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Canterbury Tales

Which member of the emerging middle class does Chaucer portray in the most favorable light? In what way does his description of this character differ from other members of this class or estate?

The member of the emerging middle class who is portrayed in the most favorable light is the Wife of Bath. She is seen as hardworking and skilled. She does not get her money from an inheritance or exploitation as the upper class and the clerical class do but from her cloth-making venture. The Wife of Bath is described as being experienced in the ways of love as she has been married five times. She is also seen as independent and brave as she travels alone. Compared to other pilgrims in the emerging middle class such as the Guildsmen and the Miller, the Wife of Bath is depicted to be more ambitious, good-natured, and honest. The Miller is, for instance, depicted as rude and dishonest. He cheats his suppliers and customers. The Guildsmen are seen to be unambitious and their success is seen to be controlled by their wives’ desire for social status rather than hard work or ambition.

Discuss Chaucer’s use of satire. In your response, cite specific text-based evidence. Your answer should be at least 250 words.

The Canterbury Tales text is a satire because it criticizes and ridicules the main social classes in the Medieval Times. The main social classes in Chaucer’s time were the Clergy, the nobility, and the peasantry. However, by the time Chaucer wrote Canterbury Tales, there was increased social mobility and people could work hard and belong to the middle class. The Monk, Friar, Pardoner, and the Summoner represent the first estate (the clergy). The latter two, rather than serve the Church, are seen to be opportunistic. Chaucer’s description of the Pardoner in the general prologue, “This pardon-seller’s hair was yellow as wax, / And sleekly hanging, like a hank of flax. / In meager clusters hung what hair he had; /Over his shoulders, a few strands were spread, / But they lay thin, in rat’s tails, one by one. / As for a hood, for comfort he wore none. (Chaucer 39). The Pardoner is involved in selling forged pardons and his opportunistic nature is compared to that of a rat. The Summoner’s description in the general prologue, “Whose face was fire-red, like the cherubim; All covered with carbuncles; his eyes narrow (Chaucer 37).” The Summoner has boils and blisters on his face. His vulgar appearance reflects his poor morals. He takes bribes, is a drunk, and is ignorant but tries to sound intelligent by frequently speaking in Latin. Despite being in the first estate, the Summoner and the Pardoner are presented as a low-class character. The Plowman is an idealized character of the working class. Chaucer depicts the Plowman’s industrious and pious nature by referring to him as a “good and true laborer.” The Plowman, who is also the Parson’s brother, threshes, carries dung, digs, and makes ditches to assist a poor neighbor. He also serves God genuinely by promptly paying his tithes to the Church. He truly follows Christ’s commandments of loving thy Lord and thy neighbor.

Work Cited

Chaucer, Geoffrey. “The Canterbury Tales.” The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Volume 1. Eighth Edition. New York: Norton, 2006. Print.