What is a Pardoner? • A person licensed to

sell papal pardons or indulgences.

• They took indulgences, money, from the people which would then act as repayment for their sins or pardons.

• Pardoners kept a certain percentage of the indulgences.o Very few were

honest.

The Pardoner• Very androgynous in

appearance.

• Admits to being guilty of avarice and other sins despite his position in the Church.

• Most dubious of the pilgrims because of his trade and place in the feudal system.

• Well spoken, a necessity for the persuasion he uses in his speeches to the peasants. o Often sells "treasures" and

"miracles" to pesants and boasts a 100 gold coins a year.

The Tale: A Basic Overview

• Begins in the city of Flanders, filled with greed and drunkenness.

• Three men after learning of the death of a friend swear that they will kill the Bandit Death who has murder women, children and men recently in the town over.

• Swear to defend each other as they would their blood brother.

• Happen across and old man who will not die until he can find someone to trade their youth for his age.

• They ask if he has seen death and he directs them to a clearing, in which they find gold.

The Tale: A Basic Overview Continued

• They decide to keep the gold but realize they need supplies if they are to guard the gold.

• Drawing straws the youngest of the three is sent to town.

• While there he decides to purchase posion and disguise it in the wine so he can keep the gold for himself.

• At the camp the two older men come to a similar conclusion and stab the young man upon his return.

• They reach for the wine and drain the bottles.

• Soon all three are dead.

• They have indeed met death.

Where is the satire?

• The most prominent source of satire is the Pardoner himself. o He is a complex character who often seems to

contradict both himself and his duties to the Church.o His method of speaking closely resembles the Wife

of Bath in that he is educated and excels in debates.o Ironically he abhors greed and drunkenness yet

admits to committing avarice among other sins. o Considered the worst of the pilgrims but the most

intriguing as well. o Radix malorum est cupidatis "Love of money

is the root of all evil"

Where is the satire? Continued

• Chaucer points out the hypocrisy in the Church through the hyperbolized Pardoner o Indulgences were slowly losing favor as more people

were able to interpret the Bible for themselves.

• His use of Death as a person and the old man often is seen as contrasting reality and fiction to emphasize the corruption in the world and the consequences of it.

• Greed is portrayed as the root of all evil and reproaches the upper and lower classes for hoarding good will and money alike

Discussion Points

• Lot

• Blood versus Gold

• Spiritual and Physical Corruption

• Greed

• Drunkenness and Madness