the canterbury tales (the Pardoner)

A detailed Summary of the canterbury tales (the Pardoner)


Pardoners were granters of papal indulgences, which means penance in exchange for charitable donations to the church.(The Canterbury Tales. By Nevill Coghill.pp. 11.) The Pardoner was a church official who had the authority from Rome to sell pardons to those charged with sins. He had just returned from Rome with a bag full of pardons, which he planned to sell to the ignorant at a great profit to himself.(World Masterpieces. By Sarah Lawall ed. pp.1531.)

Of course many pardoners took to collecting profits for themselves, as this one did, however he was a master at it. He carried around a bag full of fake relics, for example, he claimed to have the veil of the Virgin Mary, (World Masterpieces pp.1531.) And with these he would get donations , even from the poor. "He made the person and the people his apes." (The Canterbury Tales. pp.17) He had a loud, high pitched voice, long yellow flowing hair, and was beardless. It is stated that he would never have a beard. (World masterpieces pp.1531.) Chaucer believes he was a "gelding or a mare," (World Masterpieces pp.1531.) which suggests that he was a homosexual. Clearly Chaucer finds the Pardoner to be the most distasteful of the travelers, both bec


The Pardoners prologue is in the form of a confession. He says that the "love of money is the root of all evil," (World Masterpieces pp.1573.) But with each of his relics he emphasizes how it will bring the purchaser more money and he gains more money for himself. Thus his love for money is the root of his evil.(Discussions of the Canterbury Tales. by Charles A. Owens. pp. 22.) The Pardoner is smart because he uses psychology to make people feel guilty about their sins. He acknowledges that many sermons are the result of selfish and evil intentions and he even admits that he "Spits out venom under the guise of holiness," and even though he is guilty of the same sins he is preaching against, he can still make other people repent.

** Visual representation of the Pardoner Photocopied from handout given to class on Friday December 1st, 2000.

Coghill, Nevill. The Canterbury Tales. Baltimore:

In the beginning of his tale he stops to give a sermon directed against drinking, gambling and swearing. This again shows his hypocritical side because he just had a drink before he began his tale. (World Masterpieces pp1573.) In his tale he tells a story about three men trying to find death. An old man leads them to a tree where they

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Approximate Word count = 841
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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