The Pardoner's Tale: Use of Verbal and Situational IronyIn “The Pardoner's Tale,” Geoffrey Chaucer masterfully frames an informal homily. Through the use of verbal and situational irony, Chaucer manages to accentuate the Pardoner's moral characteristics. The essence of the story is exemplified by the glaring discrepancy between the narrator's character and the message of his story. By analyzing this contrast, the reader can place himself in the mind of the Forgiver to account for his psychology. In the prologue of the story, the Forgiver clearly admits that he preaches only out of greed for gain. His sermons revolve around the biblical idea that "the love of money is the root of all evil" (1 Timothy 6:10). Ironically, however, the Pardoner condemns the very vice in which he lives, as he proclaims that "greed is the theme I use in all my sermons, to make people free to give money, especially to me." Thus, greed is both the substance of his sermons and the mechanism on which he thrives. He clearly states that repentance is not the central purpose of his preaching, mentioning that “my mind is set on what I can overcome and not on the correction of sin.” Rather, his main intention is to acquire as many shillings as possible in exchange for his senseless mercies. In this regard it can be argued that, although the Forgiver is evil, he is not a dissembler. His psychology is clearly not driven by hypocrisy because he does not hide his intentions under false pretenses. Chaucer clouds the genuine nature of the Pardoner's psychology in ambiguity. In the center of the paper, based on his thought processes, it is clear that the Forgiver does not practice what he preaches. It is ambiguous, however, whether the Forgiver believes what he preaches, but simply does not follow his sermons, or whether he does not believe what he preaches at all. It is evident, however, that the Pardoner has a cunning mind. He is very effective at what he does. Although he exploits the church for his own personal purposes, he manages to achieve what he seeks. The effectiveness of his strategy is confirmed by Chaucer's description of the Pardoner as a “noble ecclesiastical” and as peerless in his craft. So, amidst all his flattery, there exists a spark of genius that complements his minimal level of ethics. This intellectual refinement is the bed of the river from which all the products of his mind flow.