Born in 1340, Geoffrey Chaucer's life took him through both the dredges and peaks of medieval civilization. While serving in Prince Lionel's retinue, Chaucer was captured by the French during the siege of Reims. Seven years after being ransomed for £16, he entered service as an squire for Edward III. It was during this period that he began his writing career by translating parts of Romaunt of the Rose. In later years he wrote classics such as Santa Cecilia, Anelida and Arcite and The House of Fame, despite working in demanding jobs and being accused (and acquitted) of rape. However, it was not until his wife's death in 1387 that he began his most famous work of all, the Canterbury Tales (Librarius). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Although never completed, the Canterbury Tales are still widely regarded as one of the most in-depth descriptions of life in the Middle Ages in existence. Because his characters represent a cross-section of different classes of people, each told with a vibrant truthfulness that goes beyond the stereotypes associated with them, a person who studies the journey of these pilgrims could well claim to know what medieval life was like. . The fact that this is a pilgrimage of sorts is indicative of the changing times, for it was not long ago that the Black Death left its fatal mark on England. People were finally able to leave their sanctuaries and travel from place to place without fearing for their lives. The key to Chaucher's tale is that it is, in essence, a satire. As defined by the Oxford English Dictionary, a satire is "the use of humour, irony, exaggeration or ridicule to expose and criticize the stupidity or vices of people". Perhaps one of the first stories to use this tone, Canterbury Tales tackles every type of character with a certain degree of satire, and while some are much more obvious than others, they all display this touch of perverse truthfulness. In particular, Chaucer seems to have favored three themes above all in his satire: feminism, religion and chivalry. Chaucer first addresses preconceptions about gender roles with "The Miller's Tale." A favorite among feminists, this story details the exploits of Alisoun and the men who fight for the right to have her. While a casual reading of this crass comedy is reminiscent of the modern "chick flick", a deeper reading brings to light subtleties that clearly speak to the new conception of female equality. Predominantly, the story offers an objectification of Alisoun's character. Several times throughout the story, Miller uses animalistic terms: in line 125, for example, he writes, "Fair was this yonge wif, and therwithal / As any wesele hir body gentle and small." Comparing Alisoun to a weasel, the Miller transforms her into the cunning creature she ultimately reveals herself to be. He continues to attribute animalistic behavior to her throughout the story, saying that her song reminds men of a swallow and that she moves like a colt (Handy Andy grabs her "queynte"). By inserting these subtle hints throughout the story, Chaucer shows that the predominant male attitude towards women is simple objectification; in fact, as men discuss Alisoun, they essentially put her on a pedestal, positioning her as a trophy to be won. For them, dominance over her symbolizes their own masculinity. The idea that Alisoun herself might want to have a say in the matter doesn't occur to them - or to anyone in the Middle Ages, for that matter. Women during the era were basicallyseen as cattle with a talent for cleaning, leaving little room for feminist ideals. However, because of the way Chaucer satirizes this topic and shows his disgust with the prevailing chauvinistic culture, it can be concluded that there was at least a small contingent push for women's rights in its most primitive form (Robinson). Yet another attack on the traditional view of women is found in "Prologue and Tale of the Wife of Bath." Perhaps the most blatantly satirical character aside from churchmen, the Wife of Bath has few reservations about making her opinion known to male pilgrims on a number of controversial issues. She contradicts almost every preconceived idea about women and even manages to maintain her beliefs when questioned by the Pardoner and his companions. Despite the widespread belief that a widow should never remarry, the Wife of Bath has had five different rings on her finger and is anxiously awaiting the sixth. He defends his decision in verses 59-64: What bothers me if people say vilainyeOf the crafty Lamech and his bigamy? I know, Abraham was a holy man, And Jacob eek, more than ever, And each of them had mo wives of two,And many other holy men too. This, of course, does not sit well with others, who prefer to see the fairer sex as cattle, and not as free-thinking entities capable of the same feats as men. The double standards imposed by the customs of the time, however, have no effect on the Wife. She talks openly about how she would rather enjoy sex than be a mere passive participant in the act - a desire that was in total opposition to the norms of the time. Furthermore, the wife claims to dominate her husbands in an attempt to match their energy. She describes her fifth husband, who read her a book about "bad" wives. It is through the ensuing argument that the husband realizes that maybe equality isn't such a bad thing