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British Poetry Digvijay Pandya, Lovely Professional University

Notes Unit 15: The Prologue to the Canterbury Tales

(Non-detailed Study): Discussion and Analysis-VII

CONTENTS

Objectives
Introduction

15.1 The Pardoner’s Tale
15.1.1 Introduction to the Pardoner’s Tale

15.1.2 The Pardoner’s Prologue

15.1.3 The Pardoner’s Tale Text
15.2 The Shipman’s Tale

15.2.1 The Shipman’s Tale Text
15.3 Summary

15.4 Keywords
15.5 Review Questions

15.6 Further Readings

Objectives

After studying this unit, you will be able to:
• Explain the prologue and text of the Pardoner’s and Shipman’s tale
• Describe briefly the analysis of the tales.

Introduction

The wicked practices of the pardoner were, unfortunately, widespread in the medieval Catholic
Church. However, the Pardoner is so openly and gleefully and unashamedly wicked that he himself
serves a sermon against these practices. His tale is totally in keeping with his character. The form of
The Pardoner’s Tale, an allegory, is one with which medieval audiences would have been completely
familiar. In an allegory, the characters personify abstract qualities; the plot is meant to teach a moral
lesson. In this case, Avarice, Gluttony, and Sloth meet Death at their own hands, in other words, these
vices lead invariably to spiritual death. This particular allegory had many versions in Eastern and in
Western literature and was frequently enacted as a morality play. Therefore, it is not attributed to any
single source. Chaucer’s version is the one that has survived. It has become one of the most widely
read and best loved of The Canterbury Tales.
The Shipman is clearly bored with morality. He wants nothing of a sermonizing nature in his tale; its
only purpose is to entertain. His tale is another example of fabliau, with its emphasis on trickery and
sex. Like many of the other tales, this one centers on a theme of marriage. The beautiful wife in this
story manages both her husband and Don John by bestowing her sexual favors with enthusiasm to

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