Canterbury Tales Comparison Essay

Amelia Foreman    
English
Block 4AC
10/26/11  
                                                                  Canterbury Tales Comparison Essay
          In the epic poem “The Canterbury Tales”, by Geoffery Chaucer, the Oxford Cleric and the Doctor are two characters who compare well. The Cleric is quiet, thoughtful and keeps to himself. In comparison, the Doctor is talkative, and slightly deceiving. Although the two men are not alike in appearance or personality, both the Cleric and the Doctor are well educated and have a passion for knowledge and the luxuries of life.
            The Cleric is a poor, hollow-looking man educated in philosophy who has “not found the stone for making gold” (Pg. 60, lines 303 & 304), meaning he has not found the key to success yet. Still, being a student, he finds himself left with a lot to learn. In contrast, the Doctor is also educated, but in different subjects. He is more equipped to deal in the fields of medicine and surgery. He is also “grounded in astronomy” (Pg. 63, line 418). Regardless of their differing fields of expertise, the two men are both very smart; probably the smartest of Chaucer’s merry little band of misfits.          
          The Doctor is a man who enjoys many luxuries. He enjoys conversing with others about his profession, wearing fine “blood red garments, slashed with bluish-gray and lined with taffeta” (Pg.64, lines 437 & 438)and entertaining his “special love for gold” (Pg. 64, line 442). He is a good doctor, though his intentions may not always be pure. He loves making money, maybe a little too much. In Chaucer’s description of the doctor, he hints that the doctor works out some sort of deal with the apothecary so that they can both take more money from their patients (Pg. 63, lines 429-432). This casts a shadow on the good doctor, giving him a more sinister feeling. The Cleric, on the other hand, enjoys much simpler luxuries. He “never spoke a word more than was need” (Pg. 60, line...