Introduction
From time memorial people worshiped deities considered to run the universe. Expectedly, religion has some social control function that discourages deviance, self-distractive behavior, and delinquency from establishing order (Hood et al. 413). However, some people may pretend that they observe the norm when in the presence of specific people and act differently alone or among strangers. The three write-ups, “Beowulf”, The Nun’s Priest Tale, and The Wife of Bath Tale, have some religious twists. A god always looks out for some characters to help them escape danger and live wisely in a corrupt world. The literature reflects people’s actions in the mid-nineteenth century; they have significant relevance in the contemporary world. The objective of this paper is to use the three works of literature to show how spirituality is a guide only when applied with reason. Although faith and obedience to god offer direction in life, failure to be a rational person when following spiritual matters lead to failure and deterioration.
Religion in “Beowulf”, The Nun’s Priest Tale, and The Wife of Bath Tale
In The Nun’s Priest’s Tale, a revelation of impending danger is provided, but due to failure to apply reason, Chanticleer nearly becomes the victim. Particularly, Chanticleer gets a frightening dream where he narrowly escapes from a beast that was to seize and kill him (Chaucer line 67b). Notably, as in the fable, many religious groups believe that the supernatural being they worship may guide their actions through dreams. Chanticleer is almost panicking, but his wife, miss Pertelote tries to tell him that the nightmare has no meaning. Moreover, she says, “alas, what cowardice! By God above, You’ve forfeited my heart and lost my love” just because of the nightmare (Chaucer lines 92-93b). Miss Pertelote is symbolic of people without faith in spiritual matters. Yet, instead of Chanticleer heeding the guidance and seeking refuge, he continues narrating the entire dream to an unbelieving wife. In addition, a lack of reason is evident when Chanticleer falls into the lives of the fox and is captured. However, in the end, he succeeds after tricking the fox into opening the mouth and looking back to check at the entire farm supposedly in their circuit. Chanticleer escaped because of the spiritual hint from the dream and prudence.
Similarly, in Chaucer’s tale, The Wife of Bath Tale, the theme of religion and rationality is evident. The poem reflects a society with subversion of values due to overstepping the typical religious bounds during King Arthur’s reign. After King Arthur sets the norm for justice and virtue as the ideal response to romantic love, the Knight rapes a woman. Consequently, the poet asks, “Does every knight treat his wife this way? Is this some (peculiar) law in King Arthur’s court? Is every knight as cold (as you)?” (Chaucer lines 1088-90a). Noteworthy, the rhetoric shows that he is disobedient to the throne, a man of no religious values and reason. In addition, the wife of Bath is aware of the Christianity requirements, but she mostly disobeys them. For instance, she understands the religious relevance of virginity and sexual purity. Yet, the sonnet states of her that “husbands at churchè door she had had five” (Chaucer lines 460a). Still, she defends her promiscuous behavior saying that people like her are there to procreate and give birth to virgins. She depicts that religious teachings may be subject to reinterpretation for individual good. Although her religion teaches about the submission of women to their husbands, she uses her sexuality to manipulate her husbands and deteriorate.
Religion is arguably the most dominant theme in “Beowulf,” evident in the intentional birth of Beowulf to liberate the people from the Heorot. Beowulf started with strong religious principles that gave him a courageous personality in war. However, the final scene of the poem reveals Beowulf, who has lost his prosperity, fame, and power and is now elderly (Beowulf, line 740). He knew that all his worldly pleasure had gone, and soon he would die. He had ruled the people for fifty years and was preparing to hand over the crown to his son (Beowulf, line 745). One of the reasons for Beowulf’s deterioration in character is his inability to include a reason in managing success and the people that facilitated it, such as Sigara Waldend. Beowulf has forsaken religion, as evident in the last part of the poem, where he speaks about fate and fails to acknowledge the role of god. When challenged by Unferth, he decides to refrain from striking. The implication is that although he has forsaken religion, he is still wise in his ability to know that he is a hero who does not need to prove to Unferth. The reasoning makes him succeed in winning the peoples’ hearts and they mourn after his deterioration and death.
Conclusion
Conclusively, religion is relevant in the three discourses for instilling values and providing directions and warnings to people. However, there is a place for a reason because spiritual directions only make sense when applied appropriately. It is until Chanticleer uses reason that he escapes the fox snare. The Wife of Bath and Knight represent those who forsake religion and deteriorate morally. Beowulf, though sent as a savior to his people, loses his faith when he ages and only remains with reason, making him despair. Therefore, it is vital to have a balance in applying belief and reason when in danger, and when establishing values and order.
Works Cited
Beowulf. Dover Publications, 2012.
Chaucer, Geoffrey. “The Wife of Bath’s Prologue Tale.” The Canterbury Tales: Fifteen Tales and the General Prologue: Authoritative Text, Sources and Backgrounds, Criticism, W. W. Norton, 2005.
Chaucer, Geoffrey. The nun’s priest’s prologue and tale. Cambridge University Press, 2016.
Hood, Ralph W., et al. The Psychology of Religion: An Empirical Approach. 5th ed., Guilford Publications, 2018.