Hiding Behind a Writing Technique Critique of Chaucer’s Use of Satire to Reach His Intended Audience Satire can be explained in many different ways, but is most commonly defined as, “The use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people 's stupidity or vices.” One author who took full advantage of the use of satire in his literary works was Geoffrey Chaucer. Chaucer’s use of satire in some of his most important writings; General Prologue, Pardoner’s Prologue/Tale, and Wife of Bath’s Prologue/Tale is displayed in a very ironic and exaggerated way. Throughout these stories, Chaucer used his characters to express his feelings without taking the blame for his opinions. He uses satire as a tool for his writing, not just …show more content…
He describes the woman as “ugly, elderly, and poor,” however she is moving on to her sixth husband. She uses marriage to get power over men, and that is the only way she can get power. She uses sex and marriage to control the men. There is a warning hidden in the satire of this story, a story full of the abusive nature of men along with the romantic side of men. The warning states this; “Gentility, you should then realize, is not akin to things like property; for people act with much variety, not like the fire that always is the same. God knows that men may often find, for shame, a lord’s son who involved in villainy...” As stated in Chaucer’s Anti-Misogynist Wife of Bath, She uses her sexuality to receive what she wants, and eventually turns from an old woman into a beautiful woman, making fun of social norms and stereotypes. (Oberembt) Chaucer displays this woman as someone that a man would not want to be with; not physically attractive, or emotionally and socially attractive either. Although she is not attractive in any way, she still seems to get all the men and whatever she wants, because of her sexuality. There is a certain level of satire to this, because normally an unattractive woman would not receive that type of