Chaucer's View of the Pardoner as a Character Essay

Chaucer’s Universal theme of Greed Throughout history greed has corrupted and destroyed many people plunging them farther into the need for more; in contemporary times this has only strengthened. In 1387, Geoffrey Chaucer wrote “The Canterbury Tales” within this consist of “The Pardoners Tale”. This tale consists of a greedy pardoner preaching sermons only to benefit himself. An English poet, William Blake believes that “The characters of Chaucer’s Pilgrims are the characters which compose

Through the Back Door (A Critique on Chaucer’s use of Satire) There are very few authors in this world that are able to use satire in such a gentle way, while at the same time being rather harsh. There are very few authors at all that are able to use satire without offending his audience, and still keeping them engaged. Chaucer is one of the few writers to have accomplished this goal. Not only was he an avid user of satire, but he used this satire to reach out to his intended audience. Now Chaucer

to intermingle, and yet Chaucer is able to develop a greedy religious character known as the Pardoner. There are many religious characters in The Canterbury Tales besides the Pardoner including the Prioress, the Monk, the Friar, and the Parson. Each character carries their own good and bad characteristics, but the Pardoner is obviously greedy. This character brings into question the greediness of the Church and Chaucer’s views. In The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer explores the theme of greed in relation

during the medieval times and how each level of livelihood was a character, whose personalities reflect how Chaucer and his culture view them. During his time, his society regarded the Christian Church as corrupt and manipulative, with a few clergy who are honest and genuine in their exertion. Therefore, the ecclesiastical persona has the dispositions of either being con-men and charlatans or being devout and God-fearing. The other characters portray the themes of the middle ages of greed, prestigious

more clearly, “Social norms theory describes situations in which individuals incorrectly perceive the attitudes and/or behaviors of peers...to be different from their own,” (Berkowitz). With this in mind, wealthy people, in several centuries, have a view on being in charge of those who have less money than people who are wealthy. This issue of social norms was a tremendous problem in the 1300’s. During the 1300’s, a man named Geoffrey Chaucer was born, and became an outstanding writer as well as poet

In Chaucer’s famous novel: The Canterbury Tales, he describes many characters in a satirical way, while others he describes with complete admiration. The narrator (a constructed version of Chaucer himself) is staying at the Tabard Inn in London, when a large group of about twenty-nine people enter the inn, preparing to go on a pilgrimage to Canterbury. After the narrator talks to them, he agrees to join them on their pilgrimage. Although, before the narrator progresses any further in the tale, he

Chaucer clearly highlights the point to the reader that the prioress is none of these things as she flaunts her apparent beauty with what she wears and how she behaves. As David Aers tells us, "The Prioress is one of the least reserved of Chaucer's characters, openly flaunting her sexuality through her behaviour around the other pilgrims." Comments from Chaucer the pilgrim such as "ful fetys was hir cloke," describing her elegant coat that she wore and the description of the prioress' physical

The aim of any true satirical work is to poke fun at a certain aspect of society, while also inspiring reform to that very same aspect in one way or another. In Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, Chaucer satirizes the Medieval Church and those associated with the church. Medieval society was centered largely around the Church. Ideally, the people were expected to understand that earthly possessions were meaningless when compared to the prospect of closeness with God. Man was expected to work until he died

The Rich Diversity of Meanings of the Pardoner's Tale Chaucer’s innovation in the Pardoner’s performance tests our concept of dramatic irony by suggesting information regarding the Pardoner’s sexuality, gender identity, and spirituality, major categories in the politics of identity, without confirming that information. Our presumed understanding of the Pardoner as a character lacks substantiation. As we learn about the Pardoner through the narrator’s eyes and ears, we look to fit the "noble

Chaucer’s Pardoner is vain, loathed the lower class and hated manual labor. He was paid by the Church to offer and sell indulgences. The Catholic Church was conveying the message that forgiveness comes at a price. The Pardoner’s physical appearance also makes a statement. He is beardless and has long, greasy yellow hair. In Chaucer’s time these characteristics were associated with shiftiness and uncertainty of gender. The Pardoner “boasted that he had mastered