In The Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer uses satire to expose the faults of

institutions, and common stereotypes of his time. Satire is literacy device in which the
writer criticizes an institution or a person using humour to show the faults or
weaknesses.
To begin with, Chaucer uses this technique in order to satire the corruption of
the Catholic Church which was one the major problems and themes in his piece of
writing since many members of the clergy used their positions for personal gain
In Europe during the medieval times the only recognised religion was
Christianity. Eventually, nuns, pardoners, friars became wealthy and powerful and
some of the men in holy order became selfish and even vicious. After the Black Death,
many Europeans began to question the authority of the established Church and smaller
movements exposed church corruption in the behaviour of the clergy, false church
relics or abuse of indulgences.
On the one hand, Chaucer exposes the corruption of this institution through
different characters. A clear example of this is represented in The Pardoner's
Prologue". Chaucer intentionally writes the Pardoner's character in contrast to what
was typically expected from a member of the Church. The pardoner is portrayed as a
deeply corrupt, greedy, and abusive member of the church who takes advantage of the
common folk he is bound to serve. He use peoples emotions against them and take
their money in return for the pardoning of all their sins. Power has completely
corrupted him and he thinks that is superior to the other pilgrims because of the power
his church position gives him.
Another member of the church Chaucer satirizes is the Friar. He was expected
to be devoted to faith and to the church. However, he is considered as the best beggar
in his house which represents him as a corrupt, sinful man; a profile that, like The
Pardoner, contradicts the medieval expectations of a clergyman. The Friar is a
successful beggar because he makes such a good living begging from the wealthy
people in his district. Instead of helping the poor, he uses this income for himself. In
this way he is also a "fine" beggar because he owns expensive clothes that he wears on
arbitration days. Friars were not allowed to mediate for profit, so this is another way he
is a corrupt member of the Church since he allows sinners to pay him for forgiveness
when they are unable to show remorse for their sins.

The monk is another corrupt pilgrim. He does not respect the rules that govern
monasteries. In fact, he considers those rules as obstacles for his lifestyle of hunting,
owning possessions, and eating fine food.
On the other hand, not only does Chaucer criticize the corruption of the friar
and the pardoner but also the stereotype that the prioress was supposed to follow.
Chaucer shows her lack of commitment to her religious responsibilities and vows and
her devotion to courtly love. This description of the prioress is totally opposite to that
of a stereotypical nun and rather similar to that of noble, as she wears elegant clothing
and expensive jewellery, and has admirable manners. Nuns were supposed to spend a
long time in the convent and dedicate the rest of their life to God. They should be more
devoted to living a simple life, also helping the underprivileged people. Not only does
her appearance is contradictory to what is expected from a nun but also her beliefs. She
supports the punishment imposed upon the Jews, which is contradictory to the
Christian belief of showing kindness and mercy towards others.