The Pardoner's Tale
getting pardons
How can people be freed from this sin?
they're disrespectful
How do the 3 friends treat the old man?
he will kill death; they ignore the warning
How does the rioter respond to the publican and the tavern-knave's warning?
death
One of the spies suggests that the old man is a spy...for whom is he a spy?
to run to town and get food and wine
The men draw straws - what are they determining that the longest straw will have to do?
they agreed to kill the one that left to town
Two men are left by the tree: what do they decide to do?
greed (avarice)
What "sin" does the Pardoner preach against?
the Bubonic Plague
What are people dying of in this tale?
to kill
What are the old man and death conspiring to do?
They were sitting in a tavern for a drink; long before 9am
What are the three rioters doing? What time is it?
they ask him why he's still alive at his old age
What do the men say to the old man?
they will find death before others do
What do the three thieves agree to do?
a pile of gold florins
What do the three thieves find under the tree?
treat old people with respect and kindness
What does "holy writ" (scripture) say about how people should treat old men?
poison
What does the young thief buy from the apothecary?
he wants poison to kill his friends and get the gold
What does the youngest thief want?
they accidentally drink the poison and die
What happens to the two men?
the other two men kill him
What happens to the young thief when he gets back to the tree?
a pharmacist/druggist who creates herbal remedies
What is an apothecary?
cautious
What is the tone of the tavern boy?
drunk
What state was he in when he died?
under a tree
Where does the old man tell them to find death?
he will stab him
While one wrestles the man who left, what will the third man do?
death; he speared him through the heart
Who "murdered" the man and how?
A friend of the rioters'
Who is in the coffin?
literally - Mother Nature, symbolically - Mary; to die
Who is the old man's "mother"? Why is he knocking at her door?
people would call them robbers
Why can't the thieves move the treasure during the day?
God gave them treasure for their good behavior
Why does the wickedest think they've been given a treasure? Who is it from?
to be ready to meet Death
Why should they be on their guard?
duplicity
deceitfulness; double-dealing
vanity
excessive pride in or admiration of one's own appearance or achievements
personification
giving human qualities to non-human things
greed
intense and selfish desire for something, especially wealth, power, or food.
gambling
play games of chance for money; bet
pride
the quality of having an excessively high opinion of oneself or one's importance
dramatic irony
when the audience knows something the characters do not
