Chaucer’s description of the Pardoner suggests he’s part of the Middle Age’s emerging middle class. He is well-dressed and groomed; Chaucer even describes him as a bit of a dandy, a man overly concerned with his appearance.
- Nobility/Ruling Class – Knight and Squire.
- Clergy – Monk, Friar, Prioress, Parson, Summoner, Pardoner.
- Middle Class – Merchant, Doctor, Student, Wife of Bath.
- Peasants – Miller, Plowman, Skipper.
- Physical Characteristics, Clothing, and Accessories.
- Words, Experiences, and Personality Traits.
The author successfully satirizes the English society by carefully ranking his characters using “degree” to classify people (Chaucer 55). The book revolves around the three main social classes, noblemen, clergy, and peasants, to which all the main characters fit.
Is the Pardoner a noble?
– The narrator gives ironic compliments to the Pardoner: -“In church he was a noble ecclesiast” (714) The Pardoner is anything but noble.
How is the Pardoner described in The Canterbury Tales?
Chaucer’s Pardoner is a highly untrustworthy character. He sings a ballad—“Com hider, love, to me!” (General Prologue, 672)—with the hypocritical Summoner, undermining the already challenged virtue of his profession as one who works for the Church.
This tale and story is often used to emphasize the moral values in our society. There are many points in the story that are based on the theme of greed being the cause of all evil in humanity and the Middle Ages was a period of great societal change in Europe.
Who is in the upper class in The Canterbury Tales?
The wealthiest class with the most respect is royalty, which is followed by the noble. Both royalty and noble had a few things in common, one being clothes made from fine materials with bright colors and fancy food covered in seasonings that were devoured by the rich and served by the poor (The Middle Ages, 2018).
Who is middle class in Canterbury Tales?
And Chaucer’s interest in middle class characters, such as a cook, carpenter, miller, lawyer, merchant, clerk, physician reflects the rise of the middle class in the fourteenth century (Collin 1).
How does Chaucer view the middle class?
In The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer depicts this rising middle class of medieval England in a positive light by joining all the classes together during the pilgrimage, by describing the variety and utility of the middle class through details of different characters, and by stressing the value of education to the middle
How did Chaucer feel about the middle class?
Although in Chaucer’s society, the middle class was not a third of the population, he felt it was important to make them a large part of his story, due to their rising importance. The Knight is symbolic of those who belong in the highest social class, or the nobility.
Is the Pardoner a clergy?
The Pardoner is another member of the clergy that has been corrupted by money and other rewards. The pardoner’s job is to read a lesson or tell a story, but often he would sing an Offertory merrily and loud to win silver from the crowd.
What is the Pardoner’s role in society?
A Pardoner is someone who travels about the countryside selling official church pardons. These were probably actual pieces of paper with a bishop’s signature on them, entitling the bearer to forgiveness for their sins.
What is ironic about the Pardoner?
The Pardoner tells a story with the intention of teaching the company that greed is the root of all evil, yet he tries to swindle them and get contributions even after he admits they are fake. This is ironic because he should be practicing what he preaches, but he does the exact opposite.
Is the Pardoner hypocritical or honest?
The Pardoner is the epitome of hypocrisy. We don’t get a better definition of a hypocrite than his characterization of himself as “preaching against what I practice.” The Pardoner attacks greed in his sermons to make his audience give up their gold to him to repent from their greed.
Is the Pardoner manipulative?
The Pardoner is known for cheating people and stealing their money through his selling of false relics. Through his tale, he manipulates his audience by inspiring repentance through his ability to evoke emotions of shame, guilt, and fear.
Is the Pardoner immoral?
Of the twenty-four existing tales, the Pardoner’s is one of the most intriguing. While he himself is an entirely immoral character, he tells an entertaining and very moral tale. The Pardoner’s moral tale, while he is immoral, is a true example of Chaucer’s ability to match tale to teller.
What makes the Pardoner so offensive?
What makes the Pardoner so offensive? The Pardoner is the most controversial of all the pilgrims for four reasons: his work, his sin (greed), his unrepentant pride, and his sexuality. The Pardoner’s job—giving people written absolution from sin—was a dubious profession in medieval Europe.
What does the Pardoner’s tale represent?
The Pardoner’s Tale is a reminder that death is inevitable.
Death is personified as a thief who pierces the heart of his victims. The tale refers to death as the person responsible for slaughtering one thousand by his hand during the plague (line 670).
Is the Pardoner selfish?
The Pardoner is portrayed as greedy and selfish (“The Canterbury”). He wants more money, food, and drink than he is entitled to (Chaucer 166). He is obsessed with money and constantly talks about it (Chaucer 154-156).
What was the noble class in The Canterbury Tales?
The nobility in The Canterbury Tales is represented by the knight, which Chaucer describes as loving, “trouthe and honour, freedom and curteisye” (46). Since the knight is a worthy defender and protector of the people, the modern-day equivalent would be our country’s police officers and military.
What is the trade class in Canterbury Tales?
Chaucer chooses to group these five tradesmen – a hat and accessories dealer (Haberdasher), carpenter, weaver (Webbe), cloth-dyer, and rug/tapestry maker (Tapycer), respectively – together in one portrait.