Silver and Gold The Markers of Goodness Greed

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Silver and Gold The Markers of Goodness, Greed, and Vanity In Chaucer’s Travelers

Silver and Gold The Markers of Goodness, Greed, and Vanity In Chaucer’s Travelers

Why Silver and Gold? In many of the depictions of the pilgrims from the

Why Silver and Gold? In many of the depictions of the pilgrims from the Prologue, either gold or silver is mentioned. Represents wealth, status, money, affluence Therefore, we can take a look at how it is used in relation to characters and then extrapolate to understand what kind of statement Chaucer might be making in terms of wealth, morality and class. Silver and Gold in terms of Appearance, Money, and Metaphor

Appearance

Appearance

Yeoman - “A Cristopher on his brest of silver sheene” A medal of St.

Yeoman - “A Cristopher on his brest of silver sheene” A medal of St. Christopher, patron saint of travelers Cared about appearances: “A sheef of pecok-arwes brighte and kene/ Under his belt he bar ful thriftily” Nothing to indicate that he was a bad dude. Though a servant, the silver likely serves as a symbol of status and/or excellence.

Prioress - “And theron heng a brooch of gold ful sheene, On which ther

Prioress - “And theron heng a brooch of gold ful sheene, On which ther was first write a crowned A, And after Amor vincit omnia. ” Amor vincit omnia- love conquers all Secular vs. Sacred The “ambiguity” to the Monk and Friar’s “emphatic discrepancy” (Hoffman) “Ambiguity” in that she both adheres to and departs from what is acceptable for a nun “Simple” and “Coy” - romantic and plain connotations Colored beads, which happen to be a rosary Brooch, which is a religious emblem Mild attempt to be a courtly lady figure

Monk - “He hadde of gold ywroght a ful curious pyn; A love-knotte in

Monk - “He hadde of gold ywroght a ful curious pyn; A love-knotte in the gretter ende there was. ” Love-knotte - an elaborate knot to symbolize enduring love Matched his fine fur-lined jacket The narrator agrees that it makes sense that the Monk wouldn’t want to do what monks are supposed to do. Outright negligence Less monk, more lordly

Haberdasher, Carpenter, Weaver, Dyer, and Tapestry Guy - “Hir knyves were chaped noght with

Haberdasher, Carpenter, Weaver, Dyer, and Tapestry Guy - “Hir knyves were chaped noght with bras But al with silver, wroght ful clene and well. ” Same “fraternitee” or guild Definitely a show of status and money: “And eek hir wyves wolde it wel assente; And elles certein were they to blame. ” Newly acquired If they’re trying to alter their standing in society, it almost seems to work

Why is it significant? All of these characters carried their respective objects for appearances

Why is it significant? All of these characters carried their respective objects for appearances Revealed struggle within their standing Prioress- trained as a lady of the court Monk- pretending to be a lord Guild Buddies(and wives)- aspiring guild leaders Yeoman stands apart If we were to describe the characters in terms of a specific sin, we would probably say vanity.

Actual Money

Actual Money

Friar - “Men moote yeve silver to the povre freres. ” Taking bribes for

Friar - “Men moote yeve silver to the povre freres. ” Taking bribes for confessions Taking money from little old ladies Being a successful beggar Flattering the wealthy rather than serving poor Living a life akin to the wealthy, on someone else’s money

Clerk - “But al be that he was a philosophre, Yet hadde he but

Clerk - “But al be that he was a philosophre, Yet hadde he but litel gold in his cofre” Philosopher - can also be inferred as alchemist Spends all his money on books and knowledge Possibly starving himself over his thirst for knowledge Clerk of Oxford vs. Wife of Bath - logic vs. experience Wanting and willing to teach, maybe not the best example

Doctor - “For gold in physik is a cordial, Therefore he loved gold in

Doctor - “For gold in physik is a cordial, Therefore he loved gold in special” Cordial - medicine for the heart Stingy or greedy with his own money There was no real standard for how medieval doctors received payment. Royalty, church, cities, later by hospitals Were usually not paid for by the poor, but because there are limited resources available, there is no real way of knowing how frequently doctors charged their clients Paying to be told what to do vs paying to receive treatment

Pardoner - “He moste preche and wel affile his tonge To wynne silver, as

Pardoner - “He moste preche and wel affile his tonge To wynne silver, as he ful wel koude” Sang beautifully during the offering to encourage donations Sold fake pardons Had fake relics Living above what a pardoner ought to Not a lot of depth Highlights how he, like many of the others, was just out to make money

Why is this significant? Well, having read the Prologue, I’m sure it doesn’t really

Why is this significant? Well, having read the Prologue, I’m sure it doesn’t really come as a surprise that most of the characters who are described as receiving money are at least a little bit dastardly Friar and Pardoner - bad dudes, swindlers, hurting others The Doctor is actually providing a valid service, perhaps overcharging. He might be seen as stingy. The Clerk is concerned with only acquiring knowledge. Their sin? I’d say greed.

