Seeing red lately?

Since we were not able to attend class Tuesday I thought I’d share my “favorite” deadly sin. I hope this is what was intended. Of the deadly sins, my favorite would have to be wrath or anger.  Everyone has experienced anger and felt the freedom of letting go. I find that in some moments of anger (those which do not bring harm to others) there is uncensored honesty. Who hasn’t experienced a flash of rage while stuck in rush-hour traffic on the Beltway or witnessed the wrath of an aggressive driver? As you may have guessed, terrible traffic and poor driving are my triggers. If you are guilty of wrath yourself it seems that you are in good company with some pilgrims of The Canterbury Tales. These people see red when offended by a tale or, like the narrator, simply run out of patience and show their darker side.

The drunken miller kicks off the tit-for-tat tales when he tells a story of a carpenter made a cuckold by his clerk. Chaucer writes:

Whan folk had laughen at this nice cas
Of Absolon and hende Nicholas,
Diverse folk diversely they seide,
But for the moore part they loughe and pleyde;
Ne at this tale I saugh no man him greve
But it were oonly Osewold the Reve.
Because he was of carpenters craft (Chaucer 3855-3860)

The miller then incurs the wrath of the reeve. The reve follows with a story about a miller who is made a cuckold by two students determined to outsmart him. The story ends with miller finding the students copulating with his wife and daughter.

In the same fashion, the friar tells a tale that enrages the summoner who in turn shares a spiteful story of his own. The friar’s story is of a summoner who is on his way to extort money from an old woman and happens upon a man riding alongside the forest. They talk and the summoner finds out that this yeoman is as corrupt as he. In the end it is revealed that the yeoman is a demon who takes him to hell at the behest of the old woman. In response, the summoner shook with anger and said:

Sin ye han herd this false Frere lie,
As suffreth me I may my tale telle!
This Frere bosteth that he knoweth helle,
And God it woot, that it is litel wonder;
Freres and feendes been but lite asonder.
For pardee, ye han ofte time herd telle. (Chaucer 1670-1675)

This summoner contrives a tale that is both biting and bawdy in response. He tells of a corrupt friar who preys on a poor couple only to be played the fool and farted on (putting it mildly).

Even the narrator of the Canterbury Tales succumbs to anger after hearing the story of Virginia from “The Physician’s Tale.” He began to swear, as if he was mad, and rant:

This was  fals cherl and a fals justice!
As shameful deeth as herte may devise
Come to thise juges and hir advocatz!
Aglate this sely maide is slain, allas! (Chaucer 289-292)

The manciple is another pilgrim who attempts to incite anger by berating the cook about his drunkenness and smell though he says, “’I wol not wrathe him, also mote I thrive!” (80).

There are other pilgrims who act upon their wrath and a number of characters from their tales who do as well. However, there are a few characters that readers might wish would become angry and unleash their fury. Characters such as Grisilde of “The Clerk’s Tale” and Cecilia from “The Second Nun’s Tale” earned the right to revenge, but maintain the patience and suffering of a saint.

Wrath is my “favorite” deadly sin because it seems an innate tendency for humans to experience overwhelming anger from time to time. However, wrath equals wrinkles, so do not let it consume you. Think about this when you are waiting in bumper-to-bumper traffic or endless lines while holiday shopping this weekend and aim to be more like the knight and less like the manciple.

Sin: Pride

In the Parson’s Tale the sin I focused on is Pride.

It was interesting to see how the Parson, the only pilgrim that is seen as good, detailing everything that applies when it comes to Pride. The Parson explains that every other sin stems from this sin. Of course, a lot of what the Parson has to say reflects back to God and biblical stories. Pride seems to be mentioned first because it has waterfall effect. The person who is prideful tends to focus only on themselves, in turn making them selfish.  Also, a person that is prideful can tend to boast about everything they have accomplished whether it be good or bad. 

