The Friar and Summoner

The Friar and the Summoner Throughout The Canterbury Tales author, Geoffrey Chaucer, introduces several unique and diverse characters. Chaucer unites tradesmen, landowners, church official, and many more to create a hierarchy of characters. The author builds a hierarchy based on his judgement of the individuals' condition and personality. He exalts and admires the true and honest, yet satirizes the greedy and deceitful characters. While creating this hierarchy, Chaucer chooses two individuals to represent the two …

…the two institutions. Thus, Chaucer implies that he holds little respect and trust in the Church or Monarchy. Chaucer uses the Summoner and Friar as symbols to delineate his negative opinions focused at two corrupt areas of 14th Century society. Chaucer demands reform for the Church and the Monarchy through the appearance and actions of these two characters. In essence, The Friar and Summoner are political ponds aimed to reveal corruption and call for change.