Transcript “The Pardoner’s Tale” How can irony be an effective tool to

“The Pardoner’s Tale”
How can irony be an effective tool to
both teach and manipulate?
“I will eviscerate you in fiction.
Every pimple, every last character
flaw. I was naked for a day; you
will be naked for eternity."
How
does Chaucer eviscerate the
pardoner in “The Prologue” of The
Canterbury Tales?
What does it mean to be “naked” for
eternity? Is it literal or figurative?
Explain.
A Knight’s Tale

As you watch the clip answer the
following questions:


1. Do the Summoner and Pardoner match your
vision? Explain.
2. What details tell you they are corrupt,
hypocritical members of the church?
What does the Pardoner always preach
about?

Sin of Greed and “The Love of money is
the root of all evil”
IRONY

Situational


Verbal


The opposite of what is expected to happen
occurs
The opposite of what is meant is said (sarcasm)
Dramatic

The reader knows something the character does
not
Chaucer’s words
And with these relics, any time he found
Some poor up-country parson to astound,
On one short day, in money down, he drew
More than the parson in a month or two,
725And by his flatteries and prevarication
Made monkeys of the priest and congregation.
But still to do him justice first and last
In church he was a noble ecclesiast.
The Pardoner (lines 689-734)



Compared to Summoner—
together they sing a song
about lustful love
Has yellow waxy hair
hanging down on his head
thin like rat-tails; has
bulging eyeballs; small
voice like a goat; no beard
Wore a little cap
Personification of evil; sells holy
relics and favors to pardon people
form all their sins to ensure
purgatory; extorts money from
people by preaching against having
money; has repulsive physical
features; special skill is singing at
the offertory to extract money.
So, what is ironic about…
In church he was a noble ecclesiast.
AND So, what is ironic about…

His sermons:


Sin of Greed
“The Love of money is the root of all evil”
EQ: How can irony be an effective tool to
both teach and manipulate?




What is Chaucer teaching?
How is he manipulating?
What is the Pardoner teaching?
How is he manipulating?
Allegory

a narrative with both a literal and
symbolic meaning.

Exemplum: an allegory that uses an example
to make a point.
“The Ship of Fools”
“The Ship of Fools”
The Canterbury Tales Religious Allegory


Literal meaning
Symbolic meaning
“The Pardoner’s Tale” as an Allegory
Exemplum

a narrative with both a literal and
symbolic meaning.

Exemplum: an allegory that uses an example
to make a point.
Archetypal Narrative Elements
Element
Characters, events, and
other things that come in
threes
A test of characters’ moral
fiber leading to their
destiny
A mysterious guide who
helps point the way
A just ending that rewards
good or punishes evil
Example from text
How can allegory be an effective
tool to both teach and
manipulate?
How does the Pardoner both teach a
lesson and manipulate?