The Pardoner's Tale Research Paper

Geoffrey Chaucer wrote the Canterbury tales, which includes the ruthless story of greed and deception of the Pardoner's tale. His main point of the story is to see through

Long ago, a man named Geoffrey Chaucer put together a list of tales he heard from his travelers on his way to Canterbury, to visit the grave of Thomas O’Beckett. There was one tale that was told by a Pardoner, about the sins of greed. Which was ironic in itself, because Pardoners sold “pardons” (or forgiveness) for peoples sins. And that’s how the church built all those great churches, through greed. However the tale is not about the church, it is about greed.

The First deadly sin is Gluttony. Gluttony is defined as over eating more then you should in food and drinks. For example, “ To eat and drink far more than they can hold….Who long before the morning service bell were sitting in a tavern for a drink…And started in their drunken rage..” In the Pardoners tale, it is easy to see the actions of Gluttony.

Despite the fact that the clergy is supposedly to be the holiest of all other factions of the social class system during the Middle Ages period, every one of the clergy members attending this pilgrimage are corrupted in some way except one. In the Canterbury Tales, the first tale told is by a pardoner, who at that time would sell pardons to sinners, give (some of if not none of) the money collected to the church, and keep the remaining money for himself. The pardoner Chaucer makes attendance with is as corrupt as any other pardoner, keeping much of the money he collects for himself and lavishing in it quite publicly. Before the pardoner tells his tale, he speaks about himself and his tale beforehand in his own short prologue. In his prologue he confesses to bilking many people out of money for his own personal gain and proclaims that he will never do any honest day of work.

Thesis: The Pardoner is a hypocrite, who speaks against the exploitation, gluttony, and exaction he commits his self. However, by unfolding the story of his own dishonesty, the pardoner actually instills others not to follow his exemplar. Chaucer makes it possible to shrewdly disapprove the exploitative practices of the Catholic Church in his text with the pardoner’s character, while supporting the basic religious beliefs that the church stood for. Chaucer portrays the pardoner as someone who takes advantage of his status in society and uses it for manipulation of ordinary people. "

Did you know there is a crater on the moon named for Geoffrey Chaucer? Here on Earth he is best known for writing The Canterbury Tales, a collection of stories written in Middle English at the end of the 14th century. One of the best tales in this collection is "The Pardoner's Tale" because Geoffrey Chaucer uses personification and irony throughout the story.

He used counterfeit relics to impress members of the church, “For in his trunk he had a pillowcase which he asserted was Our Lady’s veil. He said he had a gobbet of the sail Saint Peter had the time when he made bold to walk the waves, till Jesus Christ took hold. He had a cross of metal set with stones and, in a glass, a rubble of pigs’ bones.” (Chaucer, 104). The Pardoner used these items to pressure people into buying pardons.

Likewise, the way that the pardoner recounts this pitch with such eagerness, demonstrates that this control was something he was exceptionally experienced in, and rather appreciated doing. At the point when the Host declined to purchase the relics and afterward went before to affront the Pardoner due to his lip service, the Pardoner understood that he had gone directly into his business pitch without actually considering. Dissimilar to the greater part of The Canterbury Tales, this entry requests understanding even at the surface level. Nonetheless, the one undeniable point Chaucer tried to make in this section, was the manner by which imperative the explorers' learning of the Pardoner's pietism was. In view of their insight into his false reverence, the pioneers had the capacity abstain from getting tied up with the Pardoner's con which would clearly have presented to them "Christ's condemnation" (Chaucer 1685). This significance of learning, and particularly the attention to the defilement of certain congregation practices, was what he wanted to ingrain in the majority of his

Chaucer has made the observation that those who are rich and own money have no issue with visiting the church and being cleansed of sin. Yet, those who are poor are constantly being turned from the doors of the church or are leaving because they aren’t able to afford the cost of the church. Chaucer realizes that the church is charging the people in order to try and purify them of their sin. However, he learns that the people of the church: the pardoner's, friars, priests, are all corrupt and only seek money and sex in order to satisfy their need in this life. Chaucer attempts to present this information through a character he creates and names the Pardoner.

The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer teaches empathy. Each portrait, colorfully painted with Chaucer’s careful word choice, gives the reader new perspective. The collection of tales explains the inclinations of human nature, the commonality of imperfection, and the complexity of emotion. Through courtly romances, humorous anecdotes, horrible tragedies, and satirical prose Chaucer finds truth within contradiction and hypocrisy. Specifically, “The Pardoner’s Tale” uses contradiction in order to show the complex interiority of a man who has sinned so much that he has become a living death. He proves that when consumed by avarice, identity is lost.

In Medieval society, the Catholic Church was a very powerful force with numerous capabilities and extreme wealth. The intricately detailed cathedrals built to preserve the relics of the saints were excessive and pricey, and the Church also collected regular tithes which were the churches version of taxes from its members. People had begun to be wary of the Church’s flashy ways with its wealth by the end of the fourteenth century. Church official were often seen as corrupted individuals, untrustworthy, bribing, and persuading people into giving them money for the church in deceitful and dishonest ways. One of the common practice for members of the church, known as “pardoners”, to deceive the people was to sell them indulgences which were

Geoffrey Chaucer’s work The Canterbury Tales: The General Prologue gives not only a realistic portrayal of life during the fourteenth century but it also presents a critique of the Church. Chaucer creates characters, or portraits, that show the different personalities associated with the Church and religion. While some characters are truly pious, Chaucer uses many of these portraits to comment on the corruption and greed of the Catholic Church. A character who is an exemplum for this is The Pardoner. He is a Church Official who preaches the word of God yet does not follow the advice of his own sermons. During a period where Officials abused their power, Chaucer uses characters like The Pardoner to show his disgust at the hypocrisy of the Church.

The Pardoner's tale becomes a microcosm of the Canterbury Tales itself: an attempt to find a holy, didactic message within entertainment and baseness. Further analysis of the Pardoner himself leads to the question of whether there is any good within him.

The Pardoner’s Prologue is a prime example of hypocrisy in the church. “The writing of The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer during the latter part of the fourteenth century is an important commentary on the growing disillusion and distrust of the church which culminated with Martin Luther and the Protestant reformation a little more than a century later” (Foster). A pardoner is traditionally a member of the church who absolves people of their sins. However, in this case, the pardoner is the one who needs absolution, as he is

Steve Maraboli, a swell-renowned speaker and bestselling author once said, “You can speak with spiritual eloquence, pray in public and maintain a holy appearance, but it is your behavior that will reveal your true character.” During the Middle Ages, the Church dominated everyone’s life. Everyone believed in Heaven, regularly attended church, and greatly feared the consequences of Hell. As the Church gained power and wealth, growing into the most dominant institution at the time, corruption and secularism began to overshadow the true meaning and virtues behind Christianity. In the General Prologue, Geoffrey Chaucer utilizes Ecclesiastical characters such as the Pardoner, the Nun and the Friar to symbolize religious hypocrisy and corruption. Although the Pardoner's occupation opposes the teachings and morals of Christianity, the Pardoner continues to exploit his profession and religion for greedy and selfish desires. On the pilgrimage, Chaucer describes the Pardoner loudly singing Offertories, knowing that “he’d have to preach and tune his honey-tongue and (well he could) win silver from the crowd. That’s why he sang so merrily and loud” (page 163, lines 730-734). The Pardoner misuses Offertories, or hymns meant to bring donations to the Church, to satisfy his own greed. This represents the hypocritical greed within the rich institution of a Church because it contradicts the virtues of charity and aid to those in need, in which it preaches.