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The Pardoner's Tale
The Pardoner's Tale
The Pardoner's Tale
In “The Pardoner’s tale”, it is clear that Geoffrey Chaucer was trying to teach a powerful
lesson to man throughout the story line. Chaucer’s main focus is the three men who seem to have
a great thirst for power. Their desire to show their manliness leads them on a hunt for Death, a
killer on the loose. Warned not to follow, their confidence overpowers anything else, and they
descend on the journey to put an end to Death. So enveloped in their large egos, they believe
they can conquer anything and everything that comes in their path. On their journey, they come
across a wise old man that dares to challenge their pride. Not being able to handle the words of
an old man, they threaten to kill him, as a result of cowardice. Once he tells them Death is just
around the corner, they rush to slay him, as it is clear these men show they have the confidence
to conquer anything. As they come upon a completely different surprise, something bigger
defeats these weak men. The biggest point that Chaucer is making through his story, is that the
The men show pure disrespect to the old man that they come across, as they clearly
believe to be superior. “I heard you mention, just a moment gone,/ A certain traitor death who
singles out/ And kills the fine young fellow hereabout./ And you’re his spy, by God! You wait a
bit./ Say where he is or you shall pay for it,” (94-98). In a crazed frenzy to defeat the killer they
have yet to even see, they threaten to kill the wise old man to show their confidence and “power”
that they present themselves to have. Being so sure they will kill any man, it is not evident that
they have ever killed someone to begin with. It is evident throughout the stories that their high
egos are going to lead them down a unsuccessful path. The first major symbol of their upcoming
doom is the figure of the old man. As they engage in a series of threats to end his life, the man
Khais2
tells them, “Under a tree, and there you’ll find him waiting./ He isn’t one to hide for all your
prating” (105-106). Although it is the slightest hint, the man hints at their doom, as he tells the
three men Death will not be hiding from them, as they continuously talk about how they will
have victory once they come across the killer. What they expect to be Death they come across, to
“It’s clear that Fortune has bestowed this treasure/ To let us live in jollity and pleasure”
(121-122). To what they assume to be their happy ending, greedy men never go on without
punishment. As they devise a plan to sneak the gold back to their houses, they convince one
another that they as brothers have trust in each other. However, wicked men never tell the truth.
As each of them plan to keep all the coins to their greedy selves, they all end up out fooling each
other. “Thus these two murders received their due,/ So did the treacherous young poisoner too”
(237-238). The biggest surprise of all, was that the only living things they ended up killing that
day was one another. The thirst for greed and power, never goes unpunished, and at the end of
the day, these three men ended up paying the biggest price of all. Geoffrey Chaucer speaks what