Characterization in Canterbury Tales Essay

From cover to cover, Geoffry Chaucers late 14th century collection of short stories, Canterbury narratives, provides readers with a unique literary experience. Chaucer compiles twenty-four short aloneegories of no relation, yet all of the narrators know eachother. Another interesting trait of Chaucers masterpiece takes place in the beginning as he dedicates over twenty pages just to characterization of the story tellers. Chaucer takes about a page to deep introduce the reader to each character who tells their own fable.It has been said of Chaucers characterization that the sheer sort of wealth of detail creates the impression of a specific person. And yet, taken together, it all adds up to a comparatively simple stereotype (Prompt) Chaucer goes into such detail in his prologue that he al more or less seems to create real spate. For the most part, Chaucer stereotypedly characterizes each character, but in the tale about another person of their same type, he satirically and indir ectly characterizes them contradictary to the readers initial impressions of the equatable narrating characters.Chaucer creates these contradictart characterizations to show the flaws in society. Chaucer sets up the reader with a stereotypical comment of each character showing them what characteristics the characters should possess, then simulatenously in the tales points out traits that one would view as corrupt and ironic. In the Shipmans tale, a monk goes behind his best friends back and sleeps with his wife. Ironically not something a stereotypical monk should do. In the beggars statement, a summoner corruptly blackmails people to keep from summoning them.Lastly in the Wife of Baths Tale, a entitle bobbles a women which contradicts Chaucers initial noble description of the cavalry. In the Wife of Baths Tale, a lusty knight sees a amah alone as she was born, and despite her refusal by very force he took her maidenhead (282). This Knight contradicts Chaucers initial direct characterization of the Knight in the prologue having truth, honor, generousness, and courtesy (4). Chaucer describes the Knight in his prologue as the stereotypical distinguished, modest, perfect gentle-knight(5).The Wife of Baths Tale could not describe the knight in any more ironic of a light. The knights brutal rape of the maiden creates situational irony as it completely contradicts the description of Chaucers gentle knight (5). Chaucer points out that veritable(a) the most noble and respected men can committ cruel acts of violence that go against their expected values. alone even men who do not have the same class rank as the knight can still committ immoral acts that go against their expected actions. In Chaucers prologue, he characterizes a Summoner.He does not necessarily portray the Summoner as a noble man, but respected as children atomic number 18 afraid when he appears (20). A respected Summoner that society expects to do his channel right, the Friars Tale describe s a Summoner who does everything but do his job moraly and respectfully, he was a theif, a summoner, and a pimp (295). The Friars Tale exposes a Summoner who rode forth to catch his prey as he would blackmail people ruthlessly for money in order to not Summon them to court (295).Chaucer victimizes the people the Summoner takes advantage of by lableing them as prey and indirectly characterizes the Summoner as heartless and manipulative. Society expects a Summoner to truthfully do his job without stealing peoples money in exchange for a court release. The Friars Tale portrays a dirty Summoner which contradicts the stereotypical Summoner Chaucer describes in his prologue. This unethical Summoner shows the ill in society that many Summoners exploit people in the same way the Summoner does in the Friars Tale