Not many authors will express their honest opinion. However in The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer will use sarcasm for the characters he dislikes, but will express his appreciation for the ones he admires. He will introduce each character on the journey to Canterbury. In The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer values the qualities of leadership brought about by the Knight, moral brought about by the Parson, and cheerfulness brought by the Franklin. The Knight’s leadership is one quality that Chaucer values. The Knight is a wise, noble, modest, and brave man. Chaucer recognizes this when he writes, “To ride abroad had followed chivalry, / Truth, honor, generousness and courtesy. / He has done nobly in his sovereign’s war / And ridden into battle, no man more, / As well in Christian as in heathen places, / And ever honored for his noble graces” (ll. 45-50). Chaucer speaks highly of the Knight because he was well liked and the everyone looked up to him. Another trait of leadership is that a lot of people valued him. In the text it states, “He was of sovereign value in all eyes. / And thought so much distinguished, he was wise / And in his bearing modest as a maid / He never yet a boorish thing had said / In all his …show more content…
The Parson gave his own money to the poor, which made himself poor. He also, had wide parishes and was a leader figure just like a priest. In the text it states, “Nay rather he preferred beyond a doubt / Giving to poor parishioners round about / Both from church offerings and his property” (ll. 497-499). He gave his money to poor, which in fact meant that he was going poor. It also states in the text that, “Yet he neglected not in rain or thunder, / In sickness or in grief, to pay a call / On the remotest, whether great or small,” (ll. 502-504). This is stating how the Parson never said no and also helped whenever and wherever they needed him. Not only does Chaucer values morals, but he also values
Chaucer satirizes knights and chivalry in two different ways: in the prologue and in the Knight's Tale. The first way in the prologue is with the pilgrim Knight's character. Chaucer wanted to present a realistic knight, but he also wanted to give the Knight some very real, and obvious flaws, as a sort of social commentary on the way that knight's were perceived in the 14th century. To that end, he gave the Knight some qualities that could be termed as the antithesis of the qualities that a good and honorable knight should have. The second way I see Chaucer as satirizing chivalry is through the Knight's Tale. The Knight's Tale presents the "ideal" knights. They follow the codes of chivalry. They follow the graces of courtly love. They have duels. Have battle honorably. And, they also make fools of themselves on more than one occasion. Palamon and Arcita are so perfect, that they become parodies of the perfect knights. And, in the end of the tale, everyone ends up somewhat unhappy, and there is no clear winner. By writing this parody, Chaucer is trying to convey the idea that a lot of the ideals of chivalry are a bit silly. And, as all of the different tales reflect back on the characters of the pilgrims who tell them, the ideas in the Knight's Tal...
Chaucer identifies a pardoner as his main character for the story and utilizes the situational and verbal irony found in the pardoner’s interactions and deplorable personality to demonstrate his belief in the corruption of the Roman Catholic Church during this time. Chaucer first begins his sly jab at the Church’s motives through the description of the Pardoner’s physical appearance and attitude in his “Canterbury Tales.” Chaucer uses the Pardoner as a representation of the Church as a whole, and by describing the Pardoner and his defects, is able to show what he thinks of the Roman Catholic Church. All people present in the “Canterbury Tales” must tell a tale as a part of a story-telling contest, and the pilgrim Chaucer, the character in the story Chaucer uses to portray himself, writes down the tales as they are told, as well as the story teller. The description of the Pardoner hints at the relationship and similarity between the Pardoner and the Church as a whole, as well as marks the beginning of the irony to be observed throughout the “Pardoner’s Prologue and Tale.”
