The Pardoner's Tale: Canterbury Tales
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Questions and Answers

In the Pardoner's Tale, what is the Pardoner's stated primary motivation for preaching?

  • To instill fear of death to deter sinful behavior.
  • To acquire wealth for himself through the sale of indulgences. (correct)
  • To inspire others and lead by example, since he lives a virtuous life.
  • To genuinely save people from the sin of avarice.

The Pardoner uses the phrase 'Radix malorum est cupiditas'. What concept does the phrase refer to?

  • The importance of charity.
  • The love of God.
  • The root of evil is desire. (correct)
  • The power of forgiveness.

What initially motivates the three rioters to seek out Death?

  • A government reward for eliminating threats to the kingdom.
  • A desire to understand the mystery of life.
  • A pledge to avenge the death of their friend. (correct)
  • A quest for religious enlightenment and redemption.

How does the tavern-knave's description of Death portray him?

<p>As a swift and indiscriminate killer. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is a literary device employed in The Pardoner's Tale?

<p>Situational irony (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

The actions of the rioters in seeking to 'kill Death' can best be interpreted as an example of:

<p>Naivety and irrationality fueled by grief and anger. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What sin does the Pardoner openly admit to committing, despite preaching against it?

<p>Avarice (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Upon hearing of their friend's death, the rioters immediately:

<p>Vow to find and kill Death. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What motivates the two miscreants to agree to slay the youngest?

<p>The allure of dividing the treasure equally between themselves. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the significance of the youngest's contemplation of the florins?

<p>It highlights the corrupting influence of greed and the Devil's manipulation. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

How does the author portray the role of the Devil in influencing human actions?

<p>The Devil is given power to exploit people's vulnerabilities and tempt them towards evil. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary consequence of the young man's contentment to kill his friends?

<p>He seals his fate and loses any chance of redemption. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

How does the Pardoner use the tale of the three rioters to serve his own purposes?

<p>To promote repentance and sell pardons. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the Pardoner implying about the relics and pardons he offers?

<p>Their authenticity is questionable, and their efficacy depends on continued payments. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the Pardoner's main objective in offering absolution?

<p>To amass personal wealth. (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why would it be considered an honor to find a pardoner with sound credentials?

<p>Because it offers a convenient way to absolve sins, especially during dangerous activities. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

The old man directs the rioters to a specific location to find Death. What is the most likely reason for him doing this, based on the text?

<p>He knows that their greed will lead them to their own demise if they follow his directions. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

The rioters find a pile of gold florins. How does this discovery most directly contribute to the unfolding of the plot?

<p>It intensifies their greed and leads them to betray and kill one another. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the most significant consequence of the rioters disregarding the old man's wisdom and advice?

<p>They inadvertently find what they were looking for, but not in the way they expected. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

The rioters make a plan detailing how to kill the one who left to town. Which of the following best describes the moral implications of the rioters' plan to kill their friend?

<p>It is morally reprehensible because it is a premeditated act of treachery and murder motivated by greed. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

How does the concept of justice function within the narrative of the story?

<p>Justice is served through the rioters' self-destruction, which aligns with their immoral actions. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

The story explores different facets of punishment. What form of punishment is most evident in the rioters' ultimate fate?

<p>Self-inflicted punishment arising from their own greed and betrayal. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

If the rioters had made different choices upon finding the gold -- such as donating it, or sharing it equitably -- how would this have affected the story's central themes?

<p>It would have transformed it into a morality tale about the rewards of virtue and the possibility of redemption. (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

How does the rioters' perception of Death change from the beginning of the story to its conclusion?

<p>They transition from believing Death is an external enemy to becoming agents of Death themselves. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Flashcards

Rioters' Initial Goal

The three rioters plot to kill Death, personified as the cause of a friend's death.

The Elders' Conspiracy

The two elder rioters plan to kill the youngest upon his return from town.

Youngest's Treachery

The youngest rioter plans to poison the two others to keep all the treasure for himself.

The Youngest's Death

The youngest is stabbed to death when he returns.

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Elders Ingestion

The two elder rioters unknowingly drink the poisoned wine prepared by the youngest and die.

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Quest Fulfilled

The rioters all die, fulfilling the original quest to find 'Death'.

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Pardoner's Deal

Absolution offered by the Pardoner in exchange for money.

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Fake Items

Relics are fake items sold as holy objects.

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Radix malorum est cupiditas

Greed is the root of all evil. (Latin)

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Pardoner's Motivation

The Pardoner admits he preaches to gain money, not to save souls.

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Pardoner's Examples

The Pardoner uses stories to exemplify the dangers of avarice.

