Irony in 'The Lawyer' in Term Paper

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 that he claims to be: a wise man who is sincere and committed to his chosen profession.Although the Narrator's character is not given focus in the Tales, it is not easy to determine the "rank" in which he belongs to. However, Chaucer gives the Narrator an air of respectability and integrity through his observations and narratives of the other pilgrims. His analytical mind in illustrating the character of each pilgrim in the Tales show that he is not just a mere spectator and participant of the 'little game' of storytelling, but an active observer who aims to enlighten readers about the true nature of his (and Chaucer's) society through these people (pilgrims)......