What was the job of the Summoner?
Summoners are usually low-class characters whose job it is to bring people before the ecclesiastical court for sins such as illicit intercourse. This one on the pilgrimage is shaking with rage when the Friar finishes his tale (1665ff).
What kind of person is the Summoner in Canterbury Tales?
The Summoner is another supposedly devout religious figure who is actually a hypocrite. In medieval society, summoners brought people to the ecclesiastical court to confess their sins. He has a disgusting skin disease that makes his face pimpled and scaly.
How is the Summoner described?
A summoner is someone the medieval church hires to call people before the ecclesiastical court for their spiritual crimes, like adultery or heresy, the punishment for which can be excommunication (expulsion from the church).
How is the Summoner described in The Canterbury Tales?
This Summoner is a lecherous man whose face is scarred by leprosy. He gets drunk frequently, is irritable, and is not particularly qualified for his position. He spouts the few words of Latin he knows in an attempt to sound educated.
Why is the Summoner a hypocrite?
He was dishonest towards the church, lying about his expertise in the church requirements. Both of these attribute to his characteristic of being a hypocrite and a liar because of his failing to follow the clergy code that he teaches.
What did the Summoner do while he was drunk?
As a Summoner, acting on behalf of the judicial committee of the church, one would expect his behavior to be held to a higher standard. Unfortunately for this Summoner, when he is drunk on wine yet still performing his duties, he is known for allowing ‘a scallywag to keep his concubine’.
How is the Summoner satirized?
In the “Summoner’s Tale” from The Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer uses the Summoner to satirize the hypocritical Friar in order to reveal disloyalty amongst people of religion. Chaucer uses satire to explain disloyalty among the friars.
Why did the Summoner go on the pilgrimage?
The Summoner is an official who brings people accused of violating the church laws to court. Supposedly his pilgrimage purpose is to fulfill his job, but many would wonder if his purpose of going on this pilgrimage is only to drink and chase women.
Is the Summoner corrupt?
The Friar sees the Summoner as being corrupt and seeking bribes instead of performing his job. The Summoner becomes a bit upset and tells a bawdy tale about Friars. He makes them the butt of several jokes. As a result, one can see that the Summoner has a bit of a mean streak to him.
How is the Summoner corrupt in the Canterbury Tales?
This particular Summoner from “The Friar’s Tale” is a deceitful, greedy person who uses his position as a church official to pressure innocent people into giving him “bribes” or money. He actually has a network of secret spies who report to him so that he can issue false summons and extort money from people.
How does Chaucer view the Summoner?
The Summoner was a church official who was responsible for summoning the sinners before the ecclesiastical courts. Chaucer shows his extreme loathing and hatred for the two characters of the corrupt Summoner and Pardoner.