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Evil Works of Chaucer The philosophical notions of good and evil have always been the essential part of the human outlook. As generations changed one another, peoples understanding of good and evil also underwent modifications that reflected the development of human morals. Evolution of the concept of evil in the human mind is depicted in literary works beginning from such poems as Beowulf, The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. In these works the concept of evil evolves through various forms of its manifestation, from mythic monster Grendel to vicious human characters of Chaucer and wicked traces of character of Arthurian heroes. But all these works suggest evidence that human society has always understood that the source of all evil is people themselves. The story of Beowulf was written by an unknown Anglo-Saxon poet approximately in the 8 th century and it tells about the brave Gratis hero who fights the monster Grendel, Grendel's mother, and a fire-breathing dragon.
Grendel, who is an outcast and called a descendant of Cain, is the evident embodiment of evil in this poem. He possesses a grotesque, monstrous appearance, nevertheless his emotions and impulses are human. But when we have a closer look at the character of Beowulf, we will see that the hero possesses such features as hunger for glory and greed for booty, that motivate his actions. Each of us will come to the end of this life/ On earth; he who can earn it should fight/ For the glory of his name; fame after death/ Is the noblest of goals. (Lines 1386 - 1389) At the end of the poem Beowulf battles with Grendel for his treasure. And when he is fatally wounded, the only wish he expresses is to have a look at the won treasure.
This episode introduces contradiction, because according to Beowulf's words he has won the treasure for his people, but on the other hand watching this treasure brings him utmost satisfaction and when he dies, the treasure is burnt in his funeral pyre. Thus, Beowulf pays with his life for his desire for gold and glory. The Canterbury Tales written by Geoffrey Chaucer in the 14 th century is a masterful literary work that skillfully reflects morals and ideas of the human society of that time. In contrast to Beowulf, the evil in The Canterbury Tales does not manifest itself in the form of dragons or monsters, but is rooted in people. The Pardoners Tale is very illustrative in this sense. The avaricious Pardoner tells a moralistic story that looks more like a sermon against a great number of sins including greed.
The Pardoners conclusion is Radix mamoru est Cupiditas, or greed is the root of all evil, but after the sermon the Pardoner encourages his listeners to buy pardons and displays his false relics and asks for contributions. By doing this he discloses his hypocrisy and vice. His only concern is money, and the Christian religion is only the means to gain it. Thus, Chaucer showed the evil that is manifested in humans using irony. The poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a masterpiece of Arthurian romance. The characters of this poem are knights who treasure their honor and knighthood most of all, and for whom breach of faith is the meanest sin.
The story contains an overtly negative character Morgan le Faye that represents dark forces and sets traps for the main character. Nevertheless, the real evil is disclosed in Gawain's behavior, when he goes back on his word and keeps the green girdle that was presented him by Bertilaks wife and allegedly had power to protect its owner. But the most important thing in the story is that Gawain understands his vicious behavior and repents by wearing the green girdle as a symbol of his dishonorable act. The concept of evil has come through a development process in the works of early English writers. In the story of Beowulf the evil is manifested as a monster, though some features of the main hero can also be treated as negative and evil. In the Pardoners tale Geoffrey Chaucer represents evil as greed and ironically emphasizes that sins are even more dangerous when they are not recognized.
The evil in the poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is shown as the weakness of a person that makes him yield to temptations, but this evil is recognized by Gawain and repented. Sources: Anonymous. Beowulf: A New Translation with an Introduction by Burton Raffel. , Trans. Burton Raffel. New York: Mentor/Penguin Books, 1963. Anonymous.
The Complete Works of the Pearl Poet. Ed. Casey Finch. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1993. Chaucer, Geoffrey.
The Canterbury Tales. New York, NY: Bottom Books, 1964.
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