Fortune Favors the Church

The Monk’s Tale reintroduces the idea that God or the gods exert a large amount of authority on the lives of mortals. As we had previously seen in The Knight’s Tale and The Merchant’s Tale, the gods are more than capable of assuming a direct role in the unfolding of events in these tales. Instead of providing us with a fictional account of such an intervention, the Monk provides part of a long list of real-life examples of this occurrence.
With the exception of Lucifer, all of the protagonists the Monk introduces were considered mortal men. The tragedies of all these men can be attributed to them becoming victims of their own fortunes. What is most interesting is that none of these are “average” tragedies concerning freak accidents or unfortunate mistakes. Each of the protagonists the Monk mentions experience rises and falls with immense repercussions for their given circumstances. Drawing a line of connection between the tragedies of biblical figures like Lucifer and Adam and Roman emporers and Egyptian pharaohs accomplishes two things.
First of all, it continues a tradition of Western civilization based on a line of succession from Adam to the emperors, with each bearing a part of the burden of inherited responsibilities associated with great patriarchs. Second, it provides a context where the tragedies of great man can be equated with those of commoners. Though this connection is not explicitly drawn, the acknowledgement that kings are subject to the same concept of fortune as peasants reinforces the idea of a higher power than any earthly office.
This suggests that a great chain of being applies the principle of fortune to us all equally, even a fallen angel like Lucifer. Also, the idea that fortune can inflict tragedy on anyone, no matter whether high or low, deserving or undeserving, reinforces the authority of the church as the only authority capable of providing meaning to tragedies great and small.