Satire in The Canterbury Tales

The physician in Chaucer's tales knew only the humors by which illnesses were diagnosed in his time; he knew all the Latin and Greek scientists, philosophers, astrologers, and alchemists. He dispensed medicine easily, for medicine sometimes had fortunate-powder in it. As Tatlock (pp. 33-34) maintains, he love gold especially, "For gold in physic is a cordial, therefore he loved gold in special."

In the "Prologue," Chaucer delights in satirizing his pilgrim

s, from the fat Monk and the Prioress to the Wife of Bath, Friar, Franklyn, and Miller. He satirizes them in all their knavish behavior.

The characters come alive by dint of his satirical depictions, with Chaucer drawing upon real types of his era that reflected various strata of slope society and culture. As Marchette Chute (p. 249) maintains, Chaucer "threw the whole book of rules overboard" in the satires of his characters in the "Prologue."

Chute, Marchette. Geoffrey Chaucer of London. New York: Dutton, 1946.

Rowland, Beryl. Companion To Chaucer Studies. Oxford: Oxf
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