Fate in The Canterbury Tales: A Contemporary Discussion

Religion, a prominent topic in Renaissance literature, is debated satirically by the Knight, the Miller, and the Reeve in Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales. Not only do these characters vary in social status, but also in their beliefs of the underlying influence of God. Their first three tales extenuate one another through contradicting religious views. The Knight, the Miller, and the Reeve demonstrate the multiplicity of views regarding the role of destiny in life. The …

…to religion regardless? Perhaps Chaucer is rather choosing to point out that a person is not only defined by religion but by their own personal morals. Or maybe, since the Knight, the Miller, and the Reeve all vary in rank, Chaucer was attempting to highlight the varying ideals between different socioeconomic classes? Regardless, he succeeds in describing a universal ideal, one that could be discussed 500 years ago and will be discussed 500 years in the future.