How Is Irony Used In The Pardoner's Tale

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Chaucer is known for his satirical writings, they offer a different light on the middle ages than most traditional writing styles. In the Canterbury Tales his use of irony is how he displays the people of the middle ages are corrupt. For example when the three friends went looking for death, but then forgot all about death when they found money under the tree. Only little did they know death found them instead. Then in the Wife of Bath's tale, the Knight committed a horrible crime against a women, and instead of dying he had to find the answer the question what do women all want. This is ironic because he was so disrespectful to women and for his punishment he must please the women in order to gain the information. Satire is used throughout all of the tales, especially the Millers uses crude language to get the message across to the reader, as well as irony in this case they all were greedy and …show more content…

Whether is it be the Wife of Bath’s, The Miller, or the Pardoner's Tales they all have the same theme throughout each and every tale. That greed is the root of all evil. They have allowed greed to shadow the supposed to be “pure” lifestyle of the middle ages.The knights greed for power and control, the three friends and the carpenters greed for money and control, and the wife of the carpenter and the two students greed of lust. Greed does not have to be linked necessarily to money, it can be anything that clouds one's judgment that alters their state of mind to do unreasonable acts. Chaucer wrote the tales to taylor to everyone, whether you were of nobility like the night, or a part of the lower class such as the friends. No one is safe from greeds grasp. In the end the greed will offer those who fall victim nothing but a rough

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