Comparison
“There is a tension between the attractiveness of wrongdoing and the fear of its consequences.”
In light of this view, consider ways in which writers explore aspects of wrongdoing.
Both The Pardoners Tale and Dr. Faustus are centred around an act of wrongdoing, more specifically an act of greed. The Riotoures want money, as we see they kill each other for it, and Faustus wants power, so much power that he is like a God. We know this as he makes reference to being omniscient on several occasions, such as when writing the deed to sell his soul, among other things he writes he wants to be “wheresoever” he pleases at any time.
In the beginning of The Pardoners Tale there does not seem to be a lot of tension among the riotoures, and they know they are sinning. The church bells are ringing outside so they should be in morning mass. Although in modern times this does not seem very evil, to miss morning mass when Chaucer wrote this was a huge sin. Chaucer then uses hyperbole, the riotoures are not only missing mass, while they are doing so they are drinking, gambling, and dancing (also great sins in Chaucer’s time). Despite the titanic nature of these sins, they are having a great time without any fear of the consequences. It could be argued that the alcohol the riotoures have ingested has caused them to become drunk and incapacitated. Proof of this is shown when they claim they are going to kill death, an impossible feat, but they believe it to be possible. In their drunken state one could suggest that they forgot the consequences of their sins, or even forgot what they were doing were sins. However it could also be said that perhaps the riotoures do not believe in hell and the devil, and therefore nothing bad can come of their actions.
This can be compared with Faustus when he first makes his deal with Mephistopheles. Although he called up a demon to do his bidding, he still believes “hell is a fable”. This is supported by the belief that Marlowe himself was an
In light of this view, consider ways in which writers explore aspects of wrongdoing.
Both The Pardoners Tale and Dr. Faustus are centred around an act of wrongdoing, more specifically an act of greed. The Riotoures want money, as we see they kill each other for it, and Faustus wants power, so much power that he is like a God. We know this as he makes reference to being omniscient on several occasions, such as when writing the deed to sell his soul, among other things he writes he wants to be “wheresoever” he pleases at any time.
In the beginning of The Pardoners Tale there does not seem to be a lot of tension among the riotoures, and they know they are sinning. The church bells are ringing outside so they should be in morning mass. Although in modern times this does not seem very evil, to miss morning mass when Chaucer wrote this was a huge sin. Chaucer then uses hyperbole, the riotoures are not only missing mass, while they are doing so they are drinking, gambling, and dancing (also great sins in Chaucer’s time). Despite the titanic nature of these sins, they are having a great time without any fear of the consequences. It could be argued that the alcohol the riotoures have ingested has caused them to become drunk and incapacitated. Proof of this is shown when they claim they are going to kill death, an impossible feat, but they believe it to be possible. In their drunken state one could suggest that they forgot the consequences of their sins, or even forgot what they were doing were sins. However it could also be said that perhaps the riotoures do not believe in hell and the devil, and therefore nothing bad can come of their actions.
This can be compared with Faustus when he first makes his deal with Mephistopheles. Although he called up a demon to do his bidding, he still believes “hell is a fable”. This is supported by the belief that Marlowe himself was an