prologue to the canterbury tales

In the Prologue to the Caterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer is almost always polite and respectful when he points out the foibles and weaknesses of people. He is able to do this by using genial satire, which is basically having a pleasant or friendly disposition while ridiculing human vices and follies. Chaucer also finds characteristics in the pilgrims that he admires. This is evident in the peaceful way he describes their attributes. The Nun is one …

…self restraint and lets only the attentive reader pick up on the somewhat hidden characteristics. When Chaucer finds likable qualities in his characters he points them out bluntly so that even the un-retentive reader wakes up and notices them. Chaucer portrays the characters in the Canterbury Tales in a fashion that gives the reader insight into the Medieval time period in which the character lived and also insight into what kind of person Chaucer was.