Geoffrey Chaucers Use of Sarcasm to Describe His Characters

Geoffrey Chaucers use of sarcasm to describe his characters. Geoffrey Chaucer used sarcasm to describe his characters in The Canterbury Tales. It will point out details that are seen in the book that help explain how he used this sarcasm to prove a point and to teach life lessons sometimes. I will also point out how this sarcasm was aimed at telling the reader his point of view about how corrupt the Catholic Church was. Chaucer uses an abundance of sarcasm, as opposed to seriousness, to describe his characters in The Canterbury Tales. Chaucer did not begin working on The Canterbury Tales until he was in his early 40s. Chaucer took his narrative inspiration for his works from several sources but still remained an entirely†¦show more content†¦The sarcasm continues throughout the whole tale and is aimed at the corruption in the preacher. Chaucer wrote for and may have read his works aloud to a select audience of fellow courtiers and officials, which doubtless sometimes included members of the royal family. (Adams 2) So, as you see, he really didnt care who heard his opinions on the Church, even the royal family, and he was going to tell everybody exactly what he thought. Chaucer uses some sarcasm in The Man of Laws tale. Once upon a time a group of wise, sober, and honest traders lived in Syria. They exported spices, gold, satins, etc far and wide. It so happened that the leading traders of this prosperous group made up their minds to go to Rome for business purposes. (141) It came to pass, the masters of this sort decided to go to Rome for business or rather for sport. On their visit they stayed at the nearest inn. During their stay in Rome the Syrian traders came to know about the incredible beauty of Constance, the daughter of Roman Emperor Tiberius Constantinus. (141) The Sultan was captivated by Lady Constances description and resolved to make her his wife. The Roman emperor made magnificent preparations for his daughters wedding. But the councilors foresaw that no Christian ruler would be willing to let his heir marry a Muslim. The Sultan was so much in love with Constance that he dismissed this religiousShow MoreRelatedEssay about geoffrey chaucers use of sarcasm to describe his characters1733 Words   |  7 Pages Geoffrey Chaucers use of sarcasm to describe his characters. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Geoffrey Chaucer used sarcasm to describe his characters in â€Å"The Canterbury Tales.† It will point out details that are seen in the book that help explain how he used this sarcasm to prove a point and to teach life lessons sometimes. I will also point out how this sarcasm was aimed at telling the reader his point of view about how corrupt the Catholic Church was. 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