Western Literature: The Pardoner’s Tale
By Ivana 11/3/17 Lesson 170 Gary North Ron Paul Curriculum
The Pardoner’s Tale is a story from the Canterbury Tales, a collection of fictional narratives told by a group of pilgrims. It was written in the late fourteenth century by English poet Geoffrey Chaucer.
The Pardoner’s Tale is about three corrupt and greedy men. After getting drunk at a tavern, all three swear an oath to find Death and kill him. On their way out of the tavern they encounter an old man who greets them politely. In their drunkenness, they answer him very rudely and insultingly.
The old man answers them calmly with a speech about his immortality. He directs them to a path and tells them they will find Death at the end. Instead of meeting Death, the three men come across a tree and find that there are eight bushels of gold coins underneath it. One of the men wants all the gold to himself so he buys wine and poisons it before serving it to his two companions. He buys three bottles, two he poisons, and one he keeps for himself. As soon as he returns with the wine, the other men kill him out of greed. After completing the grisly deed, they open a bottle of poisoned wine and soon died.
I think the author may have intended the old man to be Death in disguise. He cannot die and Death often takes the appearance of an old man in stories. I think the old man purposefully led the men to the gold because he knew their greed would be their downfall. Afterwards he could claim them for his own.
Idea Girl 