In the Pardoner's Tale, Chaucer presents the Pardoner in a particular light, and being a religious figure, this allows him to
In the Pardoner's Tale, Chaucer presents the Pardoner in a particular light, and being a religious figure, this allows him to make a general statement about religion at the time. Chaucer's view of the Pardoner as a character, and also as something to epitomise religion at the time, is evident from his use of vocabulary, his style, and by using strong imagery and description. In this way, Chaucer builds the character of the Pardoner as someone who is ironically deceptive and driven by his own selfish motives.
A key theme that runs throughout the Pardoner's Prologue is religion, and as the Pardoner's proper role is to act as an intercessor between those who wish to repent and God himself, it is appropriate that Chaucer uses a great deal of religious lexis. There are many examples of this all through the text, such as when he mentions that the Pardoner carries 'Bulles of popes and cardinals' or 'official documents' signed by popes and cardinals. The plural use of the word 'popes' reveals a lot about the Pardoner in that it immediately shows his disregard and contempt for the clergy. Religiously, there is only meant to be one Pope and pluralizing the word devalues the pro-noun to a simple noun. The lack of determiners only further degrades the Pope as it shows no differentiation in these religious figures and others. They are simply the same and en masse, whereas, believers of the religion would disagree and be of the opinion that the Pope is the highest religious authority, but the Pardoner brings him down to basic levels and standards.
Another example of lexis related to religion is when the Pardoner says 'I stonde lyk a clerk in my pulpet'. This simile uncovers his hypocrisy and how he manages to deceive his audience. The use of a simile in itself suggests that though he acts the part of a religious dignitary, he is not this at all. He is simply 'lyk a clerk', but not a real one. Therefore, he succeeds in deceiving people by appearing to be so, but this image is only surface deep. Internally, the Pardoner is no such holy man. In both these examples, ...
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Another example of lexis related to religion is when the Pardoner says 'I stonde lyk a clerk in my pulpet'. This simile uncovers his hypocrisy and how he manages to deceive his audience. The use of a simile in itself suggests that though he acts the part of a religious dignitary, he is not this at all. He is simply 'lyk a clerk', but not a real one. Therefore, he succeeds in deceiving people by appearing to be so, but this image is only surface deep. Internally, the Pardoner is no such holy man. In both these examples, Chaucer exposes him as the deceitful and deceptive character that he is.
Chaucer's style of language is also indicative of the Pardoner's personality and attitudes. He generally uses a mocking tone that carries an ironic and witty sense of humour. However, it must be remembered that this was written at a time when there was much social restriction in what can and cannot be written, therefore the humour is kept subtle. It is usually evident when the Pardoner himself is speaking and so this informs the reader about his character. An example of this is when he says 'Al had she taken prestes two or three'. During the previous lines, the Pardoner has professed that he carries a cure for jealousy, though the husband may know of the wife's unfaithfulness and now says even if she had taken two or three priests as lovers. This is expected to produce an outburst of laughter and the Pardoner is played like an expert comedian. He builds up the semantics line by line to keep his audience amused. He does this at the expense of the clergy as he ridicules them, making a mockery of priests by preaching their immorality and not taking their authority seriously. Chaucer makes him look more like an entertainer than a pardoner and this clearly shows his shallow personality.
Chaucer uses imagery to good effect to help build the Pardoner's character. These images are simply generated by the use of words with certain connotations. There is an evident cooking theme, though this seems irrelevant at face value, it is ironic that imagery related to cooking has been used, as he has linked this theme to that which the Pardoner introduces, i.e. the theme of greed. The Pardoner mentions that he uses Latin 'To saffron with my predicacioun', or give 'flavour' to his preaching. There is an implication of spicing up his sermon, therefore building it on eloquence rather than any substantial moral lesson. The Pardoner is undoubtedly an excellent orator, but this only serves to hide his deceptive nature and to seduce his audience. As saffron is a spice that is usually used for colour, its use here is interesting as it further suggests that using Latin has no deep meaning or purpose but it is used superficially. The Pardoner goes on to say 'for to stire hem to devocioun.' Cooking imagery is also present here, by using the word 'stir', which implies that something is being brewed, i.e. greed and gluttony. Chaucer uses these subtle devices to reinforce a selfish and ill-motivated portrayal of the Pardoner.
In addition to this, there is also imagery related to religion and Satan in particular. This is expected as there is a heavy theme of religion throughout the tale and wrongdoings are labeled 'synnes' and so forth. One example of this imagery is when the Pardoner states, 'Thanne wol I stinge him with my tongue smerte.' And also at another point he says, 'Thus spitte I out my venym, under hewe Of hoolynesse, to semen hooly and trewe.' The words 'stinge' and 'venym' are associated with snakes, which are in turn associated with danger and deception, and in particular this hints at the serpent of Eden who caused Adam to fall into sin, according to the biblical creationist story that was prevalent at the time. In this way, Chaucer depicts the Pardoner as a deadly deceiver, attacking his audience with his poisonous 'venym', which comes in the form of sermons.
Juxtaposed images are effective in yet again reminding the audience of the Pardoner's greedy and gluttonous personality. He mentions that he will earn earn a profit, even if it is at the expense of 'the povereste wydwe in a village, Al sholde hir children sterve for famyne.' This further highlights the principle attribute of the Pardoner and Chaucer does not let his readers forget it as he gives continuous reminders throughout the text.
Chaucer is not always so subtle in his presentation of the Pardoner. Near the end of the prologue, the Pardoner boldly asserts that 'though myself be a full vicious man, A moral tale yet I you telle kan.' The pardoner describes himself as we have aready been made to see him by Chaucer's other techniques and here he admits it shamelessly, which only adds to the readers' negative impression of him, in that he is not only deceptive, deceitful and 'vicious' but he also has no regret or remorse for his actions and attitudes, hence he is unlikely to change. It is ironic that the Pardoner admits to this characteristic of his and then claims that he will still be able to tell a moral tale, although his admittance also shows that he is aware of this irony.
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