The Canterbury Tales: Study Guide
How do the details of the "crooked way" and that death can be found "under a tree" reveal elements of Christian imagery?
"Crooked way" means that the way of death is crooked or not straight. "Under a tree could relate to Adam and Eve or the Serpent under the tree.
What do the young men seem to have forgotten?
The gold was a distraction and they forgot about killing death.
What ironic lesson does the Pardoner's audience take from his tale and the way he tells it?
The ironic lesson the Pardoner's audience takes from his tale is that greed(avarices) or any other sin is plain evil. The pardoner shows this by showing his own sin of avarice greed.
How is the vow thy make ironic?
The irony is that death can't be killed, because it is death.
What does the knave tell the rioters happened to their friend?
The knave tells the rioters that their friend died.
Based on the advice, what moral lesson is implied?
The moral lesson from that advice is to always look out for danger.
How does the old man greet the rioters? What is his tone?
The old man greets them with kindness and a religious way. His tone is calm and shows integrity.
Make an inference: Who is the old man? What might he represent, or what purpose might he serve in the story?
The old man is homeless or poor. He is suspicious, but I think he represents just a person who is poor, or it could be a distraction from death or the journey of the rioters.
What is the pardoner's motivation for telling his tale, how is it ironic?
The pardoner's motivation for telling this tale is using his own experience of greed or other sins to bring out a moral lesson. It is ironic because he is so open about his sins, and uses them.
Explain the personification in lines 67-75
The personification is death. It explains that it is always going around and taking people like a thief.
What does the rioter accuse the old man of doing?
The rioter accuses the old an of being a spy for death.
How does the rioter respond to the old man? What is his tone?
The rioter calls the old man a fool. His tone was a rude or very offensive.
What does he demand the old man tell them before he can go?
The rioter demands the old man to tell them where death is at.
What "sales pitch" is the Pardoner making to the People listening to his tale? What emotion does he play on to try to convince them to buy his pardon?
The sales pitch he is making to people listening to the the tale is to use something cheaper or even something fake to earn more money. The emotion is most likely persuasive.
What is ironic about the attitudes of the rioters and the old man toward Death?
Their attitudes are ironic because nobody would go look for death at all, they would usually stay away from death.
A great deal of action is described in just a few sentences:(lines 264-271). How does this style device affect the story?
There is a quick shift every time. It is like a scene after a scene. It allows the story to move quicker and builds up a lot of tension.
Characterize the rioters. What have you learned about them
These rioters were terrible people. They were youngsters who had a bad mouth, drank a lot, and they gambled.
What do the tree find waiting under the tree?
They find gold under the tree.
What vow do the three rioters make to each other?
They swore to live and die for one another and to find death and kill him.
What advice do the publican and tavern-knave give the rioters?
They tell the rioters to look out or death because he killed many in the village.
Which of the seven deadly sins does the Pardoner acknowledge as his own vices?
Avarice
What does the appositive phrase, "the devil's clay," reveal about the characterization of the youngest rioter?
Clay usually refers to being shaped/changed. So the youngest rioter is being shaped by the devil.
What are the seven deadly sins?
Greed, pride, lust, anger, gluttony, envy, and sloth.
Why does the old man add "if you should live till then"?
He adds that, because he knows they won't last long. They will probably die quickly.
Why do you think the pardoner admits he preaches to make a personal profit?
He admits he preaches for personal profit because those people are not his usual customers.
How does the rioter respond to the advice?
He asks, "Is he so fierce to meet?" and then he says he is going to search for death.
Why does the rioter state that they can not move the gold by day?
He states that because if the rioters move the gold by day, people will think of them as thieves or robbers.
What do you imagine is waiting under the tree?
I believe it would be death under the tree or another adversary before death.
What are your feelings towards them at this point. Why?
I believe that they are not loyal and let the fortune get to them resulting in them killing their friend/other rioter for gold.
Based on the Pardoner's Prologue, how would you characterize the Pardoner? What is your opinion of him? Why?
I would characterize the Pardoner as someone who is very greedy and full of himself. My opinion is that he is bad, and I don't him because he is pardoning people for money.
Do you think the Pardoner's relics are authentic or fake? Why?
In the Pardoner's prologue it says that relics were sometimes fake. I believe it was fake because the pardoner wanted money and using fake relics to lure people is profitable.
How could the rioter's statement, "if we can only catch him, death is dead" be interpreted as a paradox?
It can be interpreted as a paradox because nobody can actually kill death, he isn't a human or alive.
All three rioters make frequent references to religion. This is ironic, since they are such evildoers. How do these references to religion connect the rioters thematically to the pardoner?
It connects the rioters to the pardoner, because like the pardoner, they don't care about their sin/evil doings. They do whatever they want.
Why is the reason the young man gives for buying poison ironic?
It is ironic because people who are greedy are usually rats, or little animals. The young man/youngster is buying this poison for the greedy rats.
What is ironic about line 166, "No longer was it Death these fellows sought"?
It is ironic because they believe this gold will make them rich, but it is going to kill the. Gold was a mask for death, or some type of distraction.
Review lines 178-195. In this example of indirect characterization, what do the speaker's words reveal about him?
It shows that the speaker is a person who plans well or somebody who is able to come up with a strategy(critical thinker).
What does the personification of death as a mother suggest?
It suggests that death can provide comfort from bad things in life. A mother comforts her son when they are sad.
What is irony implicit in the Pardoner's question, "Why make a sermon of it"?
Sermons usually teach lessons or something moral values. It is ironic because this story was supposed to teach something.
What do you believe the old man means when he tells the rioters that they will find death under the tree?
Since death is not physical, I believe that the old man means they would come across something that would kill them (animal, poison, etc.)
What bargain doe the two rioters make?
The bargain the two rioters make is that they will kill him by stabbing him, and each of them getting gold to spend.
What does the capital "F" in fortune tell you?
The capital "F" in Fortune lets the reader know that Fortune is part of the rioters now.
Why is the discussion between the two rioters ironic?
The discussion between the two rioters is ironic because they are planning to kill the other rioter.
What is the dramatic irony in the story, and how has it impacted your feelings toward the tree rioters?
The dramatic irony was when the rioters were told they would find death, and then they found death under the tree. The rioters were distracted and let fortune get to them.
What does the Pardoner mean when he states: "I have power to win/them from it, I can bring them to repent?"
What he means by this is that even though he commits the same sin as them, he is able to pardon them because he has that power.