Author Geoffrey Chaucer wrote “The Canterbury Tales,” a book known as anthology for its several tales, in 1392. One of the several tales called “The Pardoner’s Tale” which has a prologue and then the tale itself. In the prologue, it is mentioned that “Love of money is the root of all evil” and the tale describing how greed can lead to devastating acts and consequences. A prologue and a tale with the sense of Morality in between the lines. Leaving aside that the Canterbury Tales is six centuries old, is it still worth reading today?
At a tavern just outside of London, a group of pilgrims gathered in preparation to visit the shrine of St. Thomas Becket in Canterbury for the next day. As the next day came, each of the pilgrims were to tell two tales as a way to entertain themselves on their way to Canterbury and back. In addition, Chaucer had mentioned that the tale with the most meaningful theme will have their meal paid by the pilgrims. In order to know who’d be the first to start the tales, each drew a straw and the one with the shortest would begin. The Knight was the first to tell his story. It came down to the thirteenth pilgrim, the Physician, which his story was described as sad and gruesome. As the narrator tells, “The Host turns to the Pardoner. The more …show more content…
Greedy, slothful, lustful, and an excessive eating and drinking habit are four things that can categorize him. He mentions his occupation, “a combination of itinerant preaching and selling promises of salvation.” As he preaches, he’s also lying. “And thus I preach against the very vice I make my living out of—avarice,” says the Pardoner. “In these sermons, he shows his bag of fake relics to the congregation. He claims that sheep bones can cure ailments. The parishioners always believe him…” As he is about to tell his story, he restates the theme of his tale “Greed is the root of all