“Here begins the book of the Canterbury Tales…” The Canterbury Tales are full of intrigue and shed light on the life and times of the Middle Ages. Those were times when hierarchy, feudalism and chivalry were in place. The story is about twenty-nine individuals who go on a pilgrimage and meet by chance at Tabard Inn. The innkeeper and narrator of the story suggests that each person tell two stories during the pilgrimage to Canterbury. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In the prologue, Chaucer takes this opportunity "...to inform you of the state of each of these, as it appeared to me, and who they were, and what their rank was, and also how they were dressed there at the inn.. .” In other words, Chaucer describes each character's personality and clothing with imagery and true honesty. Chaucer's ability to capture each character fairly and in a humorous manner allows us to see the true light of each individual and. it creates an almost tangible image of each personality. There were twenty-nine characters, each so different from the other with individual strengths and flaws. Chaucer's honesty gives us the ability to see the character as a whole and his character and its dynamics are highlighted. By using humor, Chaucer points out the flaws of the characters but does not show them as a negative, rather as a fact. The reason is that the purpose of humor in Chaucer's poetry is not it is to hurt others, but only to illuminate and illustrate who and what they are. Spotting Chaucer's ability to integrate humor and honesty, there are few descriptions of several characters who carry these traits. That said, there are three particular individuals that the host describes in detail and humor. These three individuals are the squire, the merchant, and the wife of Bath. Each so different and unique, yet they share the same humorous way of describing their flaws and not-so-direct ways. To begin with, there is the young squire, son of the knight. This character is young, beautiful, strong and talented, yet all his energies are focused on attracting the attention of women. He's a real womanizer. In the description he is defined as “a lover and a lustful bachelor”. Chaucer details all of the squire's strengths, but with humor highlights the negative aspect of how he is using these strengths. Rather than using them to help people or his country like his father, he uses them to attract the attention of women, as he states, "...and brought him well into that little space in the hope of thus winning the grace of his Lady". In other words, all the strengths and talents he possesses are used only to win over women. Chaucer concludes his description of the squire with “He loved so hot that, while the night told his tale, he slept no more than a nightingale does. he is courteous, humble, helpful and capable, and sculpted in front of his father at the table. This sentence is almost comical. This is the son of a prestigious and honorable knight whose strength and courtesy were used to fight for his lord, and yet his son, who "is cutting before his father at the same table", concentrates all his strength and everything he possesses from his father to take his maiden. Chaucer's ability to identify the negative in a more humorous way brought this point home. The next character who is described in the same humorous way is the Merchant. He is described as someone who is very fashionably dressed. He has a “forked beard, is girded in a colorful dress, and sat high on a horse, on his head a Flemish beaver hat; his boots were laced rather elegantly..'