...century Geoffrey Chaucer wrote the Canterbury Tales. The Canterbury Tales included several fictitious pilgrims, each having a prologue to describe them and a story to tell. The Pardoner, Chaucer's final pilgrim, acts and looks in a way deplorable to the rest of the travelers. The Pardoner is "man" most notable for his greed, physical abnormalities, and denial of the fictitious. His tale condemns his own nature, and shows the effects of alcohol on the human superego. Chaucer's description of the Pardoner is crucial to an understanding of his tale. The Pardoner's prologue although short, introduces the pardoner as a greedy man, who is willing to take advantage of others to get his fortune. His primary role as a pardoner is to...
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...The Pardoner's Prologue and Tale Summary Apparently deeply affected by the Physician's sad and gruesome tale of Virginia, the Host praises the Physician by using as many medical terms as he can muster. However, he rejects the Physician's moral to the tale and substitutes one of his own: Thus the gifts of fortune and nature are not always good ("The gifts of Fortune and Nature have been the cause of the death of many a person"). Thinking that the pilgrims need a merry tale to follow, the Host turns to the Pardoner. The more genteel members of the company, fearing that the Pardoner will tell a vulgar story, ask the Pardoner for a tale with a moral. The Pardoner then explains to the pilgrims the methods he uses in preaching. His text is always "Radix malorum est cupidatis" ("Love of money is the root of all evil"). Always employing an array of documents and objects, he constantly announces that he can do nothing for the really bad sinners and invites the good people forward to buy his relics and, thus, absolve themselves from sins. Then he stands in the pulpit and preaches very rapidly about the sin of avarice so as to intimidate the members into donating money. He repeats that his theme is always "Money is the root of all evil" because, with this text, he can denounce the very vice that he practices: greed. And even though he is guilty of the same sins he preaches against, he can still make other people repent. The Pardoner admits that he likes money, rich food, and fine living...
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...The pardoner speaks of three 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...
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...displayed as selfish, overwhelming, and something people have trouble controlling. It has the power to destroy friendships, family, and trust, leaving behind a sense of satisfaction and overwhelming sense of guilt. Although, merely a few do not know what greed is. Greed is the root of all evil as a theme can be found in the fourteenth century poem “The Pardoner’s Tale” by Geoffrey Chaucer and the twentieth century song “Piggies”...
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...Trinidad Basulto British Literature 2322 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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...Pardoner’s tale is a sermon with three men that make the point that greed is the root of all evil. When the youngest of the three men are released the men his so called partners begin to plan a setup against him. Their attempt to setup their partner is symbolic to how un-loyalty they are: “Nevertheless, if I could shape things thus so that we shared it out- the two of us wouldn’t you take it as a friendly act?” (Chaucer .18). The man than succeeded to escape he plot against the other two men. On his journey to find poison he exhibits his hypocritical thoughts: “Could there be anyone beneath the throne Of God as happy as I then should be?”(Chaucer .19).The youngest that escaped believes he is pleasing God by killing the other two men: “The...
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...The Canterbury Tales, by Geoffrey Chaucer is an iconic work of British literature representative of the Middle Ages. In it, a group of travelers tells twenty-four different stories, which each reveal something about their storyteller and audience. Throughout the poem, these revelations provide commentary on the social class system in England of Chaucer’s time; Chaucer’s creativity in “The Pardoner’s Prologue and Tale” allows him to demonstrate several viewpoints of these interactions between the clergy and the commoners. Before examining these viewpoints, it is important to consider the historical context of the text; without it, the significance of Chaucer’s work cannot fully be grasped. Chaucer lived between approximately the years 1343 and...
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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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...The Pardoner’s Tale provides a moral story told by a corrupt and greedy Pardoner. His tale sends the message that greed is the root of all evil, and that it would only bring death upon anyone who is guilty of that sin. However, the Pardoner tells the pilgrims that he only preaches for his own gain, and that he would take money from anybody. Although his story is morally sound, the Pardoner’s immoral views and tactics of earning money deny any possibility of the tale sending a moral message. The Pardoner’s Tale cannot send a moral message, as the Pardoner himself is guilty of being corrupt and greedy. The Pardoner preaches about the evils of avarice, yet he himself partakes in the sin. His greed shows no bounds, as the Pardoner said, “I...
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...Throughout the Canterbury Tales, Chaucer has various characters tell their tales about one of the seven deadly sins. The seven deadly sins are wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony. The Pardoner's Tale displayed wrath. The sin of wrath is manifest in the individual who spurns love, but instead takes the side fury. Three men kill each other for gold, "two murderers receive their due so did the treacherous young poisoner". When the three rioters come across bags full of gold coins they send one of the rioters out to go fetch for some wine and bread. While he is gone the other two rioters come up with a plan to get rid of their other friend by killing him so that they receive more wealth. When they go and kill the friend their...
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...Telling a tale within a tale is a challenge for writers. Geoffrey Chaucer used the frame story technique to create legendary tales from the medieval times. Both “The Pardoners Tale” and Beowulf are tales that depict the power of greed, fame, and glory. As the stories got passed down there was and still is a lesser and lesser value but the lessons to be learned are still important in today’s society. The frame story is included in “The Pardoners Tale” by the teaching of a moral lesson and is also included in Beowulf by introducing the setting to the story. In both frame stories the characters happen to run into certain challenges and tests. Through the frames story we see the challenge that greed is the root of all evil in “The Pardoners Tale”....
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...Many have speculated that the Tale of the Three Brothers written into the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling is a loose interpretation of The Pardoner’s Tale in Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. The main theme between both tales is the disappointment that arises when one sins and tries to cheat Death. The Tale of the Three Brothers is based on a legend of the three Peverell brothers and is found in the fictional book “The Tales of Beedle the Bard.” Three brothers of the wizarding world use magic to cross over a river. An entity of Death bitterly offers each one a gift for outsmarting him. The first one, being power-hungry, asks for a wand more powerful than any other in existence so he may win every duel he takes part in. The second brother, being arrogant, asked for the power to recall the dead in order to humiliate Death further. The third brother was wise and humble and did not trust death so he asked for a gift that would enable him to travel without being followed by Death....
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...Prologue to the Canterbury Tales, Chaucer utilizes rhyme scheme and detailed imagery of both physical traits and personality traits in his description of the Prioress and the Pardoner to satirize the fourteenth-century practice of sending individuals who lack any ecclesiastical tendencies to work in the church. While the Pardoner represents...
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...to be one of the greatest English poets of all time. Many refer to him as the father of the English language. Chaucer wrote one of the best known books titled Canterbury Tales. Chaucer’s literary work is one of the most famous books to ever be written. Within his book there are many smaller stories told by different characters told within it. All of the smaller...
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...At the beginning of the “Pardoner’s Prologue,” the wise and rational teachings of the Pardoner, exhibited by his astute preaching, shift to corrupt and hypocritical lessons throughout the tale. The Pardoner, wise and educated, preaches to the villagers about greed and avarice. The Pardoner prasingly preaches that “Radix malorum est cupitidas (Greed is the root of evil)”, a sermon topic in which he always preaches to his congregations (8). The Pardoner attentively advises that love for money is the cause for all evil. In addition to money causing evil, the astute preacher exclaims in his tale that greed will eventually lead to death. This sermon’s purpose is to correct the sins of the congregation, however the Pardoner utilizes his knowledge...
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