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  • Essay / Chaucer's ideas about an immoral world in The "Lak of Stedfastnesse"

    Avarice is the ultimate mechanism for diluting the generosity of a compassionate man, driving him into corrupt practices. These effects of greed are developed through Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales, in which he implements various forms of mockery to reveal a loss of ethics. Chaucer satirizes human life, presented through pilgrims of diverse origins, constituting the medieval society of 14th century England. One such character is the Doctor, an educated pilgrim who pursues education and medicine for financial gain. Its hypocritical nature can be further highlighted in Chaucer's poem, "Lak of Stedfastnesse", advancing the author's perspective in which a principled world disappears as time passes and the growing thirst for wealth grows. intensifies. Therefore, Chaucer's ideas of an immoral world are characterized by the Doctor due to his unprofessional desire to obtain maximum income. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay By expressing the Doctor's appetite for personal enrichment, Chaucer brings together his proposition that widespread human weaknesses poison society. The Doctor is knowledgeable about astrology and medications to treat his patients; however, Chaucer suggests that the doctor's medical advice is influenced by greed. He collaborates with pharmacists to prescribe expensive and unnecessary remedies, which prove useless to the patient: "He gave the man his medicine on the spot / with all his apothecaries in tribe." People practicing medicine have a moral obligation to provide appropriate methods of care to patients. The Doctor's prevarications eliminate the ability to serve properly as a physician, even though Chaucer presents the character as a feat of prowess. By using medical eminence, the Doctor abuses his power since he can easily prescribe false prescriptions and ultimately obtain large profits. Thus, "Lak of Stedfastnesse" highlights the Doctor's deceptive qualities as his expensive treatments were fueled by desires for gold by giving him the opportunity to exploit honest standards to achieve depraved goals. The Doctor takes advantage of these opportunities to earn income. This character takes part in the trip to Canterbury to give “respect” to Thomas Becket even though “he has not read the Bible much”. The Doctor's goal in participating in this pilgrimage is to acquire money by using his prestige to manipulate several pilgrims into purchasing ineffective drugs. By seizing any chance to obtain wealth, the character reduces his virtue by fashioning a deceptive religious attitude, developing Chaucer's satirical impiety. In addition to the Pilgrim's ungodly behavior, he is constantly shown to commit numerous lies for personal gain as the Doctor's actions become more habitual. In “Lak of Stedfastnesse,” Chaucer implies, “Trouthe is set, resolution is held fabel / and virtue hath dominion no more.” Chaucer sets a pitiful tone, describing righteousness and honesty as imaginary attributes since they have been saturated with vicious and powerful desire. The Doctor's dishonesty and insincerity towards patients parallels Chaucer's beliefs of a world corrupted by the lust for power because the Pilgrim engages in iniquitous behavior as his desires grow. Overall, Chaucer expresses ideas about the rotten ways of society by presenting the Doctor as a greedy imposter. Passions without.