Irony in 'The Lawyer' in

Irony in 'The Lawyer' in the General Prologue of Geoffrey Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales" The Canterbury Tales" by Geoffrey Chaucer is a collection of stories that intend to reflect the various perspectives and lives of people in fourteenth century Western society. In these tales, Chaucer uses irony in order to convey the message to his readers that the Tales is more than a work of literature, but a creative medium of discourse that centers on the vital issues that 14th century society confronts at the time.

In effect, the Tales is a social criticism of the hypocrisy and false conservatism of Chaucer's society, a period wherein Christian principles and beliefs takes precedence over the law, thereby cultivating a culture of hypocrisy and falsity among people. An example of this theme of hypocrisy is illustrated in the tale of the Lawyer, which was given an overview in the General Prologue.

The character of the Lawyer is portrayed is the most ironic tale narrated in Tales, primarily because Chaucer's humorous depiction of the Lawyer as both the thesis and anti-thesis of integrity and justice in the society are effectively expressed within the General Prologue alone. The Narrator's narrative of the Lawyer consists of two parts: in the first part of his narrative, he paints a positive image of the Lawyer; however, the latter part of the narrative is laden with irony that destroys everything positive that was spoken about the Lawyer.

The combination of these parts within a narrative creates and effectively conveys the presence of the irony in the Lawyer's characterization in the Tales. The first part of the narrative illustrates the Lawyer as "[a] sergeant of the law," a 'wise, revered' individual whom the society as well as the monarchy seek for help. These descriptions have indeed demonstrated that the Lawyer is the bastion of justice for his society.

However, not even halfway through the Narrator's description of this interesting character, the narrative is already interspersed with negative images of the Lawyer as a corrupt and insincere professional in his society.

The portrait that Chaucer draws up in the Lawyer's tale is reflected in the following lines of narrative in the Tales: "He took large fees...So great a purchase was never known...Belted in silken sash, with little bars, but of his dress no more particulars." In this passage, Chaucer, through the Narrator of the Tales, offer a comic portrait of the Lawyer as a corrupt individual, as explicated in the line "So great a purchase was never known." It is also evident that the Narrator centers on the Lawyer's physical appearance in order to create the impression that despite his gallant and respectable appearance, the Narrator sees more than this, and the Lawyer does not actually embody everything.