Injustice and Chaucer's Man of Law

Abstract

Chaucer's portrait of the Man of Law suggests the lawyer's expertise in jurisprudence, but the portrait's satirical intent is shown in its use of language, specifically the word termes (I.323), used elsewhere in Chaucer to suggest technical or deceptive language. Contemporary awareness of the potential failures of jurisprudence may be seen in the medieval English court of Chancery, and its role in providing a remedy for the problems posed in the common law courts by failures in jurisprudence. Further evidence of satirical intent may be found in the Man of Law's Tale , which raises difficult questions about man's injustice that reflect back awkwardly upon the Sergeant of Law.

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