Characterization in Canterbury Tales Essay

From cover to cover, Geoffry Chaucer’s late 14th century collection of short stories, Canterbury Tales, provides readers with a unique literary experience. Chaucer compiles twenty-four short allegories of no relation, yet all of the narrators know eachother. Another interesting trait of Chaucer’s 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 deeply introduce the reader to each character who tells their own fable. It has been said of Chaucer’s characterization that â€Å"the sheer variety 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 almost seems to create real people. For the most part, Chaucer stereotypically characterizes each character, but in the tale about another person of their same type, he satirically and indirectly characterizes them contradictary to the reader’s 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 description 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 â€Å"Shipman’s tale†, a monk goes behind his best friend’s back and sleeps with his wife. Ironically not something a stereotypical monk should do. In the â€Å"Friar’s Tale†, a summoner corruptly blackmails people to keep from summoning them. Lastly in the â€Å"Wife of Bath’s Tale†, a knight rapes a women which contradict’s Chaucer’s initial noble description of the Knight. In the â€Å"Wife of Bath’s Tale†, a â€Å"lusty† knight sees a maiden â€Å"alone as she was born†, and despite her refusal â€Å"by very force he took her maidenhead† (282). This Knight contradicts Chaucer’s initial direct characterization of the Knight in the prologue having â€Å"truth, honor, generousness, and courtesy† (4). Chaucer describes the Knight in his prologue as the stereotypical â€Å"distinguished†, â€Å"modest†, â€Å"perfect gentle-knight†(5). The â€Å"Wife of Bath’s Tale† could not portray the knight in any more ironic of a light. The knight’s brutal rape of the maiden creates situational irony as it completely contradicts the description of Chaucer’s â€Å"gentle† knight (5). Chaucer points out that even the most noble and respected men can committ cruel acts of violence that go against their expected values. But 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 Chaucer’s prologue, he characterizes a Summoner. He does not necessarily portray the Summoner as a noble man, but respected as â€Å"children are afraid when he appears† (20). A respected Summoner that society expects to do his job right, the â€Å"Friar’s Tale† describes a Summoner who does everything but do his job moraly and respectfully, â€Å"he was a theif, a summoner, and a pimp† (295). The â€Å"Friar’s Tale† exposes a Summoner who â€Å"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 â€Å"prey† and indirectly characterizes the Summoner as heartless and manipulative. Society expects a Summoner to truthfully do his job without stealing people’s money in exchange for a court release. The â€Å"Friar’s 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 â€Å"Friar’s Tale†