Pardoner's Tale Audio

Pardoner’s Tale Audio

The Pardoner’s tale is one of the 24 stories in the Canterbury Tale’s by Geoffry Chaucer. The pardoner’s tale is one of the most memorable characters in the Canterbury Tales. He sells indulgences (that is the remission of punishment to repentant sinners) and relics and gives preachings. He has the art to befool people and earn money in the name of religion on the demand of the host (the other characters) who is distressed by the sad story of the physician, he tells a story with a moral significance. The story is in the form of an example. The pardoner tells that the subject of his sermons is always the same that is, Love of money is the root cause of all evil.

The three young rioters have been referred to at the beginning of the story. They heard a funeral bell and saw a dead body being taken to the graveyard. They were informed that one of their old comrades had been killed by the enemy, death. Then they swore to seek out death and kill him. The old man asked the three young rioters to go beneath an oak tree in the near grove to find out death. The three rioters were pleased to find a heap of gold coins under the oak-tree. On getting gold, they forgot about death. They drew a lot to decide as to who would go and bring food and wine from the town. The lot was drawn in favor of the youngest. In the absence o the youngest, one of the two rioters suggested that they should kill the third on his return and share the gold. The youngest decided to kill the other two. He got some strong poison and mixed it with the wine in the bottles. The youngest rioter on return was attacked and killed. The two drank wine from the bottle. Both of them died after suffering in pain. The tales end with a short sermon against sin. The pardoner starts that excessive swearing is a detestable habit. It is an evil custom among the gamblers.

The pardoner is an example of an amusing paradox. He knows the contrast between his own weakness and the morality preached by him. He indulges in drinking. He himself is not a virtuous man, but his story has morals.

“Greed is the root of all evil”