The Pardoner s Tale Essay
The Satirical Tale of Irony Nearly every aspect of the Pardoner's tale is ironic. Chaucer depicts the character of the pardoner as well as the process of the pilgrimage through verbal and situational irony. Irony exists within the story itself and in the relationship between the Pardoner and the story. Chaucer describes the pardoner as having, “A voice that bleated like a goat. No beard had he, nor ever should he have, for so smooth his face as he’d just had a shave; I think he was a gelding or a mere.” (prologue 690693) By describing him as less than a man, he is calling the Pardoner a second hand citizen, or a women. This is satirical mainly because, at this time, women were lesser, so he is saying that the pardoner was less than a man. Not very masculine or strong, but, weak and feminine. No pride or honor. The ending of the story presents a good message despite the Pardoner's evil intentions to take money from the other pilgrims. By using irony in the Pardoner's tale,
Chaucer criticizes the church. The irony begins as soon as the Pardoner starts his prologue. He tells the other pilgrims that his sermons reflect how money is the root of all evils. He actually preaches against his own problems and sins. Pardoners who took money in return for forgiveness were supposed to use the the money for charity, but he, like many other Pardoner's, kept the money for themselves. The Pardoner begins his story by critique the sins of society like, drinking and gluttony.
The irony is that he has been drinking himself, and that he is a glutton. There are also
many ironic elements of the story itself. The rioters in his story, want to kill Death. They promise to fight and die for each other. There are two ironies. First, Death can not be killed. Second, the three drunken fighters pledge to die for each other, but in reality they kill each other.
In the Pardoner’s Tale, everything that told is riddled
Chaucer criticizes the church. The irony begins as soon as the Pardoner starts his prologue. He tells the other pilgrims that his sermons reflect how money is the root of all evils. He actually preaches against his own problems and sins. Pardoners who took money in return for forgiveness were supposed to use the the money for charity, but he, like many other Pardoner's, kept the money for themselves. The Pardoner begins his story by critique the sins of society like, drinking and gluttony.
The irony is that he has been drinking himself, and that he is a glutton. There are also
many ironic elements of the story itself. The rioters in his story, want to kill Death. They promise to fight and die for each other. There are two ironies. First, Death can not be killed. Second, the three drunken fighters pledge to die for each other, but in reality they kill each other.
In the Pardoner’s Tale, everything that told is riddled