Cook Chaucer s humour shines when he mixes them together in one inn It is funny to see a holy nun a fat monk and a noisy miller sharing one meal But behind the laughter there is gentle satire Chaucer shows that all classes high or low have weaknesses His humour makes the truth soft and delightful Religious Corruption Chaucer laughs at the church people with loving wit not anger The Prioress is a nun She represents the religious life of women in the th century She is kind-hearted but sentimental She cries even when she sees a mouse caught in a trap Chaucer says She wolde wepe if that she saugh a mouse Kaught in a trappe But she loves her little dogs more than the poor Then comes the Monk who loves hunting more than prayer Next comes Friar Huberd He knows The tavernes wel in every toun He avoids the poor Chaucer mocks him softly through humour The Pardoner sells false relics and pardons for money The Summoner calls people to the church court but takes bribes to let them go free This is how Chaucer comically satirizes the religious characters The World of Merchant and Common Life Chaucer also turns his eye toward the new merchant class of London At The Tabard Inn business and laughter meet The Merchant looks rich but hides his debts Chaucer says about him Wel koude he in eschaunge sheeldes selle The line sounds simple but hides quiet irony He knows how to trade but not how to pay The Cook is a master of food But he had a bad wound or infection on his leg The sore on his leg becomes a comic but realistic detail Chaucer s humour lies in small truths his satire in observation He shows that greed and weakness live even among honest workers This balance of laughter and lesson makes his art timeless The Spirit of Womanhood Chaucer s humour becomes delicate when he writes of women The Wife of Bath named Alisoun is bold talkative and full of joy She has travelled to Jerusalem Rome and Cologne and has had five husbands Chaucer writes with a twinkle in his eye Of remedies of love she knew per chaunce This line makes us smile It is humorous yet satirical She is proud loud and full of life Through her Chaucer celebrates freedom and mocks vanity at once The Prioress and Second Nun show the two faces of medieval womanhood one worldly one pure Through these women Chaucer s humour glows with human sympathy never bitterness In The General Prologue to The Canterbury Tales Chaucer blends humour and satire like sun and shadow He smiles at every fault but hates none At The Tabard Inn his pilgrims laugh talk and reveal all sides of human life pride greed love and faith Through laughter he teaches Through irony he heals That is why Chaucer remains the gentlest satirist and truest humorist in English literature