Essay on Chaucer's Canterbury Tales - Evil Exposed in The Pardoner's Tale

The Root of Evil Exposed in The Pardoner's Tale

"The root of all evil is money." Because this phrase has been

repeated so many times throughout history, one can fail to realize the

truth in this timeless statement. Whether applied to the corrupt clergy of

Geoffrey Chaucer's time, selling indulgences, or the corrupt televangelists

of today, auctioning off salvation to those who can afford it, this truth

never seems to lose its validity. In Chaucer's famous work The Canterbury

Tales, he points out many inherent flaws of human nature, all of which

still apply today. Many things have changed since the fourteenth century,

but humanity's ability to act foolish is not one of them. Perhaps the best

example of this is illustrated in "The Pardoner's Tale." His account of

three rioters who set out to conquer Death and instead deliver it upon each

other, as well as the prologue which precedes the tale, reveal the

truthfulness of the aforementioned statement as it applies to humanity in

general and the Pardoner himself.

Before he even begins his tale, the Pardoner delivers a sort of

disclaimer, informing the pilgrims of his practices within the church.

The Pardoner was an expert at exploiting parishioners' guilt for

his financial gain. He sold them various "relics" that supposedly cured

ailments ranging from sick cattle to jealousy. And if the relics didn't

seem to work, it was obviously because of the sinful man or woman who

purchased them, and no fault of the Pardoner. He had a few lines he would

routinely say to his potential customers;

"Good men and women, here's a word of of...

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...aucer does a great job of pointing out flaws of human

nature, as well as the hypocrisy of organized religion. He

shows in several ways that money is indeed the root of evil. In addition

to the obvious message of "The Pardoner's Tale", Chaucer also paints a

vivid picture of the Pardoner's character and uses this to further

reinforce his point. By examining both "The Pardoner's Tale" and the

Pardoner himself, it isn't hard to see that the statement continues to ring

true just as it did 500 years ago: The root of evil is money.

Works Cited and Consulted

Chaucer, Geoffrey. The Pardoner's Prologue and Tale. In The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Ed. M.H. Abrams et al. 6th ed. 1 vol. New York: Norton. 1:164-178.

French, Robert Dudley. A Chaucer Handbook, 2nd ed. New York: Appleton Century Crofts Inc., 1955.