Irony has been used since the beginning of time to describe a situation where words, actions or events belie real meaning. Canterbury Tales , written by Geoffrey Chaucer about 1380-1400, contains ironic situations and irony is also apparent in its characters and storytelling. Irony occurs when we think we know what will happen, but we fail to realize what actually happens.
For example, in Canterbury Tales , we expect someone like the Miller to come in last place but he was the first to arrive; we think he will be punished for his crimes, but instead is rewarded with fame and fortune. Irony also occurs when a character overestimates another character’s skill or knowledge of a subject, only to find out later that this other person knows nothing about it. Canterbury Tales contains characters who use irony in all sorts of ways that produce humor from their stories and cause us to laugh out loud.
Irony is a literary technique in which there is a gap between appearance and reality, such as when words are used to mean the opposite of what they say. Irony can be expressed through various means, including: situational irony (where there’s a sharp contrast between what someone expects and what actually happens), dramatic irony (when the audience knows something that a character in the story doesn’t), verbal irony (when someone says one thing but means another) or Socratic irony (a method of revealing an opponent’s ignorance by pretending to be ignorant yourself).
Irony in Canterbury Tales Irony in Canterbury Tales is viewed as “the use in which the actual meaning widely differs from what is apparently expressed. Irony can also take several different forms, including: dramatic, verbal, tragic, and situational. ” Chaucer uses many devices that allow him to create irony throughout Canterbury tales. Canterbury tales are not merely filled with backstabbing, betrayal, criticism and bold remarks; it includes the use of skillful ironic humor as well as wit sarcasm and humor that manifests itself as a juxtaposition between appearance and reality.
The Canterbury Tales, even though written many years ago, has been known to reflect certain aspects of human society. Chaucer uses irony in Canterbury tales to make critical comments on contemporary issues, institutions and personages by contrasting his own idealized version of them with the flawed realistic depiction he gives in the stories. Irony Examples from Canterbury Tales – Episode 1 Chaucer describes “The Knight’s Tale” as “the first story told by a knight” during a pilgrimage to Canterbury—Chaucer does not indicate whether the Knight is a true or fictional figure (located on pg. 38).
The entire tale revolves around characters: Theseus, Palamon and Arcite. This contrasts with Canterbury Tales because it is a very religious story that reflects the medieval notion of human life being a pilgrimage from birth to death—from secular knowledge to spiritual understanding. Canterbury Tale’s Knight uses these ironic techniques to create a larger-than-life character representing an idealized hero.
In Canterbury tales, there are two knights who compete in going on a quest for military prowess: Sir Oliphant and Sir Perryn or Paridell—the “Knight’s Tale” itself is neither entirely ironical nor entirely serious but falls somewhere in between (located on pg. 538). The Knight’s tale begins by introducing Theseus as very noble and honest—he wants to abide by the laws of Athens. He is also considered “the most honourable man in all of Greece” (located on pg. 538).
Theseus is a king who even before his father dies, he performs homage for half his kingdom and voluntarily swears loyalty to his elder brother. The Canterbury Tales – Irony Examples from Canterbury Tales – Episode 2 In Canterbury tales, people often delude themselves by going through life as if it were an unchallenged progression toward wisdom–and they expect rewards from God as a result of their piety (located on pg. 540). Canterbury Tales has an interesting ironic twist that takes place between the Wife of Bath and her fifth husband—his name was Jankyn (located on pg. 540).
Canterbury Tales describes Jankyn as a man who was obsessed with books that were related to astrology, mathematics, physics and other scholarly texts—a real book worm (located on pg. 540). Canterbury Tales depicts Jankyn as treating his wife like an object rather than a human being—he tells her what she must do or not do, how she must dress and accuses her of adultery without evidence (located on pg. 540). Canterbury Tales shows the Wife of Bath’s story line by showing how there are two ways to look at it: either the Wife is an extraordinary person whose way of life deserves applause–or else she is simply vile.
Canterbury tales seem to have a purely misogynistic view of women—the Wife of Bath is not the only woman who encounters this kind of treatment from Chaucer, there are many other female characters that receive similar responses (located on pg. 540). Canterbury Tales shows how women are largely dependent on men for their virtues and vices by showing how it is almost always up to her husband to either treat her harshly or generously (located on pg. 540).
Canterbury Tales seems to blame marriage on womankind’s intellectual deficiencies–marriage takes away “womankind’s ability to engage in free thinking through its encasement of them within household chores” (located on pg. 541). Canterbury tales even goes so far as say that any woman who is educated is bound to become a whore because she will be unable to control the sexual urges that have been awakened by knowledge of good and evil (located on pg. 541).
Canterbury Tales holds a general view that knowledge in women must be controlled otherwise they might become whores—the Wife of Bath’s response is almost gleeful in this regard because it seems as if all the more power to her for being both shrewd and capable despite male attempts at controlling her (located on pg. 541). Canterbury tales describe the events at Jankin’s house when he accuses his wife of adultery without evidence–he throws away her keys, breaks her boxes and disarrays her possessions while accusing his wife of adultery (located on pg. 542).
Canterbury Tales shows the Wife of Bath’s story line by showing how there are two ways to look at it: either the Wife is an extraordinary person whose way of life deserves applause–or else she is simply vile. Canterbury tales seem to have a purely misogynistic view of women—the Wife of Bath is not the only woman who encounters this kind of treatment from Chaucer, there are many other female characters that receive similar responses (located on pg. 540). Canterbury Tales describes Jankyn as a man who was obsessed with books that were related to astrology, mathematics, physics and other scholarly texts—a real book worm (located on pg. 540).
