FREE ESSAY ON CANTERBURY - HUMOUR IN TWO TALES

CANTERBURY - HUMOUR IN TWO TALES

Humor was used in the medieval time period to express one's ideas and thoughts. Geoffrey
Chaucer also used humor in The Canterbury Tales in different instances. In The Nun's
Priest Tale and The Miller's Tale I will show you how he uses humor to describe
characters, his use of language and the actual events that take place.
In the Nun's Priest Tale there is a rooster named Chaunticleer. His name suggests a fine
knight or noble
prince. The description of a rooster as a noble prince in courtly love romances is
ridiculas and maybe this is what keeps us from taking him to seriously in this story.
Nicholas, a clerk or scholar, from The Miller's Tale also has a ironic name. His name
suggests St. Nicholas from plays about a mysterious guest at the home of evil hosts. In
the story, however, it's the other way around. In Chaunticleer's description Chaucer uses
a contrasting humor. The rooster acts as a noble knight or prince when in reality he is
only a barnyard animal. The description of the barnyard animals brings an undercut from
the courtly love that occurs throughout the tale. The reminds you to think that
Chaunticleer and Pertelote are only animals which brings about a hilarious effect. With
Nicholas, a lowly clerk, portraying a higher class gentleman when in essence he just
wants a sexual pursuit and the meaning of his name uses an ironic humor to show he is an
idiot. With John, the carpenter, Alison, his wife, and Absalom, the priest, in The
Miller's Tale they also put on airs of being an upper class citizen.. They also bring you
back to the basic idea they are common people just putting on a show for each other. The
humor in description is very plentiful and Chaucer uses it to interest you in the story.
Another way Chaucer uses humor in these tales is his choice of language. In The Miller's
Tale Chaucer uses the word pivetee for God's secret affairs when John talks to Nicholas
in his room. Men sholde nat knowe of Goddes privetee (Oxford, line 346). It appears again
in reference not to God but to the affair of Nicholas and Alison. This is a very ironic
and funny usage of the language since one is holy and the other is evil. Chaucer uses the
language of courtly love and description to point out human desires and weakness.
Weakness because the beloved lady has the power of life or death over the lovesick
Chaunticleer and/or Nicholas. Chaunticleer would have listened to his dream more if his
beloved Pertelote hadn't played down his dream. Nicholas wouldn't have been speared if
Alison wouldn't have had teased Absalom at the window.
One more way Chaucer uses humor is the actual events or situations themselves. John is
easily doped by being naive which leads to his downfall. Nicholas being a scholar in
astronomy tells john that he has seen the next Noah's flood and should tie tubs to the
roof of the house to beat this. As well that John and Alison should not sleep together
because they will be awaiting God's grace. The joke here is we don't know is Nicholas
realizes that God sent Noah the flood because man became corrupt and lecherous. The same
sins are causing the phony flood even though the plan
this time isn't God's. Chanticleer is also easily doped by the fox. The fox asks
Chaunticleer if he could sing as well as his father did Let see conne ye you fader
countirefete? (Oxford, line 166). It is ironic that his downfall is his very pride and
joy - his voice. An instance where Nicholas tells Alison his plan will work because a
clerk can fool a carpenter any day is funny because this class distinction is humorous in
the circumstances since all the character are common people even though they are trying
to be noble and courtly. The fox also believes that his plan will work and does, even
though they are just plain animals in a barnyard, he believes he is superior in thought
since he is sly and a sweet talker. But trewely the cuase of my cominge/Was only for the
herkne how that ye sings/ (Oxford, line 191) Until the fox falls for his own vanity of
bragging.
The Miller's Tale ends with John as the laughing stock or joke of the town with Nicholas
amply repaid for his deceit and Alison getting the plumbing she deserved. The Nun's
Priest Tale ends with Chaunticleer escaping the fox up a tree and learning his lesson of
vanity.
Undoubtedly, humor is used in Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales in all aspects of the story
including character
description, language and events. Even though The Canterbury Tales is considered one of
the best works of this time, it fits into its era of medieval humor.
Bibliography
Chaucer, Geoffrey. The Millers Tale. The Oxford Anthology of English Literature 
Vol. 1 Ed. Frank Kermode. New York: Oxford University Press, 1973 159-176
Chaucer, Geoffrey. The Nun's Priest's Tale. The Oxford Anthology of English Literature
Vol. 1 Ed. Frank
Kermode. New York: Oxford University Press, 1973 179-195