A-Z: "P" is for "The Pardoner's Tale" in The Canterbury Tales.

The A-Z challenge today features the letter "P" and since I have some momentum with the other tales, I decided to discuss "The Pardoner's Tale" from Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales.

The Pardoner is a manipulative, arrogant fool who is traveling with the other pilgrims to Canterbury.  He's a sinner by his own choice which he freely admits to the other travelers.  As a pardoner he sells his divine pardons to all, including this group.  Basically, he's a self-proclaimed absolver of sins. Okay, any one up for confessing anything to that guy?  Uh...no.

He tells a tale about three young men and goes on a tangent about the carousing the young embark on i.e. drinking, partying and gambling.  In short, the young are often a target for the devil and usually fall victim to gluttonous pastimes like the ones mentioned above.  These three young men choose a life of crime and with each passing day, their sins increase.  One day as they plan to steal gold, two of the thieves decide to kill the third guy to increase their lot.  The dastardly duo devised a plan and then waited patiently.  The third unsuspecting thief had a similar idea and decided his take would be greater if he killed the other two partners.  He chose poison as his weapon and purchased some to do the deed.  Now, wouldn't you know that they all ended up killing each other?  First, the two stabbed their young friend and to celebrate they drank his tainted wine.  HAH!  How's that for karma? 

Afterwards the Pardoner boasts the importance of purchasing pardons to repent from being sinners or becoming victim of the devil's works.  He's has no shame which you can read for yourself (The Pardoner's Tale verses 442-455):

442  Now, good men, God forgive you each trespass,
443  And keep you from the sin of avarice.
444  My holy pardon cures and will suffice,
445  So that it brings me gold, or silver brings,
446  Or else, I care not- brooches, spoons or rings.
447  Bow down your heads before this holy bull!
448  Come up, you wives, and offer of your wool!
449  Your names I'll enter on my roll, anon,
450  And into Heaven's bliss you'll go, each one.
451  For I'll absolve you, by my special power,
452  You that make offering, as clean this hour
453  As you were born. And lo, sirs, thus I preach.
454  And Jesus Christ, who is our souls' great leech,
455  So grant you each his pardon to receive;

The Pardoner...he has some nerve, huh?  Are you becoming a fan of Chaucer yet?  Are my posts too long winded?  

Mina B.

A-Z: "O" is for Oswald the Reeve from Canterbury Tales

"O" I can't believe I've made it this far.  It's the A-Z challenge, guys and "O" is for "Oswald," the Reeve/Steward in The Canterbury Tales.  In the prologue before the tale, we learn Oswald is bitter about the nasty tale that the Miller told.  See my posts Part 1 & Part 2 if you want a recap.  It appears The Reeve used to be a carpenter and since The Miller's tale centered around the blundering carpenter named John, then Oswald swore he would tell a better tale about a Miller.  According to Oswald, Millers are usually drunken cheats so straight away, we know Chaucer is about to deliver a doozy on behalf of our inebriated Miller.

In a town there is a Miller that has a wife and a little son and young, not-so-lovely daughter.  He's known in his lands to cheat his customers of grain and two young scholars, Allan and John, promise to outsmart Simkin, the Miller. They bring grain to be milled to Simkin who immediately deciphers their MO.  He decides to outsmart them in return and slips away unnoticed while the two young men keep a watchful eye on the milling process.  Simkin releases their horse to the fields and when the men's grain is finished, they discover their horse is gone.  Both men abandon the original grain-observing mission to scour the countryside for the horse.  After capturing the horse it's night and Simkin let's the young men stay the night for a price.  The home is very small and so everyone sleeps in the same room.  Disgruntled by being screwed by the miller, Allan decides to screw Simkin's daughter and slips in her bed.  John ends up doing the same but with his wife and when dawn comes, you can imagine what a scene that was.  Here's the end of the Reeve's revengeful tale (verses 396-404) where the Reeve gets his final word:

396  Of Alain, and of John, who've tricked him well.
397  His wife is taken, also his daughter sweet;
398  Thus it befalls a miller who's a cheat.
399  And therefore is this proverb said with truth,
400  An evil end to evil man, forsooth.
401  The cheater shall himself well cheated be.
402  And God, Who sits on high in majesty,
403  Save all this company, both strong and frail!
404  Thus have I paid this miller with my tale.

Don't you love how the personalities of the pilgrims like Oswald (the Reeve,) come out in their tale-telling?  Okay, we get it, Oswald.  You don't like the Miller.  

Mina B.