July 21, 2013

The Canterbury Tales
“General Prologue”

The “General Prologue” of The Canterbury Tales introduces the reader to many colorful characters. Of these characters, the Pardoner is the analysis of choice. He was a member of the “of those who pray” estate, and was employed by the Church, joining the group on their pilgrimage to Canterbury. One must first understand a pardoner’s true role in the Catholic Church. A pardoner would, according to the lecture, represent a charity. People could lessen theirs or a loved one’s time in Purgatory by donating money, an earthly sacrifice, to the pardoner’s chosen charity. He would also carry with him Indulgences, signed by the Pope, which allowed him to grant forgiveness of sins to a sinner willing to pay a sacrificial sum to the Church. The group’s pilgrimage to Canterbury was yet another way to do penance for sins and thus lessen time spent in Purgatory. Chaucer’s Pardoner, as described by the narrator, was observed to be a shady character. His profession was one that many of Chaucer’s time were beginning to question anyhow. The idea of paying the Church for forgiveness equated to them as no different from being required to pay their way into heaven. The Pardoner did nothing to alleviate their uncertain thoughts and suspicions with his looks, words and actions. The narrator begins his description of the Pardoner with the Pardoner singing a questionable duet with the Summoner. It says, “And he would loudly sing ‘Come hither, love, to me!’” (Chaucer 671-672). These words appear to be calling to a love interest or anyone who might respond to his invitation. A man representing the Church should be respectful, and his appearance should be above reproach. He should not be singing songs of dubious intent at the top of his lungs while on a religious pilgrimage. Chaucer quickly moves on to the Pardoner’s looks. He describes him as having long, yellow, stringy, greasy hair, and says the Pardoner thought he was in the latest fashion. He tells the reader the Pardoner had no facial hair and then speculates as to whether “he was a gelding or a mare” (Chaucer 691). The position of pardoner within the Church can only be held by a man, but Chaucer is cheekily questioning the Pardoner’s manhood. When considering the previous description of long hair and smooth face, the narrator is saying the man is so feminine that it’s difficult to tell if he is a man or a woman. With the use of the word “gelding”, he could be suggesting a couple of ideas. The first idea is he may be suggesting the Pardoner is a eunuch. A eunuch is man who has been castrated (like a gelding), and if done early enough in his life, would make him less manly, both in appearance and internally. Another idea is the use of the word gelding is a play on words, and he does not mean it literally, but figuratively. He could be letting the reader know how he feels about the Pardoner, and he feels he is an ineffective and useless man. I believe it is a combination of the two. Because he says he does not know if he is a castrated male or a female, it implies a lack of respect and purposeful insult. The narrator progresses to the Pardoner’s work and business practices. It is said the Pardoner was just returning from Rome. “He had his bag before him in his lap, brimming with pardons hot from Rome” (Chaucer 686-687). The use of the words “brimming” and “hot” give the statement a sarcastic tilt, almost as if the narrator questions the Pardoner’s motives. One might wonder why this would be odd as it was not unusual for a Pardoner to have Indulgences on their person; they were part of the job. If this particular pardoner were crooked, the fact that the bag was sitting on his lap and was “brimming” may imply the Pardoner was advertising his inventory to all the passing pilgrims. If he were advertising, then his motives were to sell forgiveness for money, and he considered the