Canterbury Tales

The Pardoner is guilty of avarice (greed) along with the three rioters in "The Pardoner's Tale." They all exhibit sinful behavior such as deceit, drunkenness, and excessive desire for wealth, which leads to their downfall in the story.

The Canterbury Tales is a collection of 24 stories written by Geoffrey Chaucer in Middle English. The length of the entire work varies depending on the edition and translation, but it typically ranges from around 17,000 to 18,000 lines of verse.

The Wife of Bath's Tale ends with the knight deciding to marry the old woman, granting her sovereignty over their relationship. As a reward for his answer to her question about what women desire most, she transforms into a young and beautiful woman, symbolizing the knight's growth in understanding and respect for women. The tale concludes with the couple living happily ever after.

The Pardoner begins by describing his trade of selling pardons and indulgences, highlighting his deceitful practices and manipulation of people's faith for personal gain. He boasts about how he tricks people into purchasing worthless relics and indulgences by using scare tactics and fake stories.

In "The Pardoner's Tale" by Geoffrey Chaucer, the number mentioned as the pardoner's favorite number is thirteen. This number is ironic given the negative connotations associated with the number thirteen in Western superstition as it is considered unlucky.

Chanticleer's crowing was described as "as loud as an abbey's clock."

Chaucer suggests the Pardoner is vain by describing him as being without a hood or hat, exposing his long, flowing hair that he believes makes him look more attractive. This detail highlights the Pardoner's preoccupation with his appearance and vanity.

Chaucer uses physical description to imply that the Pardoner is deceitful and untrustworthy, as a lack of hood symbolizes dishonesty and lack of integrity. This detail adds to the Pardoner's characterization as a manipulative and hypocritical figure within "The Canterbury Tales."

In Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, the Oxford Cleric is a peasant-born student who is more rich in knowledge than money. Quiet and reserved, the Cleric borrows what money he can from his companions to spend on books--and he always repays his debts: "An Oxford Cleric, still a student though / Once who had taken logic long ago, / Was there; his horse was thinner than a rake, ' And he was not too fat, I undertake / But had a hollow look, a sober stare; / The thread upon his overcoat was bare. / He had found no preferment in the church / And he was too unworldly to make search / For secular employment. By his bed / He preferred having twenty books in red / And black, of Aristotle's philosophy, / Though a philosopher, as I have told, / He had not found the stone for making gold. / Whatever money from his friends he took / He spent on learning or another book / And prayed for them most earnestly, returning / Thanks to them thus for paying his learning. / His only care was study, and indeed/ He never spoke a word more than was need, / Formal at that, respectful in the extreme, / Short, to the point, and lofty in his theme. / The thought of moral virtue filled his speech / And he would gladly learn, and gladly teach" (Canterbury Tales, the Prologue)

Chaucer portrays the Pardoner as disheveled to suggest he is deceitful and untrustworthy. His unkempt appearance mirrors his corrupt moral character, emphasizing the hypocrisy of his profession as a seller of indulgences.

The characters in The Canterbury Tales were traveling to the shrine of St. Thomas Beckett at Canterbury Cathedral to seek forgiveness, healing, and supernatural aid. This pilgrimage was a common religious practice during the medieval period and served as a way for individuals to show their devotion to saints and seek divine intervention.

The Pardoner is a morally corrupt character who prioritizes monetary gain over ethical behavior. By selling fake relics, he exploits people's faith and beliefs for his own profit, showing his willingness to deceive others. This behavior underscores his greed and lack of integrity.

An important question raised by "The Pardoner's Tale" is the nature and consequences of greed. The tale explores how the characters' greed leads to deceit, betrayal, and ultimately death, prompting readers to consider the impact of greed on individuals and society as a whole.

A portrait believed to be of the Plowman from Chaucer's Canterbury Tales is included in the Ellesmere Manuscript, which is housed in the Huntington Library in San Marino, California.

You can contact the Canterbury council by visiting their website to find contact information for different departments, by giving them a call, or by visiting their offices in person. They may also have forms or email addresses available for inquiries.

Friar Hubert is a minor character in Geoffrey Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales." He is a well-dressed, jolly friar who is skilled at begging for donations and enjoys socializing with the wealthy. Despite his jovial exterior, Friar Hubert is depicted as corrupt and deceitful, using his charm to manipulate people into giving him money.

Chaucer seems to dislike the Doctor's materialism and greed. He criticizes the Doctor for being more interested in financial gain than in genuinely helping his patients. The Doctor's focus on making money from his medical practice rather than on providing care and healing is what Chaucer disapproves of.

Chaucer uses the pilgrimage in "The Canterbury Tales" as a device to bring together a diverse group of characters from different social classes and backgrounds. The setting of the pilgrimage provides a framework for the characters to tell their stories, which reflects the complex and multifaceted nature of medieval society. This device allows Chaucer to explore themes of social commentary, satire, and human nature through the interactions and narratives of the pilgrims.

Chaucer describes the Pardoner's hair as rat-tails primarily to emphasize the Pardoner's untrustworthiness and deceitful nature. The comparison to rat-tails suggests that his hair is slimy and repulsive, reflecting the Pardoner's own moral corruption and lack of integrity.

An Oxford cleric is a scholar or student at the University of Oxford, typically specializing in theology or philosophy. They were often depicted in literature as earnest, learned individuals devoted to their studies.

In The Canterbury Tales, the term "commission" refers to a specific task or duty given to a person by someone in authority. It can involve carrying out a mission, seeking information, or completing a task on behalf of another. The concept of commission is often intertwined with themes of responsibility, loyalty, and honor in the stories of the pilgrimage.

The character who prefers philosophy to riches in The Canterbury Tales is the Clerk. He is described as a poor scholar who devotes himself to studying and learning, valuing knowledge and wisdom above material wealth.

The plowman in The Canterbury Tales is described as wearing a tunic made of a course material called "fustian." He also wears a hood and boots, which suggest his humble and practical nature as a hardworking laborer.