World History: Medieval Pilgrimage. The Canterbury Tales - Essay Example

?Kym Cramer Yakle World History: Medieval Pilgrimage 07 April (word count 763) Outline Introduction 2. Discussion 2 Historical Background 2.2 Rationale 2.3 Reasons for the Pilgrimage 3. Conclusion The Canterbury Tales Introduction The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer is considered to be one of the best ever collection of short stories in literary history. It tells the trials, travels and tribulations of quite a group of pilgrims on their way to Canterbury to pay homage to the martyred Thomas Becket. This story was a reflection of the cultural and religious practices at around that time when the people placed great importance on their religious beliefs and the need for social conformity. In a sense, this collection was a microcosm of the medieval times and on how people had been practicing their religion during this period in European history (Lawton 17). This paper tells the background, rationale and reasons for undertaking a pilgrimage despite all the hazards that a dangerous journey entails and the difficulties the pilgrims encounter along the way and how religion was the sole unifying factor among peoples of various nations and ethnicities. A medieval pilgrimage is important since it reflects deep religious fervor that people put in their faith. It is also important in another sense, as it represents a tug of war between a pope and the temporal kings and secular rulers who likewise want to control their subjects. It is my position and belief that religion was also used in some devious ways to manipulate the people who were largely superstitious, a carryover from the Greeks and Romans much earlier. The medieval period roughly corresponds to the Dark Ages when scientific knowledge was practically nil, and people ascribed epidemics to evil spirits instead of to the unsanitary living conditions they lived in. The cities were congested and diseases can spread quickly in such an enclosed place. People did not practice proper hygiene and so bacteria and viruses spread fast. People took a bath not to be clean but for its sensual pleasures instead. People now should try to embark on a pilgrimage with an open mind, that is visit religious shrines and see relics with a healthy skepticism instead of following religion blindly, as some artifacts are fake. This disparate group of pilgrims made for a colorful group in which each member is to tell two stories on the way to Canterbury and then another two tales on the way back so as to occupy themselves while traveling and dispel away their boredom. Each storyteller tried to tell the best story in order to entertain their group. Most of the group members each represents a sector of society, but there is an overall theme all throughout. This motif is how each of the pilgrims had conducted their lives at that time, an allegory on morality. The main protagonist, which is no other than Chaucer himself, tells bits and pieces of information about each member. The reader comes away with a feeling of how each member was actually a different sort of person than what he or she tried to portray to all the others. It gives out a good insider's view, sort of, in each person's actual personality and characteristics. The Canterbury Tales was written during the medieval times, the period between the fifth and fifteenth centuries; this period was marked by the importance of a religious pilgrimage. Discussion Historical Background - it was during this time when Rome fell to the barbarians and the Eastern part of the previously high and mighty Roman Empire also fell to Islamic warriors with the loss of Constantinople. Both the social and political structures, in relation to religion, underwent massive shifts in terms of the adoption of the feudal system to replace subsistence agricultural practices. An important trend at around this time was the rise of urban centers, in which medieval cities were built on the plains and valleys conducive to agriculture and were located along the trade caravan routes which flourished at around this time also. However, a most characteristic description of the medieval period was the role and influence of religion among the people, especially Christianity. People placed great importance on their faith and built cities with churches and majestic cathedrals as main structures or at the center of their urban dwellings. People were deeply superstitious because they were largely ignorant. Rationale – the fictional stories in Canterbury Tales were actually a reflection of the medieval times. Chaucer had chosen a supposed pilgrimage to the martyr, and later canonized as saint, the murdered archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket. The pilgrimage was merely a vehicle by which Chaucer was able to portray the signs of the times, a period marked by the conflicts between religious leaders (the pope in particular) and secular leaders such as kings, who wanted to wield power separately from the Church (the papacy or Christendom). The papacy during the medieval period was influential in both temporal and spiritual matters; at that time, there was as yet no separation between the Church and the State. Popes exercised their authority over temporal kings and could declare wars and even imposed taxes. This was in addition to their main responsibilities of converting the pagans to Catholicism and saving souls from hell and perdition. The Church encouraged people to make pilgrimages to the holy sites it designated for forgiveness of sins and an easier time entering Heaven. Reasons for the Pilgrimage -travel for the sole purpose of going on a pilgrimage was hazardous during the medieval period, as there were many brigands and robbers hiding along the routes. This was the reason people tended to travel in groups, as exemplified