the knight killed for his crime against a maiden, but tells him, "I graunte thee of lif, if thow kanst tellen me / What thing it is that wommen moost desiren" (Chaucer 904-905). This quest is accomplished by the knight, after marrying a foul, old woman who promises to tell him the answer, and he lives happily ever after.

 Wrath-Patience
The character who best embodies wrath or "vehement or violent anger; intense exasperation or resentment; deep indignation" is the summoner (“Wrath” def.1). Though he is not the only character upset by a tale, he seems to be the most outwardly upset and vengeful. Chaucer writes: "This Somnour in his stiropes hye stood; / Upon this Frere his herte was so wood / That lik an aspen leef he quook for ire" and he then seeks revenge through a tale aimed at offending the summoner (Chaucer 1665-1667).
Prudence, of course, reigns supreme when it comes to cure for wrath, which is patience. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, prudence name means "the ability to recognize and follow the most suitable or sensible course of action." Prudence definitely demonstrates this virtue in guiding Melibee through his grief after he the family trauma. To avoid a rash response requires a significant amount of patience. She suggests he ask others, young and old, for advice. She then helps him to analyze the advice for bias. Finally, she guides him in making the morally sound move to forgive these men who hurt his wife and daughter.

Sloth-Diligence
The sin of sloth is found personified in "The Second Nun's Prologue" The second nun tells fellow pilgrims about sloth in the following lines:

That idelnesse is roten slogardye,

Of which ther nevere comth no good n'encrees,

And seen that slouthe hir holdeth in a lees

Oonly to slepe, and for to ete and drinke,

And to devouren al that othere swinke. (Chaucer 17-21)

The cure for sloth is diligence or "constant and earnest effort to accomplish what is undertaken" which I believe Averagus possesses. After Dorigen makes the makes a "deal" with Aurelius that she never thinks she will have to own up to it is Averagus who helps her follow through. He helps her to be diligent in her very difficult situation while sacrificing his love for her.

Avarice-Liberality
The pardoner is the greediest of all pilgrims and characters. He admits to being corrupts as he tells the pilgrims that he takes money from people, but does not do his job to help with sin.
Liberality is "the quality of giving or spending freely; generosity" and this is the cure for avarice or greed. The character who best embodies liberality is the knight. He devotes himself to his position and is an example of what a knight should be and quite opposite of the pardoner.

Gluttony-Abstinence
The monk is guilty of gluttony. He was "a lord ful fat and in good point" (Chaucer 199). He did not bother studying, but rather enjoy his passion as "hunting for the hare / Was al his lust; for no cost wolde he spare" (Chaucer 192-193). He did not have the worries of a monk as he is described as "nat pale as a forpinned goost. / A fat swan loved he best of any roost" (Chaucer 205-206).
The OED defines the cure for gluttony as "the practice or discipline of resisting self-indulgence; self-restraint. The character that best embodies the cure of abstinence is Virginia of "The Physician's Tale." She avoids sin and frivolous things. For example, "she hath ful ofte time sik hir feined, / For that she wolde fleen the compaignye / Where likly was to treten of folye" (Chaucer 62-64). It is her death, at the hands of her father, that helps her to remain pure and free from the sins of Claudius.

Lust-Chastity

Nicolas and Absolon of "The Miller's Tale" are lustful of Alisoun, the miller's wife. She is an attractive, young woman. Absolon gives her things in an effort to buy her affection while Nicolas is a more aggressive in attaining her love. It is Nicolas who is successful and after he devises a bold plan to outsmart the miller he gets was he wants, to bed Alisoun.
Cecilia of "The Second Nun's Tale" embodies the cure for lust, chastity. She remains untouched by man, even in marriage. She retains her virginity after telling her husband that an angel who loved her would kill him. The state of purity allowed her to be more like the Virgin Mary.