The General Prologue- The Friar by Geoffrey Chaucer.

A friar is a member of a religious group of men within the Christian faith, specifically the Catholic
Church. There are four orders or groups of friars; the Augustinians, Carmelites, Dominicans, and
Franciscans.
Chaucer’s introduction to this particular Friar (Friar Hubert) begins with the use of the words
“wanton”, “merry” and “festive”. Chaucer describes this Friar as a very jolly, happy and positive
person. The Friars were not allowed to have any source of income or own any business. They had to
beg for whatever they needed and people would donate money, clothes or food to the Friars. The
Friars were taught to donate the excess of what they had received to the poor, the sick and the
homeless. Chaucer refers to the Friar as a “Limiter”, i.e he begged within the ‘limits’ or borders of a
certain district. The Friars also paid a tax or a ‘ferme’ for permission to beg within a certain district.
There were four groups or ‘Orders’ of Friars; the Augustines, Carmalites, Dominicans and
Franciscans. According to Chaucer, this particular Friar (Friar Hubert) was a shining example among
all the Four Orders. This may seem that Chaucer is praising the friar. However, Chaucer also uses the
word ‘wanton’ to describe the Friar; the word ‘wanton’ means reckless, irresponsible, and immoral.
Thus, there is irony and satire in Chaucer’s words of praise. Friar Hubert spoke a refined,
sophisticated language, the language of the upper class, the aristocrats, the nobles and the rich.
Although it may seem that Chaucer is praising the friar, yet there are hidden meanings that show that
Chaucer is being ironic and making fun of the friar. Chaucer does not openly criticize the friar; he
does it indirectly using irony and satire. When we read how the friar knew a refined and sophisticated
language it may sound as praise for the friar’s intelligence but it also shows us that the friar spent a
lot of time with people of the upper class, the rich and powerful people, the nobles and the aristocrats.
However, as per the vows and duty of the friars, a friar was to live with the common people, the poor
and the homeless. Thus in the poem there is a difference between what the friar does and what he is
supposed to do.
Chaucer then writes how this particular friar (Friar Hubert) had personally paid for the wedding
ceremony of many young women in his district. This may seem a good deed but when we consider
that the friars begged for a living and thus could not have had so much money, we can understand
that there is a hidden meaning. Further more the friars were supposed to donate the extra money they
received to the poor, the sick and the homeless, so we can ask why this friar gave money for
weddings instead. This act of the friar; of financing weddings of young women in his district, could
mean that the friar hurriedly married off the women he had seduced so as to keep them quiet, to avoid
a scandal and hide his sin.
Chaucer writes that this friar was very popular amongst the rich people of the district, he was
popular amongst the landlords, the nobles and the aristocrtas. This was becasue the friar would do
special favours for them and these favours were related to sin, confession and absolution/forgiveness.
The friar had special permission from the Pope to hear confessions for very serious sins. The friar
thus had more authority and power of confession than a priest. So when a rich/powerful person had
committed a serious sin, he/she would go tto this friar for confession. The friar would then give quick

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absolution and easy penance for the sin based on how much money the sinner ‘donated’ to the friar.
The more money was ‘donated’ to the friar , the quicker the forgiveness and the easier the penance.
Chaucer makes fun of this corrupt act of the friar by explaining that maybe some people have
no feelings and they are so hard hearted that they cannot cry to show how sorry, they are and that they
are ashamed of their sins. Instead, such people show they have repented for their sins by giving
money to the friar.
Chaucer writes how the friar kept his ‘tippet’ or ‘hood’ stuffed with pins and gifts to give to
pretty girls when he wanted to seduce them. The friar was a good singer and a musician and he was a
champion singer at singing competitions. Chaucer writes that the friar’s neck was whiter than a lily
flower. The white neck and the lily flower were signs of lechery, lustfulness and immorality.
However, the friar was not delicate or sensitive. Chaucer writes how he was known to be very
physically strong, he was rough and violent and he could beat anyone in a fight.
The friar knew all the bars in the town. He was popular among the bar owners and the bar
waitresses and also among the rich merchants (victual sellers). The friar stayed away from the poor,
the sick, the homeless, the beggars and the lepers. According to him, he was an important person in
society and he held an important and respectable position in society. Thus it was not proper, it was
not fitting with the importance of his position to be seen with or to mix people who lived on the
streets, the dirty poor people of the lower class. However, when the friar knew that a person was
important or that a person was rich, the friar was very polite, humble and obedient towards that
person.
The friar had to beg for a living. However, this friar was very good at begging and he always
got more than what he paid (ferme). He was able to convince even the poorest person to donate
money to him. Chaucer writes how a poor widow who did not even have a shoe, would give
everything she had to the friar after he recited the holy ‘hwde-ye-do’ or the In Principo in her home.
The friar read it intentionally in her home so that she would feel grateful to him and would give him
money. The Friars were taught to donate the excess of what they had received to the poor, the sick
and the homeless. But this friar did not do this, he spent the money and enjoyed himself just like a
puppy.
Apart from his religious duties, the friar also took up secular roles, such as the role of a judge
to settle disputes and disagreements. But he would charge money for his services as a judge. On such
days for settlement of disputes, the friar would not dress like a ‘cloistered scholar’. a cloistered
scholar is one who had spent years closed up in a library studying the law, a scholar who had ignored
himself and thus was wearing torn and dirty clothes which looked cheap. On such days the friar wore,
grand and expensive clothes which made him look like a Doctor or a Pope. The friar was big and fat
and his dress made him look like a round bell. He lisped, he spoke with his tongue pressed against the
roof of his mouth and this was a sign of immorality. According to Chaucer, the friar’s eyes would
light up when he was playing music or singing a song. When someone’s eyes light up it means that
they are happy. Thus, singing, dance and music made the friar happy. Chaucer finally tells us the
name of this particular friar, Friar Hubert.