"Satire is a technique employed by writers to expose and criticize foolishness and corruption of an individual or a society, by using humour, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule.". Before discussing Chaucer as The Master Satirist, it is necessary to know about the purpose of writing poetry through different poets of different eras and periods of time:
- Plato asserts that the main purpose of poetry is to instruct someone.
- The student of Plato, Aristotle rejects the idea of his master and declares that the prime cause behind writing a piece of poetry should be a delight.
- Horace emphasizes the importance of both instruction and delight.
- Dryden proclaims that the first and pointing element of poetry should be a delight. Poets are not teachers, they are creative people. Their main object is to convey their ideas.
Satirists are totally different creative-minded people. They infest their poetry or genius with sharp commentary upon the behaviours and foolish or immoral actions of the people around them. Their main purpose is not to ridicule the masses but instruct them. Chaucer and Jonathan Swift are both the Master Satirists but their approaches are different. Before analyzing the aspects of Chaucerian Satire, it is important to know the background of the Chaucerian society.
Motive behind Satire
The fourteenth century was living through two jaw-breaking crisis. Black Death to name the first. Also known as pestilence, this deadly plague stretched its deadly claws from Europe to Asia. It wiped out almost half of the population of Europe; amounting the deaths of 70 to 200 million people in Eurasia (Europe and Asia) from just 1347 to 1351. Another crucial and dismal plague was inflicted through the swords. A war between England and France was eating into the peace of both countries for a hundred years. Both the ailments caused serious social, economic, moral and mental upheavals. People wanted an escape from their harsh surroundings. That is why Chaucer decided to compose his genius in a humorous manner. He took the idea from an Italian poet Boccaccio to make his Prologue Humourous.
Observation
"Observation capitalizes inspiration. ", says Alex Faickney Osborn. To craft a satire, it is necessary to analyze one's society. The people's behaviours, habits, likes, dislikes, interests, customs and all major and minor actions. Chaucer is the most excellent observer of his surroundings. He captures every minor pixel of the society in which he is a part of. He could read what was written on the necklaces; he could measure the amount of gold in someone's coffer; he could distinguish between the colours of roses printed on the cloths and he could nose someone exactly and accurately. A critic points out that Chaucer depicted hiss society humorously, better than the child of Renaissance, William Shakespeare.
Humour
"Humour is a literary tool that makes audiences laugh, or that intends to induce amusement or laughter." Humour strongly holds the element of delight in it for its main purpose is to make people smile and laugh. Chaucer is also humorous in his approach but his humourous nature is divided into three classes:
Mild Humour: This type of humour mostly appears when he describes his friends and closed one's. For example, the comparison between good condition of the knight's horses with his simple dressing and calling The Clerk's horse as thin as rake.
Corrosive Humour: This is where Chaucer sides with Gulliver and his humour crosses boundaries. Although it rarely appears in The Prologue, yet it is sharp. For instance, he mocks the face of Miller as if it were a big furnace and he calls The Summoner a "Gentil Harlot (a gentle prostitute)".
Moralism
Despite his sharp, Gulliver-like satire, yet he did not lose the noble deed of moralism in his work. Just like any other satirist, he wanted to reform his society. Unlike Gulliver (Jonathan Swift), who was a misanthropist, Chaucer's approach was philanthropic. He mentioned the evil-doings of his people directly and indirectly. For instance, when Chaucer mentions the attitude of The Summoner towards Archdeacon's curse and declares money Archdeacon's hell, Chaucer points out that although the accuser has purchased his pardon, yet he is cursed in eternal life. Another example of the moralistic approach is the condemnation of other corrupt parsons by saying, "If gold rusts, what shall iron do? "
Self-baiting
A satire sounds base and unjust without the author's ridiculing himself. Chaucer is well aware of the fact that his "wit is short", which is a fine example of self-baiting and fulfils the requirement of just satire.
Techniques
He uses irony in this respect, for example, The Summoner was a "gentle and kind rascal". There are also some exaggerated illustrations, the ten pound wimple and Sergeant of Law knowing about all the cases and their decisions from the reign of William the conqueror are some examples of it.
Conclusion
Although he successfully achieved delightfulness in his work, yet he did not set aside the moral reformation of his surroundings. He hated crime, not men. He is satirical, not sarcastic and he is a philanthrope, as Jonathan Swift points out in his verse:
As with a moral view designed,
To cure the vices of mankind
