...Cregar March 7 2016 Irony in Pardoner's Prologue and Tale There are several accounts of irony in the Pardoner's prologue and tale, the Pardoner's profession may be the reason why his story is so ironic, and there are many examples that show this to be true. Although he plays an important role in his church, his true goal is to steal money from anybody he pardon's. He does show remorse for his actions, and he does state that he regrets stealing from the poor; however, he does not say that he will stop. In his prologue, the Pardoner mentions what he does as his profession; however, he tells everybody on the trip that he uses his profession to steal money from innocent people. His profession is to pardon people from the sins that they have committed, he says that his intentions to correct sins are fake, he just wants to con people out of their money. "I wol none of the Apostles countrefete: I wol have moneye, wolle, cheese, and whete, Al were it yiven of the pooreste page, or of the poorest widwe in a village- Al sholde her children sterve for famine", he...
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...men that lost their lives due to greed. This leaves the reader with the knowledge that money is the root of all evil. Another aspect to consider is the greed of the pardoner. The pardoner seeks a commission from his audience for his tales. He himself is also one that is overtaken by money. Does he sincerely care about the condition of one's soul or is he just out for a quick buck? On page 9, the pardoner comments that his "holy pardon cures and will suffice/ So that it bring me gold, or silver brings/ Or else, I care not- brooches, spoons, or rings." Personally, I believe that the pardoner is willing to tell just about anything to receive money for himself. The story also portrays the effects that greed has on one's life. The tale of the three men overtaken with greed relates to this present decade of people. "Show me the money" has been the theme of this generation. Everyone is caught up in his or her own battle of gaining their share of the riches. This is very similar to the tale of the three men that struck gold under the oak tree. The men were concerned with how to travel with the money without looking like robbers as noted when they stated, "For men would say that we were robbers strong/ and we'd, for our own treasure, hang ere long" (p 7). They were not concerned about whose money they were stealing they cared only about their personal statue. They did not want to appear as robbers, so they planned to travel at night as seen in this quote on page 7, "This treasure must be...
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...Corruption of the Church has plagued many Christian societies throughout history as dishonest members misinterpret and misuse the word of God. This is especially true in fifteenth century England. In the Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer uses estates satire, ridiculing not only the Clergymen but all three social classes in order to highlight the flaws of society. He uses specifically uses “The Pardoner’s Tale” to highlight the deep-seated corruption of the Church during this particular time. The social commentary is focused around a Pardoner, authorized to grant forgiveness of sins, or indulgences, as a hyperbolic example of the flaws in the Church. Chaucer exposes increasing corruption, issues with clergymen, and the normality of deception...
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