The Pardoner's Tale
Which six of the seven deadly sins is the Pardoner guilty?
-greed (avarice) -envy -gluttony -lust -pride -sloth
How are "the youngsters" in the tale described?
-using vulgar language or humor -riot and gambling -drinks and celebrates noisily -hateful -practices blasphemy
Who killed their friend? How many has he killed lately?
Death; a thousand (the plague is going on)
What were the men searching out in the first place? Did they find it?
Death; yes, they found Death because they died
What kind of tale does the Pardoner say he is going to tell? Why is this ironic?
a moral tale; this is ironic because he is very immoral
What do the rioters find under the tree? What have the young men already forgotten?
a pile of gold florins (coins); that they are trying to find Death and kill him and that Death is under the tree
What is an exemplum?
a story that teaches a moral lesson
What is the Pardoner's main vice?
avarice (greed)
What is the meaning of line 74 ("Be on your guard with such an adversary")?
be clean of sin so if you meet Death you can go to heaven
Why is the old man offended by the rioters?
because the rioters greet him rudely; they are telling him he looks old and that it is time to die
What is the third rioter who goes to town planning on doing to the other two so he can have the money? How does he plan to accomplish this?
giving them poison in a cup to drink so it will kill them; he will give them the poison in a cup and tell them it is wine and then they will drink it and die
What does the Pardoner mean when he says he can "win them from sin?" Why does he do this for them?
he has the power to resolve their sins; he does this for money
What personification of death does the old man offer? Why?
he is personifies death as a mother; because he is getting closer and closer to dying and wants to die
What is the Pardoner selling?
pardons
What impossible task do the rioters want to do? Why is this silly?
search for Death and kill him; this is silly because Death has killed a thousand people and can kill all of the rioters
Who does the Pardoner anger by saying he should be driven first?
the Host
What do they hear going by when they are drinking in the tavern? What do they want to know?
the hand-bell clink; whose corpse is in the coffin passing by
Who tries to alleviate the situation? What does this say about his character?
the knight; he is a peacemaker
What helpful information does the old man give the rioters?
the location of Death
What happens to the third rioter when he returns? What then happens to the other two?
the third rioter is stabbed by the other two; the other two drink the poison to celebrate, and then they die
What killed the 3 rioters?
their greed
What are the two men planning to do to the "lucky man" that went to town? Why?
they plan on stabbing the third rioter and split the gold between only 2 people (themselves); they do this so they can be rich and spend their money
Why does the Pardoner choose to tell this particular tale?
to remind the people of how sinful they are and that Death is just around the corner
Where did the old man say Death was?
under a tree