In his story titled "The Canterbury Tales" Chaucer seems to truly admire some of the pilgrims while displaying disdain and sarcasm towards the others. The pilgrims that he most seems to admire are the Knight, the Oxford Clerk and the Parson. The knight he seems to admire based on his notation of all the campaigns in which the knight has participated in service to just causes. Chaucer makes mention of the knight 's worthiness, wisdom and humility "Though so illustrious, he was very wise And bore himself as meekly as a maid." (67,68 Chaucer). It seems as though Chaucer admires the knights great ability both in warfare and practicing what he preaches. This can be seen in his description of all those he seems to admire in the tale. The Oxford Clerk
...does not see knighthood honours as abiding laws 'love is a greeter lawe,by mypan than be yeve to any erthley man. This unchivalriac behaviour disrupts the peace and order that chivalric values had brought. 'Medieval romance can therefore asks question about the world or to quote Arcite 'what is this world?' Chaucer's world was indeed a 'tormented century . . . Rules crumbled, institutions failed in their functions. Knighthood did not protect; the towns, once agents of progress and the commonweal, were absorbed in mutual hostilities and divided by class war; the populations, depleted by the Black Death, did not recover. The war of England and France and the brigandage it spawned revealed the emptiness of chivalry’s military pretensions and the falsity of its moral ones. It was a declining world, that Chaucer described through the rivalry of Acricte and Palamon.
Geoffrey Chaucer saw the twisted and wicked things going on in his society and wrote The Canterbury Tales in an effort to open citizen’s eyes to how the church was acting, as well as themselves. Two of the tales he writes are “The Pardoner’s Tale” and “The Wife of Bath’s Tale”, they both have two very different themes but are just as equally important to one another. One tale having to deal with the church and the other dealing with how gender roles were being played. Both of these tales, as well as the rest of the tales that he wrote, show that Chaucer had a very bleak and negative outlook towards his society and hoped to help change is with the tales. The first tale is “The Pardoner’s Tale”, the Pardoner is a member of the church who makes others repent for their sins, one of the sins being greed.
Chaucer Wouldn’t Use Satire The use of satire by Chaucer in three of his Canterbury Tales. Satire is the use of irony; for example, someone could say you look really nice today, but the can say it in a way so that you know they don’t really mean it. The ultimate writer of satire is Geoffrey Chaucer, a 14th century author who happened to write the Canterbury Tales. Throughout his text, Chaucer uses satire to complete his purpose of bashing on certain “respected” individuals who no one had gone after before“...the race has often been a mixed bag, filled with both satirical red meat and low-hanging fruit.”
Chaucer uses these tales to get his point across on a couple different subjects. There was women complaining about not having enough power, men working the system to make money. He say all of this from a different view than most.. He puts out his opinion it thee tales he wrote. In The Canterbury Tales: The Prologue written by Geoffrey Chaucer, Chaucer use satire to reach his Audience on three main points.
One of Geoffrey's less believable main characters is the Knight, for reasons of chivalry. The knight displays many traits which make him seem almost too good to be true, and a true gentleman that rarely exists in reality. The narrator sums up the knights character by stating that "Though he were worthy, he was wys,/And of his port as meeke as is a mayde." (pg. 5, The Canterbury Tales) The knight holds four main admirable traits, making him the most liked traveler in "The Canterbury Tales," and also amplying the doubt of his realism. The reader is prepared to learn of each of his noble accomplishments and importance when the narrator remarks that" A knight ther was, and that a worthy man,/That fro the tyme that he first bigan/To ryden out, he loved chivalrye,/Trouthe and honour, fredom and curteisye." (pg. 4, The Canterbury Tales) From the characters impressive introduction, it is clear that this man is the most valued and honorable traveler among the group. This perfect gentleman holds a love of ideals that are often not displayed by people. First and foremost, he believes in the ideals of chivalry, and always stays true to its principles. He also feels that one should be honest, truthful and faithful, which many people are not all of these ideals. The knight thinks one should only do what is right, and what will gain him honor and reputation. This character also believes in freedom and generosity towards all, and displays this ideal repeatedly throughout the novel. And lastly, the knight also strongly feels that any proper person should display courtesy and elegance at all times. Another aspect of this character's life which makes him seem too prestigious to be truthful is his impressive military career. He fought in the holy war, known as the Crusades and was involved in 15 "mortal battles." In the prologue, the narrator informs the reader that "Ful worthy was he in his lordes werre,/And therto hadde he riden, no man ferre,/As wel in Cristendom as hethenesse,/And ever honoured for his worthinesse.