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Rioters' Sins (Oaths)

Swearing and blasphemy are common among the rioters.

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Rioters' Setting

Three rioters are drinking in a tavern early in the morning.

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Death as a Thief

Death is personified as a 'privy thief' who stealthily kills.

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Cause of Death

Death killed a friend of the rioters the previous night while he was drunk.

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Knave's Information

The tavern-knave confirms the identity of the deceased and manner of death.

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Gambler's Accusation

One gambler insists the others can't leave so easily, accusing them of being in league with Death.

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Old Man's Direction

An old man directs the rioters to a grove where they will find Death under a tree.

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Discovery under the tree

The rioters find a large pile of gold florins on the ground under a tree.

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Gambler's Claim

The gambler suggests the friend has gone to get supplies and a lot of new gold that is to be split three ways.

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Initial Murder Plot

One rioter suggests they should kill their friend upon his return so the two of them can have a larger share of the gold.

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Stabbing Plan

The first rioter details the plan to stab their friend in the back during a staged wrestling match.

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False promise

The rioter says he won't betray his friend, that he'll be true, with a plan to backstab him.

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Power in Numbers

The first rioter claims that with two instead of one, they are powerful enough to ensure the success of their plan to kill their friend.

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Study Notes

  • The Pardoner's Tale is from The Canterbury Tales attributed to Geoffrey Chaucer, translated by Nevill Coghill

The Prologue

  • The Pardoner admits to preaching solely for personal gain
  • He employs the phrase "Radix malorum est cupiditas," acknowledging that avarice (greed) is the root of evil, despite it being a vice to which he is guilty
  • He shares old stories and examples that yokels can easily grasp to persuade people to repent
  • St. Paul made baskets to gain a livelihood
  • The Pardoner desires money, wool, cheese, and wheat, even from the poorest individuals
  • He desires liquor and a woman in every town
  • The Pardoner claims ability to deliver moral tales for winning

The Tale

  • Three rioters in Flanders engaged in vice such as gambling and visiting stews.
  • They ate and drank immoderately
  • They swore oaths so blasphemous that it was a grisly thing to hear them

The Hand-Bell

  • The rioters hear a hand-bell before a coffin
  • A tavern-knave says that one of the rioters' friends died last night from Death
  • Death speared the friend's heart
  • Death killed a thousand in the present plague
  • It is best to be wary of Death
  • The publican confirms the tavern-knave's pronouncements

The Vow

  • The rioter says the group should search for Death street by street
  • The men raise there hands and make a vow to kill Death
  • They swear to live and die for one another

The Old Man

  • On the way to the village that the page and publican referenced, the rioters encounter an old man.
  • The rioter asks why he is so wrapped up except for his face, and why the old man has lived so long
  • The old man says he has been searching for someone to exchange youth for age
  • The aged man requests mother earth allow him in so his flesh and blood and skin could rest
  • The old man claims it is dishonoring to speak roughly to an old man and references holy writ to rise up before the hoary head
  • The old man tells the rioters to turn up the crooked way where he left Death

The Gold

  • The rioters find a pile of golden florins at the base of the tree.
  • The rioters send the youngest to town for bread and wine, as a solution

The Plot

  • The wickedest plans with another to kill the friend when he returns from town by faking a wrestling match and stabbing him in the back
  • They rationalize that the wealth will be easier split between two

The Poison

  • The youngest rioter thought of keeping the treasure to himself
  • He buys poison from an apothecary, claiming that he needs to kill rats and a polecat
  • The apothecary says that the poison is so potent that a mouthful, even less than a grain of wheat will cause immediate death
  • He pours the poison into two bottles of wine

The Death of the Rioters

  • The two rioters slew the youngest
  • They then drank the poisoned wine
  • All three rioters received their due for their crimes
  • Avicenna's long relation details grisly deaths caused by poison

More Pardoner

  • The Pardoner admits that he possesses relics and pardons from the Pope
  • The Pardoner would give an absolution for those in the congregation willing to pay a shilling and kneel in humbleness for pardon
  • The pardons can be renewed in every town so long as what is due is paid
  • The Pardoner advises the Host in the audience, deemed the most enveloped in sin, to be the first to pay, so that he may kiss the relics.
  • Our host rejects the recommendation
  • The Knight requests the Pardoner perk him up, look cheerly, and asks forgiveness for their actions
  • They kissed, and the group continued on their way

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The Pardoner's Tale by Geoffrey Chaucer PDF

Description

A summary of The Pardoner's Tale which is a part of The Canterbury Tales. The Pardoner admits to preaching for personal gain. The tale talks about three rioters in Flanders and their vices.

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