The Pardoner's Tale Essay

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Recommended: The general prologue to the Canterbury tales analysis

The Canterbury Tales are fictional short stories written by Geoffrey Chaucer in the 14th century after 1381 in England. The Tales’ purpose was to portray a harsh critique of certain church officials and their practices of the church in England. He was able to do this and defend himself by blaming the ideas on the characters in the Tales. The story telling started as a competition between twenty-nine pilgrims requested by the Host at the Tabard Inn. The winner will win a meal. The Host will be the judge. The pilgrims are traveling to the shrine of the martyr Saint Thomas Becket in Canterbury. It is the pilgrimage that ties all the stories together. It is important that we know what title the pilgrims had, as it will help to appreciate the satire and ironic critique of the church. Included was a Knight, Squire, Yeoman, Prioress, Monk, Friar, Merchant, Clerk, Man of Law, Franklin, Haberdasher, Carpenter, Weaver, Dyer, Tapestry-Weaver, Cook, Shipman, Physician, Wife, Parson, Plowman, Miller, Manciple, Reeve, Summoner, Pardoner, Second Nun, Nun’s Priest and Host. …show more content…

A “Pardoner” is a man of the church that people would pay money for their sins to be forgiven; however a Pardoner was guilty often of accepting money for his own greed; in other words he was a scammer. A “Summoner” was a man of the church that makes sinners come to the church court for penalties. Some corrupt Summoners would make up false citations and fear those people in bribing the Summoner to forgive their penalty. These corrupt people were working for the devil and definitely not God. Other members of the pilgrims cannot be taken as typical of their professions and definitely not spiritually

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