Satire of the Knight in the Prologue and Knights Tale of...

Satire. Satire is a biting literary tool, one that Geoffery Chaucer used liberally when he wrote his Canterbury Tales. Websters New World Dictionary says that satire is the use of ridicule, sarcasm, etc. to attack vices, follies, etc. Using that definition, I think that all of the pilgrims in the Canterbury Tales are satirized to some extent; some of the satirizations are more subtle than others. The Knight is one of the pilgrims that is more subtly satirized. Chaucer satirizes knights and chivalry in two different ways: in the prologue and in the Knights Tale. The first way in the prologue is with the pilgrim Knights character. Chaucer wanted to present a realistic knight, but he also wanted to give the Knight some very†¦show more content†¦Hodges, featured in April 1995 edition of The Chaucer Review, Hodges examines the reasons behind Chaucers decisions on the clothing of his Knight. After examining the introduction of the Knights character in the General Prologue of the Canterbury Tales, Ms. Hodges said that Chaucer intended his Knight to be the one true to life portrait of a knight of the 14th century-an every knight of sorts. She also concluded that Chaucer wanted to go against the normal chivalric ideal of a knight by presenting a knight as he really might have been: a basically good person, but with imperfections. I disagree with Hodges about Chaucers intentions when characterizing the knight. I dont think the knight was meant to be a true to life portrait of the every knight. I think that the reason Hodges and I disagree has to do with the scope of our examination. Hodges was mostly examining the Knights clothing, with only references to the rest of the Knights description in the prologue, and only briefly mentions the Knights Tale. I am looking at the Knight in a more general sense, and looking at clues in the entire description and the tale. One of the generalizations Hodges makes is that Chaucers Knight is not romantically ideal. On this point, we definitely agree. There havent been many changes in peoples conceptions of the ideal knight since the 14th century. The ideal knight is the oneShow MoreRelatedCharacter Satire in Chaucers Canterbury Tales2302 Words   |  10 PagesSatire of the Knight in Prologue and Knights Tale Satire. Satire is a biting literary tool, one that Geoffery Chaucer used liberally when he wrote his Canterbury Tales. Websters New World Dictionary says that satire is the use of ridicule, sarcasm, etc. to attack vices, follies, etc. Using that definition, I think that all of the pilgrims in the Canterbury Tales are satirized to some extent; some of the satirizations are more subtle than others. The Knight is one of the pilgrimsRead MoreGeoffrey Chaucers Use of Characterization Essay1308 Words   |  6 Pagesbecause it used many forms of characterization to present the characters to the reader. 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