the Summoner (623-668)

Student’s Name:
Professor’s Name:
Course:
Date:
The Summoner
The Summoner is one of the pilgrims in Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales: General Prologue Frame Story. He is presented as a character that is called upon by the medieval church to bring people to answer for their crimes. The sins which most people were accused of included paganism and prostitution. Anyone who was found guilty would be excommunicated from the church and was completely cut off from any ties. Chaucer presents the Summoner in a manner that is cringe inducing.
His physical appearance and his face, in particular, are a remarkable sight. His face has sores that do not know any cure. No amount of ointment would be sufficient to heal them. The Summoner has eyebrows that could only be described as fierce, covered almost his entire face, and were accentuated by his narrow eyes. He had looks that were so gruesome that children were afraid of him (Chaucer 12, line 628). The author also presents him as not only having a dark exterior but a darker interior as well. He regularly participates in unethical and dishonest behavior and is usually unpleasant to be around when he drinks. It is interesting to note that the Summoner frequently attempts to speak Latin so that he may appear more educated than he is.
Chaucer gives the Summoner a depiction that is almost perfect for his role. During the medieval times, the existence of such a character was highly plausible. His affliction with what seems to be leprosy would ultimately lead to a position where he segregated from the community and is forced to seek solace in drinking and obnoxious behavior.

His portrayal with regards to the position he held in society was a perfect match.

Works Cited
BIBLIOGRAPHY Chaucer, Geoffrey. The Canterbury tales. New York: Broadview Press, 2012. Print.