SUMMARY AND REFLECTIONS ON THE PARDONER'S TALE

from http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0b/William_Blake_Pardoner_cropped.jpg

     Of the tales that I've read from the Canterbury tales, the pardoner's tale interested me the most. Not only that it is humorous and interesting, it also gives us an idea of what people do at that time: (1) the people drink beer or wine as a part of their daily lives without being called alcoholics (drinking is a part of their daily lives), and (2) a pardoner is a person who supposedly collects pardons and other stuff for a living. The tale also shows what form of writing is circulated throughout that period. The language of Canterbury tales is middle English, or chancery standard. If you will read Canterbury tales as it is( middle English language), you will certainly be challenged, but it is fun to read because of the unusual words you will encounter, and because of the difficult language you will read, you will seeketh thee thy easier version. 


This is my summary of the pardoner's tale:

     Three drunken men overheard a funeral procession and they inquire a servant about the matter. The servant said that their friend was killed by a murderer named Death. They wanted to kill the person in retaliation and traveled to the other town in pursuit. They met an old man who said that he was cursed to wander around the earth until a youth changes places with him. The old man goes on to say  that not even Death will take his life. The drunken men asked him if he had seen Death, and he replies that Death was last seen under the tree at the end of the road. The drunken men found the tree but Death was not there. Instead, they saw bags of gold, this which they decided to keep for themselves. They drew straws and the youngest was the one who is to obtain their food. While the youngest was gone, the two drunken men who were left thought that they should keep the youngest man's share of gold for themselves. They decided to stab him. The youngest, on the other hand, wants all the gold for himself. So, he poisoned the food so that when they eat it, they will die. The youngest was stabbed and he was killed, and the other two died from poison. 


My Reflections:


     I find the two drunken men who were left behind the tree very stupid. If they had escaped with all the gold, they would have the gold and they would not have died. They all died because of their greed. Also, I believe that Death was really last seen in the tree. There could have been men before them that killed each other because of greed, so Death could be last seen in the tree. 
     The old man's personality intrigues me, as he said that he is cursed to wander around the earth until a youth changes places with him. I think that he may be Death, because he lead the drunken men to kill each other. He knew that man have an unquenchable greed that they cannot control, so he lead them to the tree.
     I believe that Chaucer is very brilliant, and his insights can be seen in the tale.