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Chaucer’s Critique of Human Behavior: The Pardoner’s Tale Christine Rathje
10/18/11
English III
___ hour
In The Pardoner’s Tale, Geoffrey Chaucer tries to illustrate what can happen when one chooses
a life of debauchery over living a virtuous lifestyle. To prove his point, he introduces a trio of young
partiers who live for the moment. They gamble, imbibe, and frequent brothels. They also swear and
break church edicts beginning early in the morning. In the end, this ultimately leads to their destruction.
The three men, in a stupor from their morning’s drink, learn of a friend who is murdered by
Death in the night. Upon hearing the news, these young revelers seek to avenge their friend and
destroy Death. Because of their eagerness and false courage, they do not show their respect to
disguised Death when they meet him on the street. “Nay, ancient churl, by God it sha’n’t be so, … You
spoke just now of that same traitor Death / Who in this country stops our good friends’ breath / Hear
my true word, since you are his own spy, / Tell where he is or you shall rue it, aye. ” (p 104-5, lines 139-
145). The young men underestimate the power of the “ancient churl” simply because he is so old. They
cannot believe that this old man might be a formidable opponent, and the thought that he might even
be Death never enters into their picture. Their shortsighted nature comes from their age, their
eagerness, and their passion for revenge; however, their failure to detect danger is also a direct result
from their choice of lifestyle. They cannot think beyond their emotions because they have not been
forced to live and work in the real word. By constantly maintaining their drunken states, they are not
prepared to face the challenges of a much more level-headed Death. Chaucer is using this example to
make clear that people who choose to live a depraved lifestyle will not be prepared when danger arises.
After the initial encounter, the old man tells the three young avengers that Death can be found
under a nearby tree. They rush to the tree and discover coins “of fine gold, new-minted” (p 305, line
159). This treasure changes the men’s focus completely; they no longer seek Death but form a plan to
secure the money for themselves. One of the men who is the “worst” among the three speaks,
My wits are keen, although I mock and play.
This treasure here Fortune to us have given
That mirth and jollity our lives may liven,
And easily as it’s come, so will we spend. (p 305, lines 167-170)
Notice the men think that Fortune, or Fate, or good luck is on their side, and each cannot presume that
this could be a trap. Even though they live a reckless and immature life with no reverence for what is
right, they feel that Fortune smiles upon them giving them access to “eight bushels” of riches (line 160).
Their human nature allows them to look solely on the prize without thinking about the consequences of
taking what doesn’t belong to them. The men then decide to send one to town for food and drink.
While this trusted friend is gone, the other two hatch a plan to kill him upon his return. The man in
town has a plan of his own; poisoning the others so he will have sole ownership of the money. Indeed
there is no dignity among thieves as this double-crossing defeats all three of the men. In their attempts
to cheat Death, Death wins easily. Chaucer is pointing out that it is very easy to think that when great
things happens, one can lose focus on what is really important. Bells, shiny baubles, and bright lights, or
money in this case, may distract from the original mission and put that mission in jeopardy. The men
were on a noble quest and ultimately failed because of their greed and lust for money. Had the young
Chaucer’s Critique of Human Behavior: The Pardoner’s Tale Christine Rathje
10/18/11
English III
___ hour
men gone on to defeat Death, Death would not have been victorious in the end. Later, the money
would still be there as their reward.
Another point Chaucer makes in his Canterbury Tales involves the teller of this tale, the
Pardoner. After he tells this tale about the young men’s greed and sinning lifestyles, the Pardoner tries
to sell the pardons which are religious documents which are given freely after confession, he has
received from the Pope, which are religious documents which are given freely after confession. He
pressures the pilgrims to buy their absolution or counterfeit artifacts and souvenirs from him in order to
pad him own treasury. As a holy man working for the church, he has taken a vow of poverty, yet he
strives to cheat his parishioners to satisfy his own greed. This causes a huge disagreement between the
host and the Pardoner. The Host eventually says to the Pardoner,
I would I had your ballocks in my hand
Instead of relics in a reliquary;
Let’s cut them off, and then I’ll help you carry;
They shall be shrined within a hog’s fat turd. (p 109, lines 335-339)
Chaucer is giving a modern audience evidence that even in the fourteenth century in Europe, greed and
gluttony were haunting the country, even in the hypocritical, religious sector. The love of money and
wealth infected people like The Plague leading to corruption and fraud.
Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales are still relevant today. The Pardoner’s Tale is a not only a
history lesson about church corruption, it also is a morality tale about the evils of the love of money.
The three revelers live by their emotions, lose sight of their goals, and are lured by their lust for easy
wealth. After The Pardoner tells his story, he tries to trick the pilgrims into giving him money for phony
artifacts because he loves money. Through his timeless Pardoner’s Tale, Chaucer presents a sermon
about the evils of lusting after money to people of the 21st century.
