Geoffrey Chaucer (born 1340/44, died 1400) is remembered as the author of The

Canterbury Tales, which ranks as one of the reatest e!ic works of world literature" Chaucer
made a crucial contribution to #nlish literature in usin #nlish at a time when much court
!oetry was still written in $nlo%&orman or 'atin" (e was the most !rominent and
outstandin author of the #nlish literature durin of the 14%th century" (e dis!layed a )ast
cancas of #nlish social life" Chauser e)eryday life and ordinary !eo!le into literature, he
wrote about thins he saw, and described !eo!le he met" (e aimed ridicule at churchmen"
(e brouht into shar! focus the !roblems of churchmen, he said that they were not relious
at all" *n 13+,%13-0 Chaucer went to .rance with #dward ***/s army durin the (undred
0ears/ 1ar"
2etween 13-3 and 1334 Chaucer made se)eral 5ourneys abroad on di!lomatic and
commercial missions" (e was also elected to 6arliament" This was a !eriod of reat
creati)ity for Chaucer, durin which he !roduced most of his best !oetry, amon others
Troilus and Cressida (c" 134+), based on a lo)e story by 2occaccio"
Chaucer took his narrati)e ins!iration for his works from se)eral sources but still
remained an entirely indi)idual !oet, radually de)elo!in his !ersonal style and techni7ues"
(is first narrati)e !oem, The 2ook of the 8uchess, was !robably written shortly after the
death of 2lanche, 8uchess of 'ancaster, first wife of 9ohn Gaunt, in :e!tember 13-," (is
ne;t im!ortant work, The (ouse of .ame, was written between 1334 and 134+" :oon
afterward Chaucer translated The Consolation of 6hiloso!hy by 2oethius, and wrote the
!oem The 6arliament of 2irds"
:<==$>0
The !lot is centred around a rou! of youn .lemish !eo!le who s!end their time
drinkin in a ta)ern" They sat there, they heard a hand%bell rin and saw a coffin bein
carried !ast them in the street" They asked a ser)ant who has died" (e res!onded by sayin
that it is a friend of the three men who was stabbed in the back by a thief called 8eath" (e
had killed many in the neihborhood recently" The rioters demanded that where they could
find the 8eath" The old man said that he had left 8eath a moment ao sittin under an oak
tree" The three men went and found bas of old beneath the tree and they decided to kee!
this for themsel)es" *t would be too danerous to mo)e the old in daytime so they would
wait for nihtfall" They draw straws to see who would o into town to obtain food, and the
younest is i)en this task" 1hen he has one, the two that was left decide that they will
murder him when he returned and kee! the old for themsel)es" The younest decided to
!oison the other two re)elers so that he could kee! all the money for himself" (e went to an
a!othecary, he bouht the stronest !oison a)ailable, and !ours it into two bottles, kee!in a
third clean for himself"
1hen the younest re)eler returned, the two others slay him" Then, celebratin, they
drunk the !oisoned wine" The endin is une;!ected thus, all three of the re)elers died"
#)eryone must therefore beware sins, said the 6ardoner, es!ecially reed, which was the
root of all e)ils"
*n the 6ardoner?s Tale, Chaucer !resents the 6ardoner in a !articular liht, and bein a
reliious fiure, this allows him to make a eneral statement about reliion at the time" The
te;t under study contains character drawin" Chaucer builds the character of the 6ardoner as
someone who is ironically dece!ti)e and dri)en by his own selfish moti)es" The theme of
cra@y !eo!le runs throuh the story"
The !ardoner is an incredibly hy!rocritical man" (e states that reediness is e)il, but he
then acts in a reedy manner" (e sells !ardon to !eo!le so that they can et into (ea)en but
kee!s the money for himself instead of i)in it to the church" :ituational irony occurs when
what actually ha!!ens in the o!!osite of what is e;!ected or a!!ro!riate" $n instance where
situational irony occurs in the !roloue where the 6ardoner states that he !reaches that the
root of all e)il is a)arice" The only reason he !reaches is to con)ince !eo!le to buy his
!ardons and holy relics sa he can satisfy his own selfish desires"
1e can also see one e;am!le of the irony which is in the A1-%A13 lines" BTrust me, the
other said, you needn/t doubt my word" * wont betray you" */ll be true"B The rioter is tellin
the second that he would ne)er betray his friends, yet he is !lottin to kill the younest
rioter, whom is !romised to defend and treat like a brother earlier on in the tale"