The Pardoner's Greed The pardoner, in The Pardoner's Tale by Geoffrey Chaucer, is a devious character. He is a man with great knowledge of the Catholic Church and a great love for God. However, despite being someone who is looked at with respect at the time, the pardoner is nothing more than an impostor who makes his living by deceiving people into believing that forgives their sins, and in exchange for grace, takes their money. His sermon-like stories and fake relics deceive the people of the cities he visits and make him seem like a plausible man, which is exactly what the pardoner wants. Indeed, the Forgiver is a miserly and deceitful character whose driving force in life is his motto, “Radix malorum est cupiditas,” which is Latin for “greed is the root of evil.” The Forgiver's entire practice is based on his motto and is motivated entirely by greed. The pardoner is supposed to forgive sins, however, he sees his position as a money-making scheme and turns it into a fraud. His excellent oratory skills allow him to turn this profession into a scam. He attracts people with his narratives and sermons, which appeal to them: "By God, I hope you will say one thing / That will probably be to your liking" (457-58). An example of a sermon on his motto is the story of the three rioters. This tale provides an ironic explanation regarding the death of the rioters, due to greed and the exercise of his profession by the pardoner, which is also driven by greed (Rossignol, 267). He tells people what they want to hear, so he can lure them into his trap and then defraud them of their money. His technique to deceive people is to preach on the topic “Radix malorum est c...... middle of paper...... live. The forgiver submits to his theme “Radix malorum est cupiditas”. His theme becomes reality and he allows greed to take control of his life. Just as Jesus lived his life living in eternal life, the pardoner lives his life dying in eternal death by committing his acts of greed and deceiving people in the name of God. Works Cited Brewer, Derek. “The Canterbury Tales”. An introduction to Chaucer. New York: Longman Inc., 1984Hussey, S.S. “The Canterbury Tales II.” Chaucer: An Introduction. New York: Methuen & Co., 1981 Pichaske, David R. “The Pardoner's Tale.” The Canterbury Tales Movement: Chaucer's Literary Pilgrimage. New York: Norwood Editions, 1977 Rossignol, Rosalyn. “The Forgiver's Tale”. Chaucer from A to Z: the essential reference to his life and works. New York: Facts on File, Inc., 1999