Paradox In The Pardoner's Tale

Canterbury Tale is a collection of stories in a story frame. It is a story about thirteen pilgrims traveling together to Canterbury, and they would tell two stories each on the way to the Canterbury and on the way back. Chaucer uses irony, paradox, and hyperbole to provide humor in the story, but he also use these literary devices to illustrate the society during his time period. His use of irony and paradox exposes the weakness of humanity such as their greediness and their foolishness. Ironically, the Pardoner tells a moral story about greedy is the root of evil when everyone knows he is the greediest man of all. In the Nun’s Priest’s Tale, the Priest tells a humorous irony where the fox tricked the rooster then later the fox ironically got

The whole house turned into chaos after Chanticleer was captured. The poor woman and her two daughters along with their animals came rushing to get their rooster back, but the fox was quick to make his escape. There was no way they could save Chanticleer, but ironically Chanticleer was able to break free from the fox’s mouth by tricking the fox. “The fox replying, ‘Faith, it shall be done!’Opened his mouth and spoke. The nimbled bird, breaking away upon the uttered word , flew high into the treetop on the spot (350-353, p.109)” This is another irony because there was no way Chanticleer could escape from the fox, but Chanticleer tricked fox by flattering him like what the fox did it to him. Chaucer use of irony and paradox to illustrate the weakness of humanity. In the Pardoner’s tale, the Pardoner tells a story about the three drunk rioters trying to kill this killer called “Death”. In their way to the Death, the three rioters met a poor, old man who cannot die. They accused the poor, old man to be the spy of Death and demanded Death’s location. The poor, old man instructed,“If it be your design to find out Death, turn up this crooked way towards the