The Prioress
Like many of the religious figures in the text, the Prioress receives a subtly ironic portrayal that begins as early as the General Prologue. The narrator explains that the Prioress wears heavily-adorned clothing, suggesting that she cares more about her outward appearance than her purported devotion to God. Such a relationship between appearance and reality plays a major role in the development of the text, especially regarding the characters involved in the church. These disparities suggest that religious authorities are often corrupt and self-serving rather than modest and selfless, as their religion dictates.
The Friar
Like the Prioress, the Friar receives a telling portrait in the General Prologue when the narrator dwells on his appearance, saying that he looks more like a pope than a poor scholar. The Friar would have been in the position to embody modesty, temperance, and poverty; instead, he dresses elaborately as if he is a pope or even a king. Again, this ironic portrayal of the Friar emphasize Chaucer's critiques of the church and foreshadows the Friar's tale which similarly reveals his inherent hypocrisy.
The Tale of Sir Thopas
A fictive Geoffrey Chaucer, also the poet, recounts the Tale of Sir Thopas during The Canterbury Tales. It becomes clear early on, however, that the Tale of Sir Thopas is an abysmal and poorly-composed story that the pilgrims are happy to see end. When the Host interrupts Chaucer, he insults him and his "rhyming," an ironic exchange given that Chaucer himself is the author of the entire work. This inclusion of the Tale of Sir Thopas is evidence of how the text often does not take itself too seriously, and how nobody – not even the poet himself – is safe from critique.
The Knight and the Miller
The first character to tell a tale in The Canterbury Tales is the Knight, who recounts a story of two best friends who fall in love with the same lady. The Knight's Tale is an earnest portrayal of courtly love that is soon interrupted by the drunk and unruly Miller. This transition between the Knight's Tale – a highly literary piece – and the Miller's Tale – a crude fabliaux – is just one of the many instances of irony between disparate personalities on the journey.
