Use Of Satire In Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales

In the Canterbury Tales, Chaucer expresses his opinion of societal roles through the use of satire. The author judges each character by the expected behavior that pertained to their line of work and how they actually acted. Through this comparison, he analyzes the anticipated perfection of character and the more realistic behavior increasingly prevalent in medieval society. Furthermore, this contradictory relationship of expected versus ideal behavior is displayed through the foil characters, the Parson and the Friar. The Friar is a representation of that which is resented in society, but most commonly found, while the Parson is a portrayal of the of how one should properly act.

The Friar is a dishonest religious figure. Friars live their
The Friar is a corrupted, greedy man, whereas the Parson is an exemplary model of virtue who cares for both the sick and poor. The Friar, expecting payment for all that he offers, begs from others, including those poorer than him. The Parson, however, would much rather give his help than receive it. The Parson also cares about setting a good example for others to follow, through acceptance and kindness. Contrastingly, Hubert cares more about his mere pay than being righteous and fair. In turn, he acts certain ways, like offering forgiveness easily, in order to net a greater pay. This is completely different from the Parson’s behavior towards others; he is holy and honest, fair to all even if he doesn’t get payed from it. All of these differences between the Friar and the Parson are in favor of the latter, with the all of the Parson’s good deeds being highlighted by the Friar’s conflictingly bad ways. This sets the Parson apart from the Friar, and many others, whose behavior differs from the expected nature of the person based on their job. Unlike them, the Parson is the manifestation of values expected of a