Canterbury Tales Chaunticleer Essay, Research Paper

Canterbury 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. Chaucer is setting up Chaunticleer to be as

regal and grandiose as a King. Even though he looks like a million

dollars he is still very shallow inside. He lies to his spouse just to

keep her happy and his every thought is of fornication. Like the

Aristocracy he takes many pleasures of the flesh with no real

commitment to his duty as a rooster.

Chaunticleer’s character appears to be that of a shallow used car

salesman. He lies to his spouse about his opinion of women just so he

can ride her later in the morning. “Mulier est hominis confusio;

Madame, the meaning of this Latin is, ‘Woman is man’s joy and all his

bliss.’” The real meaning is ” Woman is man’s ruin”. He tells her a

lie to ensure he gets what he wants from her later. He seems like the

type of person who would say anything to get what they want no matter

the truth or whom it hurts. He also falls victim to his own hubris,

something that is not uncommon to most rich arrogant people.

Chaucer’s creation of Chaunticleer is done solely to imitate and mock

the upper class. Chaunticleer is educated, like people in the upper

class; looks good, as people with money can afford to do; and revolves

around the pleasures of the flesh like a pre-pubescent child. Had he

not been “riding” Pertelote all morning he might have seen the fox

coming and been able to avoid becoming captured. His attitude was that

of the upper class, that he is too good to worry about life’s little

trivial matters and that he loves to have pleasure. The fox is able to

dupe him simply by flattering his voice. “… the reason I came was

only to hear how you sing.”. He is so consumed with living in his own

grandiose twisted reality, where nothing bad happens, that he does not

realize that a fox is about to gobble him up! He does have an epiphany

at the end, however, “No more through your flattery get me to close my

eyes and sing. For he who knowingly blinks when he should see, God let

him never thrive.” Chaucer uses the character Chaunticleer to poke fun

at the Aristocracy and all their tendencies towards living life in the

name of “consummate pleasure seekers,” and not in the name of “reality

driven people”.