Question

Describe the tone of the conversation between the Friar and the Summoner. How do these exchanges affect the portrayal of the pilgrims

Answer 1

The Friar and the Summoner tell tales of mockery about one another. The Friar has no respect for the Summoner and holds him in disdain.

The Friar's Tale humiliates and degrades members of a certain profession.

The main character of the Friar's Tale is an impersonal representation of all summoners.

Answer 2

Answer: The tone of the coversation between these two characters of the Canterbury Tales is that of animosity and humour.

Explanation:

It was well known at the time that there was a mutual dislike between the professions of Friars and Summoners. In particular, the Friar of the Canterbury Tales thinks that all summoners are corrupt and acuses them of briving people to avoid being charged. The Summoner thinks friars are hypocrites in that their lifestyle doens't match the church's standards. This animosity is reflected in the tone of the conversation between them. They express themselves verbally attacking the other in a mocking tone. Humour is what prevails in this exchange. For instance, the Friar laughs at the too long preamble of the Wife of Bath. So here comes the comment of the Summoner, who criticizes the Friar' interruption and compares him to a housefly. He accuses him of ruining all the fun and makes everybody who is around notice this. In response to this, The Friar doesn't feel sorry for interrupting. Instead he threatens to tell a story about a summoner and that everybody will laugh about it. In return, The Friar raises the bet by threating to know two or three tales about friars, tales where friars are humiliated. All in all, they mock each other, showing no remorse of the dislike for each other and seem to want people to know how corrupt and unethical both are..

Through this conversation, the Friar and the Summoner show us who they really are and their behavior deepends what people may think of them. They are not worthy of their professions, they don't seem to behave as they should and they don't even try to hide who they really are.