After the stories of the pilgrims were told, it was clear that some stood above the rest. The best were those which entertained and taught, proved a point and kept people interested. Some took the task seriously, while others just joked around. But the best of the tellers, were the ones that did both. By the Hosts parameters of good morals and amusement, the Pardoner succeeded in telling the top tale and winning the supper.
The first reason why the Pardoner told the finest tale is because he preached good morals to the listeners of the story. The moral of the danger of avarice is present, proved by the fact that the men who steal and scheme to kill, all for wealth, end up dead in the end of the story. This is a vital lesson, and although death is the most extreme form of punishment for a sin, it demonstrates a point in a powerful way. A moral preaching against gluttony is also expressed in that the men who die also eat and drink far more than they can hold (Chaucer 244). He gives background on the evils of gluttony, gambling, and swearing as well, telling that these things are bad to teach more lessons than in every other tale. The Pardoner shows the foolishness of drinking in excess by making the drunken men believe that they could kill this traitor Death and avenge their friends death (Chaucer 251). He shows the direct connection between death and avarice by having the old man tell the men that death under the tree, when all that was there is gold. This gold causes the greed to appear in the men, and it ultimately leads to their deaths. He also shows the punishment for killing when the two young murderers receive their due, so did the treacherous young poisoner too (Chaucer 256). By preaching against greed, gluttony, and murder, the Pardoner had the strongest morals in his tale.
The Pardoner also succeeded in making his story full of general pleasure to keep the audience interested, another key aspect of the winning tale. One of the ways he did this was making the main characters drunk. The picture of three drunken men trying to hunt down death is an amusing scene to say the least. The fact that it is impossible to kill death makes the idea of their attempt laughable and foolish. A scene of men screaming If we can only catch him, Death is dead! is so ridiculous that it is hard not to be entertained by it (Chaucer 251). In addition to this humor, the story is also full of suspense. Although it may be presumed that the men will die from the nature of their search and the old mans description of the gold as death, it is a mystery how the men will die. From the beginning it is wondered what will happen to the men, which holds the readers attention and interest. The ironic aspect of the story is also entertaining. The men would go as far to kill each other all for money, and in the end they lose their lives. There is no sense of having loads of money with no life to spend it. Although the Pardoners tale may not have the stupid humor of the Millers or the Reeves tale, it can be found to be much more entertaining.
The Pardoner may be one of the most deceitful and immoral characters in Chaucers collection of stories, but he is still capable of telling the best tale. It is slightly ironic that the best tale came out of a bit of spite for the pilgrims who believed the Pardoner was incapable of telling a moral story. He proved that even the worst of characters have the ability to decipher right from wrong, and teach this in an entertaining fashion.
Already have an account? Log In Now
7205