Why does the pardoner begin his tale with references to dancing girls of ill repute only to move on to the story about greed?

Answer 1

The Pardoner launches into a tale about greed after the passage that tells about how he would like to cash in on religion in any way he possible can. The Pardoner's Tale is one of the stories in The Canterbury Tales which was written by Geoffrey Chaucer.

Answer 2

The Pardoner starts his tale with references to dancing girls of ill repute to grab the audience's attention and set a sordid tone. This contrasts with the moral lesson on greed that he intends to deliver in his story, creating a jarring juxtaposition that highlights the hypocrisy of his own character. It also serves to demonstrate the power of storytelling and manipulation in conveying a moral message.

Answer 3

He does a "bait and switch" in order to comment on his listeners' dishonesty about what they really want.

Answer 4

He thinks his audience members aren't being honest with themselves.

The narrator does not respect the people he's talking about.