by the group in The Canterbury Tales. Pilgrims were interested to visit the religious shrines because of the influence of the Church; to see, touch or kiss the religious artifacts and relics of famous saints. Monks and friars as keepers of these shrines would receive alms and donations (monies and jewelries) from pilgrims and this way, shrines had become rich from all the donated wealth. A pilgrimage had extraordinary appeal to medieval people who were deeply religious but at the same time, superstitious; believing in miraculous cures of ailments like leprosy, blindness and epilepsy. Pilgrimages are the precursors of modern tourism, so to speak (Sumption 160), hard travel as penitence and repentance for remission of sins. Some pilgrims see it as a metaphor for a good Christian life while others see it as a good alibi to travel and see the world. Whatever their reasons and motivations to go on a pilgrimage, it was one way for the people to make their personal connections to God and the saints which can renew their faith during a period marked by heightened religious sensitivity. Temporal leaders had oftentimes been very envious of the accumulated wealth inside the religious shrines, consisting of metals encrusted with precious stones and jewels. They looked at shrines as potential sources of vital revenues; many rulers coveted the wealth within these shrines. Shrine keepers had to move these precious relics around to keep them safe from raiders and barbarians. Pilgrims usually traveled only within Europe, visiting countries such as France, Italy, Spain or in the case of Canterbury Tales, England. Others may opt to travel abroad like Palestine while a wealthy person can have someone go on a pilgrimage in his behalf by paying the pilgrim, the sort of a pilgrimage by proxy (Simkin 1) and avoid the pitfalls of arduous travels. Conclusion While there are many religious shrines in England back then, like those at St. Albans, Glastonbury, Walsingham, Lindisfame and Bromholm, Canterbury is a special case for many medieval people because of supposed miracles by the martyred Thomas Becket. It was the reason why pilgrims chose this shrine to show their support for the Church; it was a political rivalry with a king that resulted in the killing of Thomas Becket (Jestice 856). The Canterbury Tales is a subtle criticism of English society and also the Church but Chaucer was careful not to antagonize the Church. While the Canterbury Tales were centered on the rivalry of the king and Becket due to personal issues, a greater issue was the defects in the Church in the way religion was practiced, such as the gift of dispensations. This later on resulted in a great schism which gave birth to Protestantism by a challenge made by Martin Luther to Catholic authority and teachings (Marius 55) that later on gathered momentum into the so-called European Reformation Movement which ushered the Renaissance Period. The grant of indulgences in exchange for monetary contributions was only one of the many ills of the medieval Church. Geoffrey Chaucer offered the Canterbury Tales as a caution to the church hierarchy to reform their ways; his suggestions came by the way of the ironies in his stories in which the people he portrayed were not as they were envisioned to be. He had to do this gingerly, as the Church still wielded powerful influence in his time and he could suffer the fate of ex-communication. In the literal and figurative sense, Chaucer merely rode on the trend of his times by challenging common perceptions and misconceptions (Howard 120). Medieval pilgrimages occurred within the background of religious fervor coupled in a way with ignorance and superstition which made people very susceptible to manipulation by unscrupulous people. The fall of Rome and the loss of Constantinople destroyed the existing societal structures and only religion was left as unifying force among the people. The rationale for a pilgrimage was for people to re-connect with their spiritual roots; it is a good cleansing or cathartic process for most of them. It was a way to personify what it is like to live an ideal Christian life and at the same time help ward off evil and bad luck, such as pestilence or plagues, which people believed are manifestations of the wrath of God. Shrines, religious artefacts and relics were given miraculous powers to cure ailments, people greatly believed in these magical cures. Others see a pilgrimage as a nice reason to be traveling while others see their chance to pay someone to go on their behalf and still earn the highly coveted indulgences supposedly to assure them easier entry to heaven. People must view religion with an open mind and not succumb to its blandishments; one must still retain the power of critical thinking to distinguish between what is true or more credible as against the preposterous and ridiculous claims. At any rate, people should not use religion for ulterior motives and not become religious fanatics with dire consequences. It is a good attitude to have a healthy regard for religion for one's spiritual assurance and guidance. Works Cited Howard, Donald R. The Idea of the Canterbury Tales. Berkeley, CA, USA: University of California Press, 1978. Print. Jestice, Phyllis G. Holy People of the World: A Cross-cultural Encyclopedia. Santa Barbara, CA, USA: ABC-CLIO, 2004. Print. Lawton, David A. Chaucer's Narrators. Rochester, NY, USA: Boydell & Brewer, Inc., 1985. Print. Marius, Richard. Martin Luther: The Christian between God and death. Boston, MA: USA: Harvard University Press, 1999. Print. Simkin, John. “Pilgrimage.” Spartacus Educational. 2003. Web. 28 Mar. 2012. < http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/NORpilgrimage.htm> Sumption, Jonathan. The Age of Pilgrimage: The Medieval Journey to God. London, UK: Faber & Faber, 1975. Print. Read More