He sells sheep bones while passing them off as a cure for ailments Chaucer His story also illustrates greed. The three rioters willingly kill each other over gold Chaucer Bisson, Lillian M. Chaucer and the Late Medieval World. Chaucer, Geoffrey. Pressbooks , earlybritishlit. Knowles, Michael David. Thomas Becket. Lumiansky, R. Mark, Joshua J. Radix malorum est Cupiditas. Ad Thimotheum. Wikimedia Commons. Introduction by Caroline Pernas The Pardoner begins his tale after the host has asked for an uplifting story after the depressing account of the Physician.
Summary of the Tale He continues with a story about three young rioters in Flanders who sought to defeat Death after a friend dies from the plague. Why do you think the Pardoner explained his tricks not long before trying them on the Host and the other pilgrims?
What moral was the Pardoner trying to convey? What message was Chaucer trying to send to readers? How would the Pardoner have developed as a character if Chaucer have lived long enough to finish The Canterbury Tales? A brief analysis of the Prologue and Tale. Share This Book Share on Twitter. I peyne me to han an hauteyn speche,. For I kan al by rote that I telle.
First I pronounce whennes that I come,. And thanne my bulles shewe I, alle and some ;. That shewe I first, my body to warente ,. Bulles of popes and of cardynales,. Thanne shewe I forth my longe cristal stones ,. Ycrammed ful of cloutes and of bones;. And it is hool anon ; and forthermoor,. Of pokkes and of scabbe and every soore.
Shal every sheepe be hool that of this welle. Drynketh a draughte. Taak kepe eek what I telle,. As thilke hooly Jew oure eldres taughte,. First I announce the place whence I have come,. And, sires, also it heeleth jalousie;. Lat maken with this water his potage ,. And nevere shal he moore his wyf mystriste ,. Though he the soothe of hir defaute wiste,. Heere is a miteyn eek , that ye may se.
If any wight be in this chirche now. That hath ymaad hir housbonde cokewold ,. Swich folk shal have no power ne no grace. And I assoille him, by the auctoritee. By this gaude have I wonne, yeer by yeer,.
An hundred mark, sith I was pardoner. I stonde lyk a clerk in my pulpet,. And whan the lewed peple is doun yset,. And telle an hundred false japes moore. And est and west upon the peple I bekke ,. As dooth a dowve sittynge on a berne. Of avarice and of swich cursednesse. To yeven hir pens; and namely, unto me! For myn entente is nat but for to wynne,. And no thyng for correccioun of synne. For certes , many a predicacioun. For whan I dar noon oother weyes debate,.
In prechyng, so that he shal nat asterte. Thus spitte I out my venym, under hewe. Of hoolynesse, to semen hooly and trewe. But shortly, myn entente I wol devyse ;. I preche of no thyng but for coveityse. But though myself be gilty in that synne ,. But that is nat my principal entente. I preche no thyng but for coveitise.
Of this mateere it oghte ynogh suffise. Thanne telle I hem ensamples many oon. For lewed peple loven tales olde;. What, trowe ye, the whiles I may preche,. Nay, nay, I thoghte it nevere, trewely! For I wol preche and begge in sondry landes,. By cause I wol nat beggen ydelly. I wol noon of the apostles countrefete ;. Al were it yeven of the povereste page ,. Or of the povereste wydwe in a village,.
Al sholde hir children sterve for famyne. 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. And even if he is not a moral man, he can tell a good moral tale, which follows.
In Flanders, at the height of a black plague, three young men sit in an inn, eating and drinking far beyond their power and swearing oaths that are worthy of damnation. The revelers mark the passing of a coffin and ask who has died. A servant tells them that the dead man was a friend who was stabbed in the back the night before by a thief called Death. The young revelers, thinking that Death might still be in the next town, decide to seek him out and slay him.
Held the less in reputation. From Sparta to make their alliance. Playing at dice he found them. To ally you unto any dice-players. Than I should ally you to dice-players. This wise philosopher, thus said he. At no value or esteem. Respectable enough to pass the time. A word or two, as old books treat them. And false swearing is yet more worthy of reproof.
But idle swearing is a cursed thing. How that is the second command of God. Who of his oaths is too excessive. Perjury, anger, falseness, homicide. Leave your oaths, both great and small. But, sirs, now will I tell forth my tale. Before a corpse, which was carried to its grave. It was told me two hours before you came here.
Completely drunk, as he sat on his bench upright. And went his way without more words. He has slain a thousand during this pestilence. To beware of such an adversary. I suppose his habitation is there. I make a vow to God's honorable bones! And we will slay this false traitor Death. As though he were his own born brother. Of which the tavern-keeper had spoken before. Death shall be dead, if they can catch him! An old and poor man met with them. Answered in reply, "What, churl, bad luck to you!
Why art thou all wrapped up except for thy face? As long a time as it is God's will. Nor Death, alas, will not have my life. Lo how I waste away, flesh, and blood, and skin!
Alas, when shall my bones be at rest? For which full pale and withered is my face. Unless he trespass in word or else in deed.
In old age, if you live so long. And God be with you, wherever you walk or ride! Thou spoke right now of that same traitor Death. That slays all our friends in this country. By God and by the holy sacrament! He will not in any way hide himself because of your boast. Right there ye shal hym fynde. Do you see that oak? Right there you shall find him. Well nigh eight bushels, as they thought. That they set themselves down by this precious hoard.
The worst of them, he spoke the first word. My wit is great, though I jest and play. And as easily as it comes, so will we spend it. Who wende Ah, God's precious dignity! Who would have supposed To-day that we sholde han so fair a grace? Back in town, the youngest vagrant is having similar thoughts.
He could easily be the richest man in town, he realizes, if he could have all the gold to himself. He goes to the apothecary and buys the strongest poison available, then puts the poison into two bottles of wine, leaving a third bottle pure for himself.
He returns to the tree, but the other two rioters leap out and kill him. Within minutes, they lie dead next to their friend. Thus, concludes the Pardoner, all must beware the sin of avarice, which can only bring treachery and death.
He realizes that he has forgotten something: he has relics and pardons in his bag. According to his custom, he tells the pilgrims the value of his relics and asks for contributions—even though he has just told them the relics are fake. He offers the Host the first chance to come forth and kiss the relics, since the Host is clearly the most enveloped in sin The Host and Pardoner kiss and make up, and all have a good laugh as they continue on their way.
We know from the General Prologue that the Pardoner is as corrupt as others in his profession, but his frankness about his own hypocrisy is nevertheless shocking. He bluntly accuses himself of fraud, avarice, and gluttony—the very things he preaches against.
And yet, rather than expressing any sort of remorse with his confession, he takes a perverse pride in the depth of his corruption. His boasts about his corruption may represent his attempt to cover up his doubts or anxieties about the life of crime in the name of religion that he has adopted. It is possible to argue that the Pardoner sacrifices his own spiritual good to cure the sins of others. We can assume that the Pardoner is well practiced in the art of telling this specific tale, and he even inserts some of his sermon into it.
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