The Pardoner And Greed Analysis

The Pardoner as viewed by most is a greedy man. He is considered by some the epitome of greedy and a mal-intent. When he is telling his story of the three men who vowed one day to kill Death, and ended up killing each other over money, the Pardoner is inadvertently giving the audience a description of himself. The Pardoner is telling the audience that he is a man driven by greed, but a pure greed he is fearful of turning malicious. The pardoner begins by saying “I preach nothing but for greed of gain and use the same old text, as bold as brass, Radix malorum est cupiditas and thus I preach every vice I make a living out of- avarice… I have power to win them from it, I can bring them to repent; but that is not my principal intent”(Chaucer 2-10).

The Pardoner is saying that he does offer a good service, on the church may frown upon, but a good service with morals nevertheless. This is the pure greed the Pardoner is driven by, and furthermore his fear of it become malicious is revealed in his own tale, given the example of: “Trust me, no ghastlier section to transcend what these two wretches suffered at their end. Thus these two murders received their due, So did the treacherous you poisoner too…” (Chaucer 287-290). As the Pardoner finished his tale he describes the scene of the three men who killed themselves over the money and how each one got what they deserved. The Pardoner is fearful of this happening to himself, as anyone would. The pure greed of the Pardoner providing a morally just service he is driven by is ever so slightly bringing him closer to doing something reckless such as the men in his tale, and is exactly why he is fearful of turning his greed malicious. The human condition will do anything to justify what it is doing, and now the Pardoner is wary of his justification becoming too flawed and soon to turn away from his pure intent of just making