Essay on Chaucer Satire And Humor - 2661 Words

Chaucer: Satire And Humor Until Geoffrey Chaucer wrote the Canterbury Tales, he was primarily know for being the writer of love poems, such as The Parliament of Fowls, narratives of doomed passion, and stories of women wronged by their lovers. These works are nothing short of being breath taking, but they do not posses the raw power that the Canterbury Tales do. This unfinished poem, which is about 17,000 lines, is one of the most brilliant works in all of literature. The poem introduces a group of pilgrims journeying from London to the shrine of St. Thomas a Becket at Canterbury. Together, the pilgrims represent a large section of 14th-century English life. To help pass the time of the journey, the pilgrims decide to tell†¦show more content†¦The Prologue begins with the Knight. In Chaucer’s description of the Knight, he describes him as being the perfect being. He’s tall, handsome, brave, and he has won many battles. He has traveled to many places because Chaucer tells us that he has fought in Prussia, Lithuania, Russia, Spain, North Africa, and Turkey (Chaucer 3). However, even though Chaucer describes the Knight as being the perfect being, he begins to poke fun at him. He insists that the Knight was â€Å"a very gentle knight.† This is very strange because Chaucer thinks the Knight to be the ideal warrior, yet he believes him to be gentle (Brown 6). This is a very humorous contrast, and it adds a little mystery to the Knight’s description. The next character in the story is the Squire. The Squire is the son of the Knight, and he is described as being very young and handsome. Many people read the Squire’s description and think him to be a â€Å"to die for† young man. However, when you analyze the text closely, Chaucer adds some feminine and childlike traits to the Squire’s description. It is said that the Squire has long curly hair, is full of flowers, and he wears a very short gown. He likes to sit around and just stare at the sky, and he also likes to sit and play the flute (Chaucer 4). I believe that Chaucer is trying to portray the Squire as being very confused, and even though he may have a lot to offer the world, he still has toShow MoreRelated Chivalry in Chaucers Canterbury Tales802 Words   |  4 PagesChivalry in Chaucers Canterbury Tales In his Canterbury Tales, Chaucer fully explicates the cultural standard known as curteisye through satire. In the fourteenth century curteisye embodied sophistication and an education in French international culture. The legends of chilvalric knights, conversing in the language of courtly love, matured during this later medieval period. Chaucer himself matured in the Kings Court, and he reveled in his cultural status, but he also retained an anecdotalRead MoreThe Use Of Satire In The Canterbury Tales By Geoffrey Chaucer1406 Words   |  6 PagesGeoffrey Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales, using his characters as the mouthpiece for his iconoclastic views. Chaucer had serious issues with the hypocrisy of the church as well as, many other sacred institutions. The only reason that Chaucer was not exiled or even imprisoned for his views is the way in which he exposed them. Through the allegorical meanings of this text and Chaucer’s claim that he is simply retelling the e vents of his pilgrimage to Canterbury as it occurred, Chaucer is saved fromRead MoreUse Of Satire In Canterbury Tales1301 Words   |  6 PagesChaucer’s Satyric Attack (An analysis of Chaucer’s use of satire to reach his intended audience in his Canterbury Tales) Satire is defined as â€Å"the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize peoples stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues† (Oxford). Another term that people would be more familiar with to describe this would be sarcasm. Language can be utilized in a nasty way, especially when wanting to demoralizeRead MoreHumor Or A Is It All Just Common Anti-Feminist Stereotype1152 Words   |  5 Pages Humor or a is it all just common anti-feminist stereotype; Geoffrey Chaucer explores thought out the Canterbury tales- The Wife of Bath. The Canterbury tales is a group of 28 people that went on a pilgrim. Each telling their own stories (including Chaucer himself). Of all the people on the pilgrim, there were only two women. The first was the Prioress in which Chaucer explains to be the head of the nunnery; she was kind hearted (including to animals). The other woman was the Wife of Bath (whomRead MoreEssay on Satire in Canterbury Tales1020 Words   |  5 PagesThe aim of any true satirical work is to poke fun at a certain aspect of society, while also inspiring reform to that very same aspect in one way or another. In Chaucers Canterbury Tales, Chaucer satirizes the Medieval Church and those associated with the church. Medieval society was centered largely around the Church. Ideally, the people were expected to understand that earthly possessions were meaningless when compared to the prospect of closeness with God. Man was expected to work until he diedRead MoreMonty Python and the Holy Grail Essay1672 Words   |  7 Pagescomedy, a satire and a parody. In contemporary usage, a parody is a work that imitates another work in order to; ridicule, ironically comment on, or poke fun at the work itself; the subject of the work, the author or fictional voice of the parody, or another subject. Satire on the other hand is usually witty, and often very funny, although the primary p urpose of satire is not humor but criticism of an individual or a group in a witty manner. There are many examples of parody and Satire throughoutRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s The Crucible 1294 Words   |  6 Pagesrelationship Emily would have with one of them. Chaucer devotes two pages to their argument on who deserves Emily more, Arcite who loves towards her is a â€Å"love as to a creature† or Palamon whose love Arcite mocks as an â€Å"affeccioun of hoolynesse †. It is this lack of agency and the different affections that Chaucer subverts in the Miller’s tale. Nicholas and Absolon do not suffer like Palamon or Arcite. Both actively pursue and woo Alison. What Chaucer subverts here is the effectiveness of romanticRead MoreThe Canterbury Tales By Geoffrey Chaucer1321 Words   |  6 Pagesbehind The Canterbury Tales is enhancing. Geoffrey Chaucer was a revolutionary writer whose life influenced his writing. Geoffrey Chaucer helped the king and stayed at his service for years. Chaucer quit the service to chase his ambitious dream of being a writer and a poet, and hoped to succeed. Chaucer wrote many stories and poems and his most successful and popular was The Canterbury Tales. His stories were revolutionary and successful. Geoffrey Chaucer s life was not always good, he was originallyRead MoreThe Canterbury Tales By Geoffrey Chaucer1777 Words   |  8 PagesGeoffrey Chaucer, the author of these stories does something most authors didn’t do at this time, he ironically pointed out the flaws of the medieval English society. He does thi s by using estate satire. The Canterbury Tales is a great example of the British human experience at that point in time. Chaucer does a great job describing each character, almost painting a picture in your head, giving you a clear image of the three estates model, and the corruption that takes place throughout. Chaucer conveysRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book Gulliver s Travels Essay1942 Words   |  8 Pages In his book, Gulliver’s Travels, it is hard to miss the various references that its author, Johnathan Swift, makes concerning bodily functions. Yet, this is more than the bawdy, juvenile toilet humor one would encounter in a cheeky T.V. show for it has a literary purpose. Scatology is used to define the literary trope of the grotesque body. Through the realist perspective, Swift employs scatology to both shock and attract. He uses it to draw attention to Gulliver’s humanity, and normalize the strangeness