It is clear in the text that it is okay for a person to be aware of what they are and their capabilities but to be prideful about is sinful. The remedy for pride is humility. Being humble allows other people to recognize a person for what they can do and they have accomplished. The parson said humility is shown in the heart, mouth, and works. I think this remedy is very fitting for some of the pilgrims on the trip. Both the prologue and tales by the other pilgrims show lack of humility in both ways. The friar and the summoner take jabs at each other showing their pride. Instead of being humble and not worrying about whose tale is better and whose profession is more respectable they should show it in their actions and then other people can choose for them. Their discourse only heightens the ill thoughts towards their kind. The Wife of Bath shows her pride in her tale and prologue. Maybe pride says one should be more like Griselda. She kept her mouth shut and wins in the end. The wife of Bath gloats about her many disastrous marriages. She’s left to compromise and her tale reflects her own loneliness. Maybe the wife of Bath ought to have been a little more patient and quiet. Not basking in the glory of the power she feels she has. The parson mentions assenting to good counsel as the cure for pride. I do believe Phoebus fails to assent to the crows counsel, in turn he ends up killing his wife as well as cursing his friend who only had his interest in mind. The Pardoner is greatly prideful and resembles that not only in his prologue but in his tale as well.  Though he is prideful his story also resembles where such pride can get a person. All three thieves end up dead because of their pride; they have gathered bounty and see it only good for themselves. This is not respectable (and now I find it quite ironic that the pardoner tells this tale. I always thought it was a double scheme on his part, but now I feel he may be actually looking to good the meal at the end. But then again it is the pardoner trying to feel this way for him. Tricky guy there!).

I do believe each pilgrim may have exhibited pride. The host as well, he exhibits in action taking charge and making those around aware at all times it is home. This pride is a tricky sin and can be seen in many aspects.

Can these pilgrims be categorized into each sin? Is that the purpose of Chaucer writing in this tale? This could be a good time for reflection.

Class Reflection

This class has been very enjoyable for me and has really helped me to broaden my knowledge of the Medieval Period.

It is so many myths and misconceptions that people have containing to the time. I find myself getting upset when people use the words turkey, dark, and disease in relation to the period. I have found out so much more has made the period. Before coming to the class many of my own myths and misconceptions were dwarfed, but not all. I also still had a struggle with the idea of taking a whole course on Chaucer; reading medieval literature is not my first hobby.

Some of the themes and ideas I have gathered from The Canterbury Tales that I can use in my own life are:

Having respect for authority.

Many of these tales had the person who was the head and those under him (leader is always a man). Though it may not always be a man that I will have to respect this respect goes for the nature and those who deserve it. In many of the tales we get people going outside and living amongst the wild. These people do not destroy the nature but see it as something to cherish. This can be because of their love and respect for God.

Being Patient even in the most trying moments.
 

To be honest, patience is not one of my strong suits. Although the extreme cases of patience were not the exact path I want to follow, it does help me to recognize just how impatient I am. Griselda was stripped of her dignity all while being silent and staying obedient. This is a virtue that not only I should exercise, but those of my generation should as well. Now days people are all about efficiency. To me this word efficiency is just a mask for impatient. Everything has to be done now. People do not have the time to enjoy the beauty of what is being done. Again, all of the natural imagery though it seemed to be long-winded verses, caused for beautiful imager of nature. Through this I can tell that people of the Medieval Period really appreciated the view. While in that period views were all they had, our abundance of visuals may cause people of today to become oblivious to how wonderful the view is.

(I guess the section should be called Appreciation of Nature as well)

Keeping loyalty and expecting it as well

Loyalty seems to have been a really big thing in the Medieval Period. In The Manciple’s Tale the crow is called a traitor and is cursed with black feathers and loses the ability to sing just for informing his Lord that his wife was cheating on him (which everyone already knew).  As we go all the way back to The Knight’sTale both Arcite and Palamoun feels as if the other is disloyal. Their code of chivalry calls for them to act as cousins, while courtly love called from them to be loyal to their beloved. Loyalty is important especially the older I get; the older I get the less friends I have. While loss of friends are mostly due to natural reasons (distance and time), finding people trustworthy is hard thing to do. It is everyone’s job to keep that in mind and keep their word whenever it’s spoken.

… And my favorite, Women power

Many of the tales exhibit how much women were degraded, had no power, and word was not trusted all because they were women. Through this these women represents how much strength they really had. If I were to ask any of my friends would they go through what Griselda went through, behave like Virginia, or even follow the steps of the Wife of Bath they would say of course not. But these women were quite respectable in their own rights, especially for women during the period. They exhibited ways to beat the system without being notice. They played their parts and were recognized through these tales. While I know these are not true stories they do (for me) represent real medieval women. I also believe if they could endure the way women were treated and how men considered them property I have no excuse but to expect equal treatment from my male counterpart in the 221^st century. I think the one thing Chaucer accomplished in The Canterbury Tales is bringing out the feminist spirit in me.