Canterbury Tales Essay Example

grabs a hot iron, and returns to the house, demanding another kiss from Alison. This time, Nicholas decides to play a prank. He opens the window and sticks his butt out, letting out a loud fart that surprises Absalom. However, Absalom quickly strikes Nicholas with the hot iron on his butt. Nicholas screams for water, waking up the carpenter who mistakes it for a flood and cuts the ropes, causing him to fall to the floor. This part of "The Miller's Tale" exemplifies Chaucer's humor. He injects numerous humorous events into the story, connecting them in a humorous and ironic manner. The tale concludes with the foolish husband being taken advantage of, adding to the comedic aspect of Chaucer's stories.

Chaucer also uses humor in his tales to provide comic relief. These humorous tales serve as a way to alleviate the seriousness present in other stories. Stories like "The Miller's Tale" and "The Reeve's Tale" balance out the gravity found in tales like "The Second Nun's Tale" and "The Pardoner's Tale." Many of the tales in Canterbury Tales depict themes of hypocrisy, greed, and inadequate faith.Chaucer's tales aim to impart moral lessons on man's religious obligations. The Miller's Tale and the Reeve's Tale, for instance, serve as lighthearted lessons on marriage, love, and trust. Chaucer uses these humorous tales to deliver insights on life. Employing a jovial approach, Chaucer demonstrates the foolishness of certain characters, ultimately conveying a message to the reader. By using humor, the author effectively conveys messages in a lighthearted manner, providing comic relief to counterbalance the more serious tales and approaches.

	Geoffrey Chaucer incorporates the genre of humor known as fabliau,

which contributes to the essence of his work. The Miller's Tale, Reeve's Tale, Shipman's Tale, and Summoner's Tale in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales exemplify the use of fabliaux. Fabliaux are brief comic tales that are often insulting and obscene. Typically set in the present and depicting familiar situations, they vividly portray occurrences in everyday life. Prior to Chaucer, fabliaux were only found in French literature. These tales typically satirize greed, hypocrisy, pride, as well as target old age, ignorance, and husbands' attempts to protect their wives' chastity. The protagonists, usually young and clever, are often marginalized by society. Within the Canterbury Tales, some characters may appear as lecherous priests, shrewd citizens, or unfaithful wives. The victims are usually respected members of society such as prosperous individuals, hard-workers, and women striving for chastity. By using this lighthearted genre, Chaucer infuses humor into his novel. He effectively employs the fabliau genre to create an atmosphere of jovial buffoonery in the Canterbury Tales.

;#9;Canterbury Tales offers numerous lessons and morals, along with a range of comic tales. Chaucer includes various humorous stories in Canterbury Tales, which serve to highlight important lessons, offer comedic relief, and showcase an uncommon form of humor.