(Question #1) Knights are one of the most mistaken group of individuals of the medieval era due to fairytales and over exaggerated fiction novels. The truth is that they were only human and, like all humans, were flawed. Knights did not always live up to the standards of society, and they had many faults. However, in The Canterbury Tales, the knight is a character that would be considered, today, the stereotype “a knight in shining armor”, a perfect example in how he acts. In the prologue, Chaucer mentions that the knight follows the five basic ideals that a good knight should possess: “chivalry, truth, honour, generousness, and courtesy” (Chaucer 4).
Chaucer’s disdain for the members of the Church is a reflection of the culture change that was occuring during his time, people of all classes were turning their backs from the Church and questioning the ethics of Church members. While the members of the Church represented the evils of feudalism in Chaucer’s eyes, the Knight represented the good values that feudalism brought. Chivalry, a code that knights and gentlewomen lived by, was one of the most valued ideals in the Middle Ages (Holt 100).The Knight is the perfect model for how a chivalrous person should act, he wholeheartedly lived by the code of chivalry and Chaucer’s admiration for the Knight is a reflection of how chivalrous knights were seen by people of the time. Although the role of the Knight was slowly diminishing at the time The Canterbury Tales was written, Chaucer shows how they were still admired by the people at the time for their honor and Chivalry. A character that represents the new way of thinking at the time is the Merchant.
In The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer, religious obligation motivates the highly-ranked Knight to partake in the pilgrimage, as corroborated by his dedication to the Crusades and modest raiment. A valiant warrior, the Knight fought in many battles of distant lands. Commending the Knight’s devotion to his service, the narrator remarks, “Full worthy was he in his lordė’s war, / And thereto had he ridden—no man farre / As well in Christendom as Heatheness” (Chaucer 47-49). Strength and courage in battle are the manifestation of the Knight’s spiritual strength and courage. Through campaigns in the holy wars, the Knight lives out his faith.
Geoffrey Chaucer was a on a mission when he wrote The Canterbury Tales. That mission was to create a satire that attacked three major institutions. Raphel displays, “Medieval society was divided into three estates: the Church (those who prayed), the Nobility (those who fought), and the Patriarchy. The General Prologue to The Canterbury Tales is an estates satire.” Chaucer wanted to shed light on the institutions that were taking advantage of the everyday man. Chaucer does this by making up tales about certain people that she light to the undercover world of the institutions. In The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer uses satire to attack the Church, the Patriarchy, and the Nobility.
Chaucer's Irony - The Canterbury Tales Chaucer's Irony Irony is a vitally important part of The Canterbury Tales, and Chaucer's ingenious use of this literary device does a lot to provide this book with the classic status it enjoys even today. Chaucer has mastered the techniques required to skilfully put his points across and subtle irony and satire is particularly effective in making a point. The Canterbury Tales are well-known as an attack on the Church and its rôle in fourteenth century society. With the ambiguity introduced by the naïve and ignorant "Chaucer the pilgrim", the writer is able to make ironic attacks on characters and what they represent from a whole new angle. The differences in opinion of Chaucer the pilgrim and Chaucer the writer are much more than nuances - the two personas are very often diametrically opposed so as to cause effectual irony.
The Canterbury Tales is a great contemplation of stories, that display humorous and ironic examples of medieval life, which imitate moral and ethical problems in history and even those presented today. Chaucer owed a great deal to the authors who produced these works before his time. Chaucer tweaked their materials, gave them new meanings and revealed unscathed truths, thus providing fresh ideas to his readers. Chaucer's main goal for these tales was to create settings in which people can relate, to portray lessons and the irony of human existence.
This is implied when it is said that he had only seen "some service with the