The Pardoner in the General Prologue

Begin by reading a brief introduction to The Canterbury Tales.

The Pardoner is companion to the Sumnour, the two forming a convenient alliance: the Sumnour, as an employee of the ecclesiastical courts, is responsible for bringing charges against persons who transgress canon or church law. The Pardoner, on the other hand, collects “charity” in exchange for the remission of sins. He sells papal indulgences to the transgressors. The Sumnour accuses, the Pardoner forgives, the cycle of guilt and redemption providing ample opportunity for exploitation.

Examine the description of the Pardoner in the GP: “This Pardoner hadde heer … soong the merierly and loude” (lines 677-716). Based strictly on this description, what can we say about the Pardoner as a character?

The Pardoner in his Prologue

By the time we get to the Pardoner’s prologue and tale, then, we are not surprised to find a somewhat unsavory fellow. The first words out of his mouth form one of the empty oaths against which he goes on to preach. Agreeing to comply with the Host’s request that he tell his tale, the Pardoner swears, “It shall be doon … by St. Ronion” (l. 32)—possibly a pun on “runnion” or “penis”—and then immediately follows with the condition that his efforts be rewarded first with food and drink.

This opening speech (ll. 1-40) captures the Pardoner’s chief qualities. Examine this speech and briefly identify these qualities.

This candid disclosing of his true character concludes with the Pardoner reaching for wine before he proceeds: “but I moot thinke / Upon som honeste thing whil that I drinke” (ll. 39-40) suggests that only while inebriated can the Pardoner act or speak in a manner approaching honesty, perhaps because a sober and conscious recognition of the chasm which divides his professed vocation from his actual behaviour would be for him unbearable. And yet he does seem to be fully aware of the contradictions in his character, and possesses a cynicism so astonishing that he cares not a bit about the damnation of his own soul, never mind that of others.

As we examine the Pardoner, then, we must account somehow for the fact that his hypocrisy is on full display. Do hypocrites proudly and openly acknowledge their hypocrisy? Of course not. For hypocrisy, in the modern sense of the term, is precisely a hiding or denial of the truth about one’s beliefs and behaviors. Indeed, the original meaning of hypocrisy, “through” or “behind the mask,” applied to actors in the theater of ancient Greece. It suggests a kind of duplicity or doubleness in which the person we see conceals the person underneath. But when the person we see openly reveals his unsavory attitudes and behaviors—when the “hypocrisy” is part of rather than merely behind the mask—what is there left to conceal? What, if anything, does the Pardoner try to hide from us —and perhaps from himself? This is the central challenge confronting us as we try to make sense of this fascinating character.

Examining the remainder of his Prologue prior to the tale proper (ll. 41-174), comment on the Pardoner’s qualities. Identify specific passages that enhance our understanding of his character. Which passages do you find most striking, and why?