Metaphor

Metaphor

Miller - “Wel koude he stelen corn and tollen thries; And yet he hadde

Miller - “Wel koude he stelen corn and tollen thries; And yet he hadde a thombe of gold, pardee. Common expression of the time There is a trend of depicting millers as dishonest. Numerous works before and after Tales Red beard, evil man The system of milling was essentially many little monopolies One miller for one lord Both lord and miller shared blame, but the miller received the most Miller’s were scum, even for the peasants

Parson - “if gold ruste, what shal iron do? ” The Chosen One All

Parson - “if gold ruste, what shal iron do? ” The Chosen One All clergy on the pilgrimage are called out: “For if a preest be foul, on whom we truste, / No wonder is a lewd man to ruste” “Gold” - describing and validating his position Using gold in such a way that it teaches and guides The idea of a good, poor parson

Why does this matter? For the Parson, it allows him to ridicule all clergy

Why does this matter? For the Parson, it allows him to ridicule all clergy at once while also showing that Chaucer does have a high amount of respect for clergy For the Miller, it reveals his dishonesty as well as widespread system and understanding of dishonesty in the profession. Metaphor reveals truth.

Appearance, Money, Metaphor - Quick Conclusion When talking about gold and silver, the topic

Appearance, Money, Metaphor - Quick Conclusion When talking about gold and silver, the topic will always bring up wealth and class as a caveat. Money and positions Shows “malfunction” in class system (Dogon) Guild Buddies, pretending to move up Prioress, pretending to be above Friar and Monk, abusing position Introduces the moral argument against the characters’ obsession with wealth

Chaucer also asserts that gold and silver will not necessarily corrupt, and they will

Chaucer also asserts that gold and silver will not necessarily corrupt, and they will not necessarily only corrupt clergy. Parson Doctor, Clerk Strangely enough, the one thing Chauce might be supporting is that milling is the one true inescapable spiral of sin

Quicker Conclusion Silver/gold? meh Wealth? meh Clergy? meh Milling? BAD

Quicker Conclusion Silver/gold? meh Wealth? meh Clergy? meh Milling? BAD

Bibliography Hoffman, Arthur W. "Chaucer's Prologue to Pilgrimage: The Two Voices. " ELH 21.

Bibliography Hoffman, Arthur W. "Chaucer's Prologue to Pilgrimage: The Two Voices. " ELH 21. 1 (1954): 1 -16. Web. Jones, George Fenwick. "Chaucer And The Medieval Miller. " Modern Language Quarterly 16. 1 (1955): 3. Education Source. Web. 28 Oct. 2016. Warren, Tom. "“Special Love For Gold”-A History Of Physician Remuneration. " History Of Medicine Days 192 (2003). Web. 14 Sept. 2016 DOĞAN, Sadenur. "The Three Estates Model: Represented And Satirised In Chaucer's General Prologue To The Canterbury Tales. " Journal Of History, Culture & Art Research / Tarih Kültür Ve Sanat Arastirmalari Dergisi 2. 2 (2013): 49 -56. Academic Search Complete. Web. 28 Oct. 2016. Meljac, Eric. "What It Means To Own: Geoffrey Chaucer's Monk, Monastic Rule, And Giorgio Agamben. " Explicator 74. 2 (2016): 80 -82. Academic Search Premier. Web. 14 Sept. 2016. Beechy, Tiffany. "Devil Take The Hindmost: Chaucer, John Gay, And The Pecuniary Anus. " Chaucer Review 41. 1 (2006): 71 -85. Academic Search Premier. Web. 14 Sept. 2016.

Woo, Constance and Matthews, William. (1970). “The Spiritual Purpose of the Canterbury Tales. ”

Woo, Constance and Matthews, William. (1970). “The Spiritual Purpose of the Canterbury Tales. ” Comitatus: A Journal of Medieval and Renaissance Studies. Web. 14 Sept. 2016. Warren, Tom. "“Special Love For Gold”-A History Of Physician Remuneration. " History Of Medicine Days 192 (2003). Web. 14 Sept. 2016 Bisson, Lillian M. Chaucer and the Late Medieval World. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1999. Print. Kittredge, George Lyman. Chaucer and His Poetry: Lectures Delivered in 1914 On the Percy Turnbull Memorial Foundation in the Johns Hopkins University. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. 1915. Print. Knapp, Peggy Ann. Chaucerian Aesthetics. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2008. Print. Hoffman, Arthur W. "Chaucer's Prologue to Pilgrimage: The Two Voices. " ELH 21. 1 (1954): 1 -16. Web.