A Questionable Pardoner

Now, goode men, God forgeve yow your trespas,
And ware yow fro the sinne of avaryce.
Myn holy pardoun may yow alle waryce,
So that ye offre nobles or sterlinges,
Or elles silver broches, spones, ringes.

These lines from the Pardoner's Tale really interest me because they demonstrate the Pardoner's hypocrisy and ability to easily not practice what he preaches. He just finished telling a story of how terrible it is to lie, swear, drink, kill, and gamble following a sermon on how these things can only get you in trouble. And now, he is telling the pilgrims to donate to his greedy self in order to receive a good trip to heaven. So my question is:

How can someone so easily deceive and teach people lessons that he, himself, does not follow?

It is remarkable how he does it and the only person who catches him and objects is the Host. Afterwards, the Pardoner feels very embarrassed. I think the answer to this question is that after have living a life fueled by greed and lies, the ability to deceive his disciples is second nature to him. Without thinking, the Pardoner is able to teach people about the consequences of misbehavior, and immediately misbehaving afterward. He said in his Prologue that his entire life was filled with greed, which is an honest thing to admit and therefore he can be somewhat respected for it. But, at the same time, it is hard for me to understand how people can hear of how I man is fueled by greed and then almost simultaneously give him money. If the Pardoner needs the money, it might be smarter for him to not admit his faults. He also should be reluctant to tie this misdemeanors of his stories to his own life. The Pardoner's deceptive nature makes him a good, interesting member of the Canterbury pilgrims.

I think that this can relate to everyone as well though. Not anyone always practices what they preach. Although everyone knows what is right and what is moral, almost nobody always does the right thing. Because the thing is, everyone is always driven by a motive; and whether good or bad, big or small, these motives guide people's lives. Incentives have almost driven people to do good and bad things. The Pardoner tells a story about what happens when three people's greedy incentives lead to their doom: an almost premonition of something that might happen to him. That is why it is hard to blame the Pardoner. Yes, he is greedy and could seem evil, but he is just fueled by incentive like everyone else.

I am not saying at all that one should follow the ways of the Pardoner. I'm just saying that hatred of deceit towards him should possibly not be the first reaction when reading about him. Sympathy might be a better approach. Because in the end, the corruption of all these pilgrims can be translated into our lives, and I think Chaucer is trying to prove a point that they represent all the aspects of us, whether good or bad. (517)

The Physician

Chaucer tells us of the magnificent physician in The Canterbury Tales as well.  He claims that the doctor knows the secret behind everything, including things from sicknesses to the stars.  “He knew the cause of everich maladye,” Chaucer says. (Line 419)  Actually, he knows mostly about the stars and is considered an astrologist.  Chaucer makes it seem as if the physician is very important to the fellowship because he can help cure anything and will help every other person a great deal.  He will  gve “the sick man his boot.” (Line 424)  He is also very worldly and knows most books.  He has read over 14 books listed in the passage alone. Also, Chaucer says that he makes good choices and is very healthy.  Chaucer seems to make him clash a bit with the church man and the monk though to say that “he read but little in the Bible.” (Line 438).  But nevertheless he is made out to be very helpful and of good influence to everyone on the pilgrimage.

Thomas á Wall doing Thomas á Becket

Thomas Becket is the reason behind the Canterbury Tales.  He was the Archbishop of Canterbury in 1162, but 8 years later, in 1170, was murdered.  He had become the Archbishop after have becoming close to Theobold, and after Theobold died, Becket took over the reigns.  There was a rivalry between the Archbishop and King Henry at this point because Becket had consolidated the landed revenues of Canterbury under his control.  The two argued over the legalities and jurisdictions much until Henry threatened Becket with severe repercussions.  Becket eventually excommunicated Henry and many other bishops until, finally, the King sent four knights to Canterbury.  When Becket refused to come back to court with them, the four murdered him.  To this day, the Catholic Church reveres Thomas Becket as a saint and a martyr and keeps a shrine dedicated to him in Canterbury.  This is the reasoning for the Tales of Canterbury; the pilgrims are marching to the holy shrine.