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[alert-success] Critical appreciation of the Pardoner in Chaucer's General Prologue[/alert-success]
Introduction :
Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales begins with the General Prologue, where he introduces a group of pilgrims going to Canterbury, as a token of gratitude towards St. Thomas Becket. The Pardoner is one among them. Chaucer gives a detailed and ironic description of him in the prologue.
"Some poor up-country parson to astound…
He’d win more money in a day than the parson in a month."
His Personality: Smart but Hypocritical
Chaucer describes the looks of the Pardoner. He has long, thin, yellow hair that hangs like rat-tails, and his face is smooth, with no beard. His voice is described as high-pitched like a goat’s. These features make him seem effeminate or even unnatural for a man, especially for someone who works for the Church.
"His hair was yellow as wax, and hung as smooth as flax…
Thin it lay, by strands one by one…
He had a voice as thin as a goat’s."
These unusual features raise doubts about his character. Chaucer even hints that he might be sexless or morally empty, symbolizing a lack of true spiritual power.
The Pardoner is supposed to help people confess their sins and give them pardons from the Pope. But Chaucer shows that he is corrupt. He carries fake relics, such as pieces of cloth or animal bones, and claims they are holy. He uses these to fool and cheat simple believers, the common laymen.
"And with these relics, when he found"
A Critique of the Church
The Pardoner never cares about people’s souls; instead, he only cares about making money. This makes him a symbol of the corruption in the Church during Chaucer’s time.
Even though the Pardoner is dishonest, Chaucer admits that he is a very good preacher and singer. He sings loudly during mass because he knows that a beautiful voice will get more donations. He knows exactly how to manipulate people’s emotions to get their money.
"But best of all, he sang an Offertory,"
Chaucer uses irony to highlight the implied hypocrisy of the Pardoner, who speaks about moral values but does not follow them himself. He preaches against greed, yet he is greedy himself.
His Skill: A Good Speaker, But a Liar
Chaucer presents the Pardoner as someone clever and confident. He knows exactly what he is doing. He admits his tricks openly, but still continues them. This makes him a hypocrite, a mix of charm and danger, making readers both interested and uncomfortable.
"For well he knew when that song was sung
He’d have to preach and give the people tongue."
Through the Pardoner, Chaucer is not just criticizing one man. He is showing the bigger problem of corruption in the Church. People like the Pardoner use religion to gain wealth and power, rather than to serve others. Chaucer uses satire to expose how religion can be misused.
Conclusion
The Pardoner is one of the prominent character in the tale. His appearance, actions, and personality all work together to create a figure who is both entertaining and alarming. Chaucer does not just tell us that the Pardoner is bad—he shows it through clever descriptions and irony. The Pardoner remains a warning about hypocrisy, greed, and the misuse of power, especially in religious settings.
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