after all. In this way, the Wife realizes the modern conception of a "perfect" relationship: two partners who respect and love each other and share power equally. This point is illustrated in lines 1234-39, when the Knight atones for his sins against women:This knight warns him and gets hurt;But ate laste he said in this manner:My lady and my love, and with so dere ,I putte me in your wise government: Cheseth yourself that can be the greatest satisfaction and the greatest honor for you and me too. In this way, the Knight grants happiness to both. While it may be easy to dismiss the Knight as superficial and simplistic, it is important to note that a negative rating does not detract from its accuracy (Blake, Jonathan). It is only in a broader context that one can understand how bold the Wife's statements really are. The idea that a husband has authority over his wife and property while the Church claims marriage and spirit was formulated more than two centuries before Chaucer's time, by John of Paris and Bracton. In England, both the aristocratic and peasant classes relied on arranged marriages. This is shown in "The Knight's Tale", where despite all the romance involved, partners in marriage are chosen for political reasons. Later, in "The Second Nun's Tale", a new version of the ecclesiastical marriage model is presented that resembles our modern idea of ​​a godly marriage (virginal, consenting adults, and so on). However, it is "The Wife of Bath's Tale" that first presents the idea that a woman belongs to a separate class from a man and that her only value comes from sex and marriage. Again, this helps illustrate the fact that such thinking had some sort of support in Chaucer's time. If it had not been so, Chaucerhe would probably have been burned at the stake (Amsler, Mark 236-241). A final example of gender-based stereotypes displayed in Chaucer's epic can be found in "The Knight and His Squire." The characters in this tale exemplify Chaucer's depiction of courtly love in medieval times; he imagined courtly love as sensual, with an almost regal sophistication. The Knight is the typical chivalric hero who loved "Trouthe and honor, freedom and curteisye". The Squire, however, takes a page or two from "The Romance of the Rose". Both in his actions and in his character, he perfectly adheres to the common conception of a knight. Likewise, the lady in "The Knight's Tale" possesses all the stereotypical characteristics found in poetic courtships. In essence, Chaucer had a rather partial position towards noble love, a feeling that he exalted above all other forms of love. The fabliaux love shown by the Wife of Bath, although passionate, cannot be regarded as "true" love (Dodd, George William 68-73). Throughout his life, Chaucer maintained his distrust of the Catholic Church. This animosity is reflected in his ecclesiastical characters. It doesn't take much imagination to find the satire inherent in the characters of the Monk, the Pardoner, and the Summoner, all of whom represent the inherent evil present in the medieval church and society itself. Of course, Chaucer's prejudice against the Catholic Church may have inspired him to imbue his spiritual characters with a darker spirit than they would otherwise possess, but, again, this is one of the elements that makes his satire so intriguing. of the Prioress? Indeed, if there is any character worthy of showing all that is good in the world, it would be her. However, this should not be. First, the description of the Prioress in the general prologue reveals a respectable and respectable nun who follows every imaginable rule of etiquette. She knows what is expected of her, she behaves as she should... and with the exception of a pin with the less-than-chaste anthem "Love Conquers All", she seems to be the perfect woman. It is only when he opens his mouth and tells his story that we see the deeply rooted scars of discrimination that have been implanted by his religious background. In "The Prioress's Tale," the Prioress offers a story that, unlike the other religious stories in the Canterbury Tales, hagiography. Since everything he knows comes from the Catholic Church, anti-Semitism abounds in a way that would be considered downright evil in today's society. However, in a time when the Church had so much power, such elements of the story were accepted and even welcomed. The story examines the righteousness of Catholicism, using an innocent nine-year-old virgin boy as a martyr. Of course, this “martyr” actually drowned in a cesspool and was not ceremoniously murdered as many Catholic extremists might have preferred. Realistically, the only crime perpetrated by the Jewish community was to hide the evidence that would have sentenced them to death. In Chaucer's view of the Church, however, this had little relevance. What mattered most was that the deceased child was imbued with a gift from God that allowed him to sing a daily chorus of "O alma redemptoris" to let everyone know whose side Heaven was on. In a time when the Black Death was still relatively fresh in people's minds, this reassurance was almost as good as the Second Coming itself. (Mellilo, Elizabeth G., Ph.D.) In short, not even the Prioress is safe from the hidden sins of the proud Church. Only the Parson, which is tied to religion itself rather than the Catholic Church, is deemed worthy of truth,>