Tone And Irony In Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales

Register to read the introduction… Chaucer balanced the serious and deathly tales with the tales set for comedy. In the General Prologue, the portrayals of the Knight, the Parson, and the Plowman show a solemn tone while the Prioress, the Monk, the Merchant and many of the others have comical, ironic, and satiric tales which settle in great comedy. In The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer uses irony and straightforwardness more often than other tones. In the Wife of Bath’s Tale, there is very little emotion within the narration. For example, the story goes that for the knight’s deed, he should die because it is the law. There is no room for argument or hesitation, just follow the law. The Knight’s Tale is one of great magnitude. One can notice how Chaucer had honor towards the Knight, because of how grand he is portrayed and how epic his tale is. Everything that happens in the tale feels extravagant and larger than life. The tone of the Knight’s Tale is Chaucer’s way of convincing the audience that the Knight is worthy and …show more content…
When he describes the Monk, Chaucer agrees with the Monk’s opinions of how a monk is supposed to really act, whereas when he describes the Prioress, Chaucer paints her portrait to appear like a woman of high class while in reality, the Prioress is just a Nun who is concerned with how etiquette and how she eats. The Pardoner’s Tale is one that shows the most irony, because the three men vow to die for each other, but in the end, they kill each other. Also, what the Pardoner does is ironic because he makes people happy when they unknowingly fall for his tricks. Another example of irony is in the Franklin’s Tale when the rocks that Dorigen prays for disappear, all the trouble begins. The Miller’s Tale is also ironic because since John is concerned that his wife would cheat on him, he becomes extremely jealous and possessive, which makes his wife cuckold