Chaucer's View of the Pardoner as a Character

Chaucer's View of the Pardoner as a Character

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 un...

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...oner 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.