Unmasking The Pardoner’s Complex Character: A Literary Analysis Of His Attributes

The Pardoner in Chaucer’s ‘Canterbury Tales’ is portrayed as a flamboyant, deceitful, and charismatic character. His elaborate clothing, yellow hair, and smooth face exude vanity and charm, while his exaggerated gestures hint at his cunning and greed. His superficial piety and hypocrisy mask a deep-seated fear of exposure and a desire for power. The Pardoner’s manipulative nature is evident in his ability to captivate the audience, evoking a complex mix of humor, disgust, judgment, and moral reflection.

Physical Appearance of the Pardoner

In Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, the Pardoner emerges as a character of striking physical presence and apparent contradictions. Adorned in a flamboyant attire that flaunts its richness and vivid hues, his clothing speaks volumes about his vanity and self-importance. The yellow hair that frames his face and the smoothness of his complexion give him an alluring charm, suggesting a youthful and deceitful nature that masks his true intentions.

Beyond his attire and physical features, the Pardoner’s exaggerated gestures further paint a picture of an overly confident and attention-seeking individual. Every movement, every expression, seems calculated to draw attention and influence his audience. This physicality weaves an intricate tapestry that portrays the Pardoner as a complex blend of vainness, deceit, and charisma.

The Pardoner’s Enigmatic Facade:

Charming yet Cunning: The Pardoner exudes charm and charisma, drawing pilgrims into his web of deceit. His witty tongue and engaging demeanor mask the cunning that lies beneath.

Avarice and Greed: Money fuels the Pardoner’s actions, driving him to exploit the gullible. He shamelessly peddles relics of dubious authenticity, promising salvation in exchange for financial gain.

Hypocrisy Unveiled: While preaching about righteousness, the Pardoner embodies the epitome of hypocrisy. His sermons condemning sin contrast starkly with his own corrupt and indulgent lifestyle.

Superficial Piety: The Pardoner’s outward appearance of piety is merely a facade. He uses religious language and gestures to deceive, concealing his true nature from unsuspecting pilgrims.

Examples from Chaucer’s Text:

In the “Prologue” to The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer vividly captures the Pardoner’s character:

• Charm and Cunning: “With feigned laughter, his face all yellow, he tickled his neck like a nightingale.”
• Avarice: “He was a marketor of pardons everywhere, collected in Rome on a broad seal.”
• Hypocrisy: “He was a non-preacher, or a prelate, in church he sat like a noble lord.”
• Superficial Piety: “He could spin out a solemn tale, with holy counterfeited countenance.”

Throughout the tales, the Pardoner’s duplicitous nature is further revealed:

• In the “Pardoner’s Tale,” he brazenly admits to lying and tricking people, justifying his actions as “fair.”
• His “Reliquary” contains nothing of value, exposing the emptiness of his claims.
• He manipulates a group of unsuspecting drinkers, playing on their fear of death to extort money from them.

The Pardoner stands as a timeless character, embodying the dangers of deceit and the corrosive power of corruption. Through his complex portrayal, Chaucer challenges readers to examine their own motives and the true nature of piety.

The Pardoner’s Pursuit of Power and Wealth

Financial Gain as the Ultimate Prize:

The Pardoner’s primary driving force is his insatiable thirst for financial gain. Through his cunning schemes and elaborate performances, he aims to extract every penny from the gullible pilgrims. Be it through selling forged relics or exploiting their fears, the Pardoner’s avarice knows no bounds.

Fear of Exposure: A Sword Hanging Overhead

However, the Pardoner’s greed is tempered by a deep-seated fear of exposure. He knows that his fraudulent activities could land him in dire straits. This fear serves as a constant reminder of the precariousness of his situation, driving him to be ever more cautious and manipulative.

The Desire for Power: Fueling His Grandiose Schemes

Beyond his monetary pursuits, the Pardoner harbors an equally strong desire for power. He seeks control over others, manipulating them to serve his selfish interests. Through his persuasive rhetoric and charismatic performances, he captivates his audience, exploiting their vulnerabilities to achieve his own ends. For the Pardoner, power is the ultimate currency, enabling him to assert his dominance and secure his place in the pecking order.

The Pardoner’s Tangled Relationships with the Pilgrims

The Pardoner, a master of disguise and deceit, weaves a web of complicated relationships with his fellow pilgrims. Despite his flamboyant demeanor and entertaining performance, he evokes a mixture of emotions from those around him.

Respect and Contempt:

While some pilgrims superficially respect the Pardoner’s authority as a religious figure, others harbor a deep contempt for his hypocritical nature. The Host, for instance, initially addresses him respectfully, but later chastises him for his greed and dishonesty.

Pity and Envy:

Beneath the Pardoner’s confident facade lies a flicker of vulnerability. Pilgrims like the Wife of Bath recognize his desperate need for validation and feel a twinge of pity for his loneliness. Simultaneously, others, such as the Summoner, envy his worldly success and ability to manipulate the masses.

Exposure and Revenge:

The Pardoner’s relationship with the Innkeeper, in particular, takes a sinister turn. The Innkeeper, aware of the Pardoner’s fraudulent practices, threatens to expose him to the authorities. In a moment of desperation and revenge, the Pardoner attempts to poison the Innkeeper, revealing the dark depths of his deceitful nature.

The Pardoner’s Captivating Performance: Engaging Audience through Humor, Disgust, and Morality

In Geoffrey Chaucer’s “Canterbury Tales,” the Pardoner emerges as a character that both captivates and repels the audience. Through his lively performance, he elicits a complex mix of emotions, leaving a lasting impression on the reader.

The Pardoner’s entertaining antics and flamboyant attire instantly draw attention to him. His elaborate gestures, smooth-tongued speech, and boastful demeanor create a comedic atmosphere, enticing the audience with their absurdity. Yet, beneath this outward charm lies a more sinister undercurrent.

As the Pardoner reveals his cunning and greed, a sense of disgust creeps into the mix. His self-serving justifications for selling fake relics and his hypocritical prayers evoke a mix of contempt and pity. The audience is both entertained by his antics and appalled by his lack of moral compass.

However, despite his flaws, the Pardoner cannot help but captivate the audience. His storytelling abilities and ear for language create a compelling narrative that keeps the listeners spellbound. Through his vivid descriptions and clever wit, he delivers a performance that is both amusing and thought-provoking.

Moreover, the Pardoner’s character serves as a cautionary tale. His actions remind the audience of the dangers of greed, hypocrisy, and vanity. Through his downfall, he highlights the importance of honesty, integrity, and the consequences of straying from the path of virtue.

Thus, the Pardoner in Chaucer’s “Canterbury Tales” becomes a complex and unforgettable character. His captivating performance elicits a range of emotions, leaving the audience both entertained and ethically challenged. Through his antics, the Pardoner reveals the dark side of human nature while simultaneously underscoring the timeless power of storytelling.