Canterbury Tales Chaunticleer
Canterbury Tales ChaunticleerCanterbury Tales: Chaunticleer
In the book Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer, gives us a
stunning tale about a rooster named Chaunticleer. Chaunticleer, who is
the King of his domain in his farmland kingdom. Like a King, he quotes
passages from intellectuals, dreams vivid dreams, has a libido that
runs like a bat out of hell, and is described as a very elegant
looking Rooster. He has every characteristic of a person belonging to
the upper class. Chaucer's hidden meanings and ideas make us think
that the story is about roosters and farm animals, but in reality he
is making the Aristocracy of his time period the subject of his
mockery by making the reader realize how clueless the Aristocracy can
be to the way things are in the real World.
Chaucer describes Chaunticleer in many different ways. One of them
is his language. Chaunticleer's language is that of a scholar. He
quotes many different scriptures in a conversation with Pertelote,
such as, Saint Kenelm, Daniel and Joseph (from the bible), and
Croesus. From each author he tells a story about an individual who had
a vision in a dream and the dream came true. He may have been making
all the stories up in order to win the argument with Pertelote, but,
this seems unlikely because he does not take heed to his own advice
and stay away from the fox that encounters him later. He is educated
enough to know these supposed quotations but not intelligent enough to
understand the real meaning of them. It is if he simply brings because
they help him win the argument with his spouse and not because he
actually believes what they say. Chaucer is using the idea that the
Aristocracy has schooling throughout their childhood, but it is only
done to have seemingly important but empty conversations.
His physical appearance is also described with such beautiful passion
that it makes us think Chaunticleer is heaven on earth. "His comb was
redder than fine coral, and crenellated like a castle wall; his bill
was black and shone like jet; his legs and toes were like azure; his
nails whiter than lily; and his color like the burnished gold."
Chaucer describes Chaunticleer as the quintessential Cock, so perfect
that his description is no longer believable when we realize he is
describing a Rooster....
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