Understanding Chaucer’s “The Pardoner’s Tale”
“The Pardoner’s Tale” (Coghill, 1977) was written by Geoffrey Chaucer in the Middle Ages. As stated by Takami Mastuda the tale “warns against the deadly sin of avarice and teaches that spiritual death can indeed become the cause of physical death and eternal damnation” ( 313). The Pardoner tells a story dealing with death in order to get the pilgrims to buy indulgences. “ ‘The Pardoner’s Tale’ ultimately questions the efficacy of worldly prudence in the face of death. With this tale Chaucer approaches the theme of death with critical knowledge of the late medieval scheme of salvation...” (Mastuda 324).
The tale puts considerable emphasis on the character of the Pardoner, and his personality. “The tale is a demonstration of the Pardoner’s usual tactic, in which he manipulates the readings of an orthodox exemplum for personal gain, stressing, as the tale conveys the dreadful consequence of coveting money” (Mastuda 314). A question that is often asked in regard to “The Pardoner’s Tale” is why Chaucer chose a pardoner. “Certainly, their scandalous reputation would have suggested them to Chaucer as likely candidates for any study in
Understanding Chaucer's The Pardoner's Tale
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
10 
)
It was important that Chaucer used a pardoner on this pilgrimage to tell this specific story. "It is well known that ill fame clung to pardoners which, when Chaucer was writing, was as much traditional as it may have been warranted in reality" (Fletcher 118). "The work of a Questor was, in itself, useful and even commendable. but because it lets Chaucer hide behind a character traditionally corrupt yet into whom he can safely introduce the resonance of the most urgent and topical theological argument of his day" (Fletcher 119). The Pardoner tries to sell fake relics to the pilgrims in exchange for the absolution of their sins. "The Pardoner can be related to "death"tm from another viewpoint as well. "Although the Pardoner does not openly equate money with death, he quickly and firmly brings the tale to a conclusion, implying that it is better to part with the cause of death and exchange it for the promise of salvation as quickly as possible" (Mastuda 317).
Some topics in this essay:
Tale,
PROFESSIONAL ESSAYS:
Chaucer's View of Christianity
if there be anything in it that pleases them, they thank our Lord Jesus Christ for it, from whom proceeds all understanding and goodness ("Geoffrey Chaucer"). (1056 
4 
)
Love and War in Shakespeare and Chaucer
Chaucer introduces us to the story in a very different manner than does Shakespeare. We are first led to an understanding of the nature of humanly love and the (1258 5 )
Chaucer's The Wife of Bath
Chaucer substituted rape for murder as the transgression committed by the Knight at the and a lesson in the meaning of gentilesse, or the understanding of the (4429 18 )
The Character of Criseyde In Troilus & Criseyde
But if one considers Book V as an instrument of Chaucer's symbolic understanding of the relationship, why does the account of Hector's death appear "among all (2965 12 )
Themes of the Hell Section of Divine Comedy
Even when Chaucer enters into a lengthy treatise on the different sins and their in the two works is not particularly crucial to an understanding of the books (1673 7 )
Julian, Margery & Wife of Bath
though ye me kille./Dooth as you list: I am here at youre wille'" (Chaucer 164). of the soul by the touching of the Holy Ghost, as by the understanding that I (1068 4 )
JOIN
SAVED PAPERS
TESTIMONIALS
"I signed up 2 years ago and have used your site to get ideas for my papers in several classes."
Katie T.
"When I have writers block, this is the first site I visit. You never let me down!"
Randy H.
"Thank you so much! You have loads of content and this really helps me come up with ideas for my essays!"
Melissa L.
"Your site is great! It provides a wide variety of essays on almost every topic."
Emily M.
"I really like the way you organize the information. it's been quite easy to find what I was looking for!"
Dan S.