Regina Bua 10/24/01 P5 The Cantebury Tales, by Geoffrey Chaucer is a frame story about a pilgrimage. It also contains a Prologue . The Prologue introduces the pilgrims who will be attending the journey. On the journey each pilgrim tells a tale. The Pardoner, who is a pilgrim, tells a tale about greed and evil. His tale is directly related to his personality.
In the Prologue Chaucer describes the Pardoner as a very feminine looking man by calling him a geld or mare. He does not only put down the Pardoner physically, he also projects a very negative view of his personality. The only time Chaucer makes a nice comment is when he calls him a "noble ecclasiast," and points out his talent in reading a lesson . Chaucer generally remains negative and ultimately characterizes the Pardoner as a greedy and deceitful man whose motive behind all actions, is money.
Geoffrey Chaucer, whose Canterbury Tales shares ma...
Deception Pass Bridge
detail from The Canterbury Pilgrims showing the Pa...Lines 716-723 and 733-734 prove these accusations.
"He said he had a gobbet of the sail Saint Peter had the time hen he made bold To walk the wave till Jesu Christ took hold.
He had a cross of metal set with stones And , in a glass, a rubble of pigs' bones.
And with these relics, any time he found some poor parson to astound" ( Chaucer 133).
"And (well he could) win silver from the crowd Thats why he sang so merrily and loud" (133).
The Pardoner deceived poor parsons into believing they were buying a valuable relic, in order to gain money. He sings the offeratory, not because he enjoys it, but to gain more money. His actions link him with greed and deceit. ( The British Tradition) During the journey to Canterbury, each pilgrim shares a tale. The tale the Pardoner decides to preach is...