THE CANTERBURY

TALES:
PARDONER’S TALES
 TOPIC REPORTER'S
Background of the author Paul Ryan Azarcon

Summary/Plot Structure Ker Tacbas

Introduction of the Characters Angelyn Ortega

Settings/Conflict Lavinia Clarin

Literary Devices Ker Tacbas

Theme Lavinia Clarin

Background of the author
The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey
Chaucer (c. 1345–1400) was enormously
popular in medieval England, with over 90
copies in existence from the 1400s.
Its popularity may be due to the fact that the
tales were written in Middle English, a
language that developed after the Norman
invasion, after which those in power would
have spoken French. Continuous publication
of The Canterbury Tales since Chaucer's
death, and the inspiration it has provided for
other writers and artists, are testimony to the
enduring appeal of his characters and their
stories: proof that people's hopes and fears
– and the English sense of humour – are
little changed by six centuries of history.
 Summary /
Plot Structure
 Summary: The Pardoner’s Tale
The Pardoner describes a group of young Flemish people who spend
their time drinking and reveling, indulging in all forms of excess. After
commenting on their lifestyle of debauchery, the Pardoner enters into a
tirade against the vices that they practice. First and foremost is
gluttony, which he identifies as the sin that first caused the fall of
mankind in Eden. Next, he attacks drunkenness, which makes a man
seem mad and witless. Next is gambling, the temptation that ruins men
of power and wealth. Finally, he denounces swearing. He argues that it
so offends God that he forbade swearing in the Second Commandment
—placing it higher up on the list than homicide. After almost two
hundred lines of sermonizing, the Pardoner finally returns to his story
of the lecherous Flemish youngsters
Introduction of the
Characters
 THE PARDONER

The Pardoner is a representative of the Church who's authorized to go around selling relics and pardons
for forgiveness of sin. Although Pardoners were allowed to keep a portion of their receipts, our guy has
taken it to a whole new level. He's an unrepentant swindler and lover of luxury who makes a very good
living taking advantage of people's concern about sin and selling relics and pardons that are completely
fake. He's a master of his art who seems to be able to convince anyone of anything and he's totally
upfront with the Pilgrims about his fraudulent sales tactics. He's also a weird-looking guy, and we're
meant to understand that there's something strange about him sexually.
 THE THREE RIOTERS

These are the three protagonists of the Pardoner’s Tale. All three indulge in
and represent the vices against which the Pardoner has railed in his
Prologue: Gluttony, Drunkeness, Gambling, and Swearing. These traits
define the three and eventually lead to their downfall. The Rioters at first
appear like personified vices, but it is their belief that a personified concept
—in this case, Death—is a real person that becomes the root cause of their
undoing.
THE OLD MAN

In the Pardoner’s Tale, the three Rioters

encounter a very old man whose body is
completely covered except for his face. Before
the old man tells the Rioters where they can find
“Death,” one of the Rioters rashly demands why
the old man is still alive. The old man answers
that he is doomed to walk the earth for eternity.
He has been interpreted as Death itself, or as
Cain, punished for fratricide by walking the earth
forever; or as the Wandering Jew, a man who
refused to let Christ rest at his house when
Christ proceeded to his crucifixion, and who was
therefore doomed to roam the world, through the
ages, never finding rest.
Tavern Knave- His tone is objective and emotionally
detached. The large number of plague victims has
probably dulled the shock he feels from another death.
A serving boy..
The Publican - The publican's comments that Death
has killed an entire family - builds the danger of the
situation. The innkeeper.
Death - many people experience deaths in the book. Is
personified
Fortune - many people experience fortune. personified
The Apothecary - a pharmacist or druggist
fortune

many people experience fortune.

personified

the apothecary

a pharmacist or druggist
Settings / Conflict
Setting (Time)
The late fourteenth century, after 1381

Setting (Place)
The Tabard Inn; the road to Canterbury

Major Conflict
The struggles between characters, manifested in the
links between tales, mostly involve clashes between
social classes, differing tastes, and competing
professions. There are also clashes between the sexes,
and there is resistance to the Host’s somewhat
tyrannical leadership.
Literary
Devices
 Literary devices work alongside plot and
characters to elevate a story and prompt
reflection on life, society, and what it means to be
human.
In this short tale about eagerness, but also death,
Chaucer uses three forms of figurative language
such as irony, personification, and symbolism to
tell a story of three rioters. The Pardoners Tale is
a short story about three irresponsible men who
caused nothing but trouble.
THEME
The moral is about being greedy and
corrupt. People should by wary of
other's greed. it means that we don't
always gid what we want, We can
assume that the Pardoner is well
practiced in the art of telling this
specific tale, and he even inserts some
of his sermon into it. The Pardoner’s
point is quite obvious—his tale shows
the disastrous effects of greed.
T H A N K
Y O U !