Two examples of this are the Summoner from the "The Friar's Tale" and Death from the "The Pardoner's Tale." The Summoner is a church official who brings people accused of violating church law to special courts set up by the church. 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. ... In the end of the tale he tries to sell his relics to the people to make money which shows that he, as an official of the church, is just as evil and corrupt ...

• Word Count: 493
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

In Geoffrey Chaucer's "The Friar's Prologue" and "The Friar's Tale" from The Canterbury Tales, the superiority of the clergyman is explained. ... If the summoner is not paid, the person is damned to Hell and an afterlife of pain. Most of these summoners kept the money they were given. ... When the summoner meets an old woman who cannot spare anything and claims she is guiltless, the summoner goes with the devil to Hell. ... Unfortunately, the majority of the church leaders were closer to the vicious summoner than the compassionate friar. ...

• Word Count: 996
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales (MacKaye) introduces readers to a diverse group of travelers making the annual pilgrimage to Canterbury, seeking blessings from St Thomas á Becket. ... Additionally, the Summoner is guilty of a multitude of sins against the church, including drunkenness and bribery. In spite of his own transgressions, the Summoner still holds himself in a higher regard than those he summons. ... His opinions are solidified throughout the tales by many examples of these traits. ...

• Word Count: 873
• Approx Pages: 3
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate