The

is the second story in Fragment VI of Geoffrey Chaucer’s

, and is paired in that fragment with the

These stories share common themes of selfishness and greed, include grisly and unexpected deaths, and raise issues of morality and justice. Both also draw from the same literary source, the

which Chaucer knew and may have partly translated. The

is the better known of the two stories, and is more often taught and anthologized.

The function of a pardoner in the Middle Ages was to raise money for charitable causes by offering indulgences, or remittance of the guilt or punishment for sins, to repentant sinners. Indulgences reduce the consequences of sin for the penitent and represent a share of the

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Citation: Yager, Susan. "The Pardoner's Tale". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 12 August 2008 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=19959, accessed 25 November 2024.]