The Pardoner: Chaucer's Religions Diction
In "The Prologue" from The Canterbury, by Geoffrey Chaucer, the Pardoner rides with the Summoner to the Canterbury Cathedral. As a member of the clergy, the Pardoner appears to be a religious man. Through a respectful, yet condescending tone, concentrations of descriptions, religious diction, and order of appearance, Chaucer depicts the Pardoner as a religious man in church, but greedy and self-indulgence elsewhere.
Chaucer first describes the Pardoner as "gentle" as he rides with the Summoner, giving the first impression that he is a humble and shy figure (689). The description of the Pardoner’s head as having "hair as yellow as wax / hanging down smoothly" with "no hood upon his ...
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impression of "gentle" and "noble" allow the Pardoner to seem humble and nice, while he is actually his greedy, sleek nature as he sells fake relics (728).
Next, Chaucer focuses the description of the Pardoner on his head and the relics he sells. The "hair as yellow as wax," "no hood upon his head," "a little cap," "bulging eyeballs," and "no beard" reveals the particular details of the Pardoner’s head, expressing the importance of his intellect in his life (695,700,703,704,709). The detailed depiction of the relics, "a pillowcase / … [of ] Our Lady’s veil," "a gobbet of the sail / Saint Peter had," "a cross of metal set with stones," and "a rubble of pigs’ bones," express the importance of these in the Pardoner’s life and that they are actually frauds he sells (714-715,716-717,719,720). The focuses on the Pardoner’s head and the relics he sells express their importance in the Pardoner’s success and life.
Chaucer’s religious diction shows the deception of the relics and the ...
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"The Pardoner: Chaucer's Religions Diction." Essayworld.com. June 27, 2005. Accessed April 28, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Pardoner-Chaucers-Religions-Diction/29151.
"The Pardoner: Chaucer's Religions Diction." Essayworld.com. June 27, 2005. Accessed April 28, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Pardoner-Chaucers-Religions-Diction/29151.
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