In "The Pardoner’s "Tale, part of Geoffrey Chaucer’s "The Canterbury Tales", a Pardoner tells a story to his fellow pilgrims. The Pardoner himself is a figure known for selling indulgences and relics, which he exploits for personal gain, demonstrating hypocrisy. The tale follows three rioters who set out to find and kill Death, whom they believe is responsible for the deaths of their friends and neighbors. Their quest is driven by greed. They encounter an old man who tells them that they will find Death under a large tree. Instead of finding Death, the rioters discover a large treasure hidden under the tree. They plot to keep the treasure for themselves. As the rioters wait to move the treasure, two of them conspire to kill the third rioter. Meanwhile, the third rioter plans to poison the others. In the end, their treachery results in all three rioters meeting their demise—one by poison, the others by stabbing. The tale is an allegory about the destructive nature of greed. It illustrates how greed leads to death and self-destruction.
The story concludes with a moral lesson about the consequences of avarice and the inevitable punishment for those who live a life of sin and corruption.
Geoffrey Chaucer (c. 1343–1400) was an influential English poet and author, best known for his work "The Canterbury Tales”. Chaucer was born around 1343 in London, England. He was the son of a wine merchant, which likely provided him with connections to various segments of society. Chaucer's most famous work is a collection of stories told by a group of pilgrims traveling to the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket in Canterbury. The tales cover a wide range of themes and characters, reflecting the diversity of medieval English society. Chaucer also wrote several notable works, including "Troilus and Criseyde", a narrative poem based on classical sources, and "The Book of the Duchess", an elegy for the wife of John of Gaunt. Chaucer is celebrated for his use of Middle English, making his works more accessible to a broader audience compared to the Latin texts of his time. His writing often includes social commentary and satire, exploring themes such as social class, religious hypocrisy, and human nature. Chaucer's ability to create diverse and vivid characters is a hallmark of his work. In "The Canterbury Tales," he presents a cross-section of medieval society through his characters’ tales and personal interactions.
