Geoffrey Chaucer was a master of humor, as seen in The Canterbury Tales. The characters and situations in his stories are often absurd, and Chaucer takes great pleasure in poking fun at them. His humor is often dry and subtle, but it is always effective in adding to the overall comedic effect of his work. The Canterbury Tales is full of clever jokes and amusing anecdotes, and it is one of the most funny and enjoyable collections of medieval literature.
Humor was used in the Middle Ages to convey one’s ideas and sentiments. Geoffrey Chaucer also utilized humor in The Canterbury Tales in several situations. In The Nun’s Priest Tale, I’ll show you how he uses humor to characterize people, language use, and real-life events. In the Nun’s Priest Tale, there is a rooster known as Chaunticleer (pronounced “chanti-cleer”). His name suggests a fine knight or noble prince. In courtly love romances, a rooster is ludicrously portrayed as a noble prince, and perhaps this is why we don’t take him seriously in this narrative.
The Miller’s Tale is about a woman who gets tricked into sleeping with two different men. The first man, John, is her husband and the second man, Nicholas, is her lover. When the woman goes to bed with John, Nicholas hides in the bed and when she goes to bed with Nicholas, John hides in the bed. The next day she wakes up not knowing who she slept with.
The humor in this story comes from the events that take place and also Chaucer’s use of language. He writes it in a way that makes it sound funny and you can see the facial expressions that go along with it. Geoffrey Chaucer was not only a great writer but he was also a great thinker. He used humor as a way to get his ideas and thoughts across to the reader. The Canterbury Tales is a great example of this.
In the Miller’s Tale, there is also a name that refers to an ironic situation. His name alludes to St. Nicholas, a supernatural guest who appears at the home of evil hosts in dramatic plays about him. However, in this tale, it is the other way around. Chaunticleer’s description Chaucer employs contrasting humor in order to make a point. When compared to his barnyard buddies, the rooster acts as a noble knight or prince rather than being simply a barnyard animal. The courtly love presented throughout the narrative is undercut by the description of the barnyard animals.
The Miller’s Tale is a great example of Geoffrey Chaucer humor in The Canterbury Tales. The story has many different types of humor that add to the story. The interactions between characters, the descriptions of characters, and the events that occur are all humorous. The Miller’s Tale is one of the most popular tales in The Canterbury Tales and it is clear why. The humor in the tale makes it enjoyable to read. Geoffrey Chaucer was a master of using humor in his stories and The Miller’s Tale is a perfect example of that.
In The Miller’s Tale, John, the carpenter, Alison, his wife, and Absalom, the priest all pretend to be part of the upper class. They also put on airs of being an elegant personage in Nicholas, a low-ranking clerk who plays a high-class gentleman when he just wants to have sex.
In The Clerk’s Tale they use irony to show that Nicholas is an idiot while with John in The Miller’s Tale they act like they are important people. They also bring you back to the fundamental idea that they’re simply putting on a show for each other. Chaucer uses considerable humor in his descriptions to pique your interest in the tale.
The Summoner’s Tale is probably the most comical of The Canterbury Tales and it is full of irony as well. The Friar is shown to be completely corrupt and hypocritical. The Pardoner is also quite ironic in his own way by being the one to sell pardons and yet he is a sinner himself. Chaucer’s use of humor gets his message across that no matter what class you are in everyone has flaws.
The Wife of Bath was quite a controversial character in her time. She was considered to be overbearing, lustful, and materialistic. However, Chaucer uses her story to show that she is actually quite knowledgeable about love and relationships. The Knight’s Tale is another example of Chaucer’s use of irony. The two knights, Arcite and Palamon, are shown to be in love with the same woman, Emily. However, their rivalry leads to them fighting each other to the death. Chaucer’s use of humor and irony is what makes The Canterbury Tales so enjoyable to read.
Chaucer’s use of humor is another technique by which he employs it in these stories. When John speaks to Nicholas in his chamber in The Miller’s Tale, Chaucer utilizes the word pivetee for God’s hidden business. (Oxford: line 346) It appears again in reference not to God but to the relationship between Nicholas and Alison. Because one is holy while the other is evil, this is a very ironic and amusing use of language. To expose human wants and frailty, Chaucer uses courtly love and description.
This tells us that she is an old woman who does not take care of herself. The language is very negative but Chaucer uses it to make the reader laugh. The Wife of Bath is also very funny because she is always talking about sex. She talks about her five husbands and how she tricked them all. The Wife of Bath is a perfect example of Chaucer’s humor. He uses her to show the human desire for sex and love. The Canterbury Tales is full of humor and Chaucer uses it in many different ways. The humor is often ironic or dark but it always makes the reader laugh.
If Alison hadn’t teased Absalom at the window, Nicholas would not have been speared. Chaucer employs humor in a variety of ways, including actual events or situations. John is easily drugged by being naïve, which leads to his downfall. Nicholas’ profession as an astronomer indicates to john that he has seen the next Noah’s flood and that he should attach tubs to the roof of his home in order to survive it.
The Miller’s Tale is a great example of farcical humor. The characters are exaggerated and the story is outrageous. The Reeve’s Tale is another good example of Chaucerian humor. The characters are again exaggerated and the story is full of sexual innuendos. Chaucer was a master of using humor in his writing, which adds to the enjoyment of reading The Canterbury Tales.
One way Geoffrey Chaucer uses humor in The Canterbury Tales is by taking advantage of the weaknesses of his characters. For instance, Chaunticleer is weak because the beloved lady has the power of life or death over him. If she were to say no, he would be crushed. Nicholas is also weak because Alison has teased Absalom at the window. This led to Nicholas being speared. Another way Chaucer uses humor is by making the events or situations themselves humorous. The Miller’s Tale is a great example of this.
