Both stories identify qualities of their story
tellers--this is Chaucer's main purpose since he repeatedly tells us that he is only
reporting what he sees and hears, so "don't be mad at
me."
In "The Pardoner's Tale," the Pardone is employed by
the church to give pardons to those who have sinned. As a church employee, one would
expect him to be honest, humble, and full of a servant's heart. However, as Chaucer
loved to point out, the church was full of hypocrisy, and this Pardoner was no
exception. He sold fake trinkets to innocent and ignorant people, robbing them of what
little money they had. He also was not as pure as he seems in his description since he
uses his looks, his position, and his singing voice to de-flower pretty little
maids...although he finds them husbands later.
In his
tale, he preaches against the vice of greed as well as rebukes young people who do not
respect their elders. Three young men have been drinking, and decide to get revenge on
Death for killing their friends in the plague. They are rude to an old man who tells
them where to find Death. Under the tree, instead of Death, they find money. They
decide to keep it, and send the youngest for refreshments. While he is gone, the other
two plot to kill him and divide his share; he is also plotting to keep the money for
himself. In the end, they all die under the tree (thus finding Death after all). Greed
doesn't pay; and perhaps if they had been more kind to the elderly gentleman (whom some
critics believe is Death in disguise), they would have ended up in a happier place. It
is ironic that the Pardoner preaches against the very vices he possesses as a
person--greed, disrespect, dishonesty just to name a
few.
The Wife of Bath is a colorful character who has
married many times. Some critics hint that perhaps she has murdered her husbands as she
tells us in her prologue that one beat her, one cheated on her, etc. She married them
"at the church door" because of the company she "kept in her youth." She was not
allowed to marry in church due to her lack of purity. However, she likes to travel and
be considered an equal in her marriage. She is very wealthy as a result of all her
marriages, and presumably, she is on the trip looking for husband number
six.
Her tale is exactly what we would expect from her as
an independent woman. The Knight rapes a young virgin, and is brought to the court for
judgment. The King decides to put him to death, but the Queen asks to be allowed to
deal with him. She and her ladies tell him to find "what women really want" and return
in one year and a day to give his answer. He travels the world and can't find two women
to give the same answer. Finally, he discovers an old woman who promises to help him if
he will grant her what she wants. He agrees. She tells him that women want
control--the Queen agrees. The old woman wants to marry the knight. Begrudgingly, he
does so without the usual pomp and circumstance. The woman rebukes him for being cold
and judmental. She tells him he can choose--she can be lovely and unfaithful or ugly
and faithful to him. He gives her the choice; because he does this, she decides to be
lovely and faithful...his reward for giving her the control.
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