An Hundred False Lapses More

“By this gaude have I wonne, yeer by yeer,

An hundred mark sith I was Pardoner.

I stonde lyk a clerk in my pulpet,

And whan the lewed peple is doun y-set,

I preche, so as ye han herd bifore,

And telle an hundred false Iapes more.”

These six lines from the Pardoner's Tale are very interesting.  These lines illustrate exactly who the Pardoner is.  Basically, the Pardoner is admitting to the fact that he makes a lot of money off of a scam.  He declares that he tells "a hundred lies" to people and by doing this makes about a hundred gold coins a year.  I find these lines interesting because although they show the deceptive nature of the Pardoner, they also demonstrate his honesty.  He admits to the reader the basis of his scam.  He tells the reader that he is fake.

Furthermore, the following lines are very interesting.  They show the hypocritical nature of the Pardoner.

“But shortly myn entente I wol devyse;

I preche of no-thing but for coveityse.

Therfor my theme is yet, and ever was—

“Radix malorum est cupiditas.”

Thus can I preche agayn that same vyce

Which that I use, and that is avaryce.

But, though my-self be gilty in that sinne,

Yet can I maken other folk to twinne

From avaryce, and sore to repente.

But that is nat my principal entente.

I preche no-thing but for coveityse;

Of this matere it oughte y-nogh suffyse.”

Basically, the Pardoner admits to preaching out of sheer greed.  He declares that the reason why he preaches about how the love of money is the root of all evil is so that he can preach about the "same sin that I myself indulge in."

This demonstrates a meaningful quality to the Pardoner.  He almost has two personas.  One that realizes the evils of society and works to point them out and fix them, and one that indulges in these evils.

But why is the Pardoner such a hypocritical character?  Did Chaucer mean to write about such a conflicting character?

I think that the conflicting beliefs of the Pardoner make him the character he is.  Without these conflicting ideas, the Pardoner would be an average, boring character.  The reader becomes so interested in the Pardoner because he is so real, so human.  His conflicting beliefs represent the contradictory nature of humans and the societies that govern.