Discuss Chaucer S Approach To The Problem

Essay, Research Paper

In the The Pardoner s Prologue and Tale Chaucer s approach to evil and death are most apparent. Chaucer shows the Pardoner as being evil in all his actions. In the introduction of the book, Chaucer: The Pardoner s Prologue and Tale s valid information is given as to how Pardoners were seen in Chaucer s time. They were seen as quite evil. Pardoners plotted their evil deeds under the good name of the church. Chaucer leaves it to the Pardoner himself, to tell the reader exactly what a scoundrel he is.

In the Prologue, Chaucer s Pardoner tells us that he preaches in churches and that he always preaches the same sermon, which he knows by heart, on the text “Radix malorum est cupitidas which means Greed is the root of evils”. Later in the Pardoner s Tale Chaucer shows evil in work and death as the result of this greed.

The evil pardoner has an under-handed relic-business that, he boasts, brings him a hundred marks a year in private income. Therefore, by playing on the tenderest fears and feelings of his congregation, by terrorism, hypocrisy, cajolery, bribery, and blackmail, the Pardoner got as much money that could be coaxed or torn from the poor and superstitious. The Pardoner has composed this wonderfully powerful Tale (sermon) in such a way as to move his hearers to the utmost. Only his motivation in doing this is not love (a desire to save them from their sins) but vice (a desire to make them anxious so that they give him much money).

Chaucer portrays the idea that the Pardoner s solitary aim for preaching is to get people’s money. This can been seen when he says, For myn entente is nat but for to wyne,/ And no thyng for correction of synne. (403-404).

The Pardoner expresses total indifference to the fate of their souls in a mocking reference to eternal damnation as ‘goon a blackeberyed’. The only other reason he has for preaching is hatred: to attack and defame someone who has dared insult him.

The Pardoner explains that avarice is his own vice and at the same time the vice he preaches against with such powerful effect may cause people to repent of their avarice sincerely. Chaucer portrays him as being so cold hearted that he does not care if he takes from very poor people, so that their children starve, so long as he can enjoy himself. This can be seen in the following lines 447 to 453:

I wol none of the Apostles countrefete;

I wol have moneye, wolle, chese, and whete,

Al were it yeven o fthe povereste page,

Or of the povereste widwe in a village,

Al sholde hir children sterve for famyne.

Nay, I wol drynke licour of the vyne

And have a joly wenche in every toun.

As the Tale begins, he preaches not only against love of money as such, but attacks all the ‘tavern sins’ of drunkenness, swearing, and gambling. He attempts to illustrate that the end of such deeds is death.

The pardoner makes reference to death in line 491 when he says To sleen the Baptist John, ful giltelees. There he draws reference to the John the Baptist s death by the order of Herod. Herod was drunk and had been indulging in one of the vices spoken of in this tale, drunkenness. It was this vice that allowed him to make such a poor decision. (Priestley 102) Death, he makes it clear, is the result of indulging in vice. He also says that people who live in vices are really dead, this can be seen when he says, But certes, he that haunteth swiche delices/ Is ful of stryvyng and of wrecchednesse. (447-448)

Later on Chaucer mentions Attila, the great conqueror, who died in his sleep with shame and dishonor, bleeding at the nose in drunkenness. Again, it is shown that there is no honour to be gained by indulging in vices. It is even worse when death meets you and you are in this state of dissolution. This can be seen in the following lines, Loooke, Attila, the grete conquerour,/ Dyede in his sleep with shame and dishonour,/ Bledyng at his nose in dronkenesse. (579-581)

Then in the beginnings of the tale the three rioters see a corpse being carried by and they find out that the person was slain that night, dead drunk. Ther cam a privee theef men clepeth Deeth,/ That in this contree al the peple sleeth, The man who is carrying the corpse goes on to warn the rioters of Death and calls it an adversary. He also told them to look for it at all times and to be ready to meet it at any time. Chaucer uses personification here as he portrays Death as a person. He approaches death from the angle of an enemy that one must always be aware of and in wait for. (unknown Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia)

The rioters say that they will slay death in line 699 And we wol sleen this false traytour Deeth. If they can catch Death they will kill him. Here it is seen how Death is again portrayed as a person. It is an entity that may be found if it is sought after!

The rioters then come face to face with the Old Man at the stile who longs to die (because his life is over and his conscience is at peace), who chides the rioters for their violent language and insulting attitude towards him. Then he prays that God will bring them repentance. Then one of them asks the Old Man to show them where Death can be found. The Old Man then directs them toward the grove where, he says, Death awaits them.

When the rioters see the gold they forget that it was De

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