The Nuns Priests Tale in the Canterbury Tales Essay

Chaucers The Nuns Priests Tale is at once a fable, a tale of courtly love, and a satire mocking fables and courtly love traditions. To this end, Chaucer makes use of several stylistic techniques involving both framing and content. The tale begins and ends with a poor widwe somdeel stape in age (line 1), but the majority of the content involves not the widow but the animals on her farm, in particular an arrogant rooster name Chauntecleer. The first mention of the main character does not come until the twenty-ninth line, after twenty-eight lines of minute description of the widow and the farm. The donation of large amounts of time to detail slows down the plot of the story; this plot is even further drawn out by the Nuns Priests†¦show more content†¦Chaucer effectively mocks the courtly love tradition by pointing out that the characteristics of courtly love can be injected into even the most commonplace of situations. Chauntecleer, while described in heroic language, is m erely a rooster out to survive, and mate. Chauntecleer is no more heroic than any other rooster on any other farm; language merely manipulates this particular rooster to inflate him to heroic heights. The narrative interjections only further Chaucers satire. The Nuns Priest interjects, in very lofty and dramatic tones, during central moments in plot advancement. The interruptions come in very traditional and noble language: O false mordrour, luring in thy den! O newe Scariot! Newe Geniloun! False dissimilour! O greek Sinoun, That broughtest Troye al outrely to sorwe! O Chauntecleer, accursed be that morwe That thou into the yeerd flaugh fro the bemes! (Lines 406 - 411) The high language of the digressions would make certain scenes, such as the one where the fox hides in the cabbages to await Chauntecleer, much more dramatic and suspenseful if not for their length and content. The noble language draws on and on oftentimes for fifty lines before returning to the plot, which only allows the reader time to remember that the drama taking place on the page is merely barnyard drama, and therefore no more dramatic than theShow MoreRelated Chaucers Canterbury Tales - Comparing The Pardoners Tale and The Nuns Priests Tale805 Words   |  4 PagesPardoners Tale and The Nuns Priests Tale    Irony is the general name given to literary techniques that involve surprising, interesting,or amusing contradictions. 1   Two stories that serve as excellent demonstrations of irony are The Pardoners Tale and The Nuns Priests Tale, both from Chaucers The Canterbury Tales. 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