Millers Humor

Posted: August 6th, 2013

Millers Humor

Introduction

            In the Miller’s story, many bad things happen to the characters involved. Example, the carpenter’s wife is unfaithful and ridicules her husband with Nicholas. Despite all the horrible things that happen to the characters, the readers find the story humorous. Chaucer makes the story more humorous rather than tragic. He achieves this by using irony, cartoon characters and a twisted plot. A combination of all these factors helps in producing a successful humor effect. The first humor effect used in the story is the narrator. Chaucer portrays the narrator, Miller, as an uncouth, drunk but above all, a happy person. Therefore, this succeeds in making the tone of the story as happy just as the narrator is. In addition, this story is humorous enough to enable the readers identify the humorous instances with ease (Chaucer, 165).

Conclusion

            At the end of the story, the carpenter falls and breaks his arm as he attempt to release the tubs. This draws a crowd to the place as the carpenter tells the tale of the coming floods. Alisoun and Nicholas claim the man has gone insane as the crowd breaks down in an up roared laughter. This makes the carpenter look stupid in front of everyone. This scene is humorous since Nicholas, who told this tale now denies it. It is also humorous since the carpenter has no knowledge that he was only being fooled. In addition, he is not aware that Nicholas lied to him about the tale so that he could spend time with his wife. The setting of this story excludes the woman from the problems experienced by the three major male characters in the story. It may appear that the main intent of this humor is to portray the male’s ego as they aim to seduce the women (Chaucer, 168).