Essential #6

What parallels can be drawn between the Pardoner's Prologue and his tale? How is this tale different from the other two that we have studied? Think in regards to the Pardoner's voice and how Chaucer's style changes.

The Pardoner reveals important information about himself through his the Prologue and his tale. The Pardoner is nothing but a greedy, hypocritical liar. He claims that all of his sermons preach about the sin of avarice: "I preach for nothing but for greed of gain"(243). The Pardoner admits that "my exclusive purpose is to win And not at all to castigate their sin"(243). He preaches to people about honesty and purity, when he practices neither of those virtues. In the Pardoner's Tale, he first preaches of the evils of sin. He then goes on to describe a story of three boys who were so consumed by greed that it ultimately led to their deaths:"these two murderers received their due, So did the treacherous young poisoner too"(256). It is ironic that the Pardoner's story preaches of the evils of sin, especially greed. His entire occupation is based off of acts that he condemns. The Pardoner, like the boys from his tale, tricks and stabs others in the back for his own personal monetary gain. Even more ironically, at the end of his tale he asks the group "If there be one among you that is willing to have my absolution for a shilling"(257). The Pardoner has the nerve to try and trick those whom he had just revealed his true nature too. He unquestionably "tell[s] a hundred lying mockeries"(242).