Çift Kimlikli Bir Keşiş: Geoffrey Chaucer’ın İsyankâr Din Adamı Daun Piers

Abstract

Hiyerarşik Orta Çağ toplumu, feodal yapısı ve katı sınıf ayrımıyla -din adamları, soylular ve halk- tanınır. Din tarafından yönetilen Orta Çağ zihniyeti, toplumdaki bu hiyerarşinin Tanrı tarafından toplumun refahı için düzenlendiğine inanıyordu. Ancak, 14. yüzyılın sonlarındaki radikal ekonomik, sosyal ve siyasi değişiklikler- Yüz Yıl Savaşları, 1348, 1361 ve 1369 Kara Veba salgınları ve 1381 Köylü İsyanı- Orta Çağ dünyasının bu katı yapısını paramparça etti. Bu dramatik olaylar, feodalizmin zayıflamasına ve büyük ölçekli sosyal hareketliliğe yol açtı. Bu sosyal hareketlilikten bütün sınıflar etkilenirken en olumsuz etkiyi ise soylular yaşadı. Unvanlarını ve topraklarını kaybetme tehlikesi ile karşı karşıya kalan soylulardan bazıları diğer seçeneklere göre daha kabul edilebilecek bir seçenek olan ruhban sınıfına katılmak durumunda kaldılar. Eski lüks hayatlarını artlarında bırakmada zorluk çeken bu soyluların başında ise keşişler gelirdi. Eski ve yeni hayatları arasında kalan bu keşişler zamanla ikinci bir kimlik geliştirdiler. Bu makalede bu tip keşişlere örnek teşkil eden Geoffrey Chaucer’ın başyapıtı Canterbury Hikayelerindeki Keşiş karakteri ele alınacaktır.

Keywords

• Geoffrey Chaucer
• Canterbury Hikayeleri
• Keşiş
• sosyal hareketlilik
• kimlik

A Monk with a Double Identity: Geoffrey Chaucer's Rebellious Clergyman Daun Piers

Abstract

The hierarchical medieval society is characterized by its feudal structure and rigid class divisions—the clergy, the nobility, and the commoners. The medieval mindset, governed by religion, believed this hierarchy was ordained by God for the welfare of society. However, the radical economic, social, and political changes of the late 14th century—the Hundred Years’ War, the Black Death epidemics of 1348, 1361, and 1369, and the Peasant Revolt of 1381—crushed this rigid structure of the medieval world. These dramatic events led to the weakening of feudalism and large-scale social mobility. While all classes were affected by this mobility, the nobility suffered the most negative impact. Facing the threat of losing their titles and lands, some nobles were forced to join the clergy, a more acceptable option than others. Among these nobles, who struggled to leave behind their former luxurious lives, were the monks. Caught between their old and new lives, these monks gradually developed a second identity. This article will examine the character of the Monk in Geoffrey Chaucer’s masterpiece, The Canterbury Tales, as an illustration of this type of monk.

Keywords

• Geoffrey Chaucer
• The Canterbury Tales
• The Monk
• social mobility
• identity

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