Through literature, civilizations convey their values and beliefs to establish the ideal of their society. The Anglo-Saxon's ideal was depicted through the character Beowulf; he represented all that was considered honorable and true. In him, the reader can't see faults, making him far from human and one-dimensional. Few centuries later, Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales, in which none of the characters are flawless and ideal; only human, imperfect pilgrims are part of this narrative and moralizing poem. The values and ideals in Beowulf seem satirized and ridiculed in Canterbury Tales through the depiction of a corrupt hypocritical society that in the surface appears to have the same values.

The Anglo-Saxon community cherished heroic deeds, bravery and honesty which are present in the main character of Beowulf. This society had a strong sense of community and treasured fame and success as a vessel to immortality. They had a strict...