Examine the poetic methods which Chaucer uses to present the sin of avariceChaucer uses a variety of methods to present his views on sin and avarice, which gives us an insight intothe contemporary views of the Catholic Church in Medieval England. Their belief is that avarice was a sin of excess, much like drunkenness and gluttony. These were closely linked with the seven deadly sins and Medieval Englands view was that those guiltyof such sins were heading to eternal damnation. The opening section of the Pardoners narrative is outlined by a letter in the Bible which contains;Radix Malorum est Cupidatas-Greed is the root of all evil. Ironically, this foreshadows the Pardoners sinful behaviour throughout the rest of the tale yet highlights the medieval view on the sin of avarice.Chaucer uses the tale of the three rioters and their untimely deaths to show the consequences of committing such sins as avarice. Chaucer highlights their excitement at finding the treasures through the use of anaphora and excalmatio in the tale-And lightly as it comth, so wol we spende. Ey! Goddess precious dignitee!.By emphasising their excited tone, he strains the idea of being drawn into sin (in particular avarice) through every day temptations. The blasphemous comment from the rioter Goddess emphasises how one sin leads to another, illustrating how the need for excess blinds you to every daymorals. Chaucer highlights how easy it is to be tempted by sin but through their deaths, he shows the consequence of this. The appealing language Chaucer applied to the treasure-faire; brighte; precious hordeemphasises its attractiveness to the rioutoures, again emphasising how easy it was to be tempted into sin. It is this attractive and optimistic language that creates such irony within the tale, as their excitement at finding such treasure results in their untimely deaths, ultimately highlighting the medieval view of the sin of avarice; fundamentally leads to condemnation.In Medieval England, avarice was seen as a curse because it took peoples attention away from the things that would actually save them for eternal life in Heaven. Chaucer presents the Pardoner himself as being worthy of condemnation through the use of superlativesto stress the extent of his avaricious nature- Al were it yeven of the povereste page/ Or of the povereste widwe in a village.The Pardoner gloats about his wealth and his readiness to take money off the poorest people in the village, demonstrating his hypocrisy regarding avarice. The repetition of povereste underlines his disgusting greed for excess and illustrates the lengths he would go to make money.Chaucer's memorable rhyming ofwynne'(to make money) andsynne'neatly encapsulates the theme asChaucer deliberately links these two words to highlight their connection with each other thus reinstating that greed equates with sin. Through the avaricious role of the Pardoner, we understand how Chaucer presents the medieval attitudes to the sin of avarice. Chaucer opens the statement with direct speech- Bretheren, quod he, taak kep what that I seyeThis directly engages the audience, gauging their attention and encouraging them to think deeply about the consequences of sin. Bretheren suggests language of brotherhood which is ironic as avarice ultimately turns them against each other. Chaucers effective use of the rhyming couplet is used to make explicit the contradiction inherent in the Pardoner, Thus kan I preche again that same vice/ Which that I use, and that is avarice.Again, by putting these two words together he is cleverly linking the two to show their connection- avarice is closely linked to the seven deadly sins, which in Medieval England was seen as evil. The enigmatic language between the three riotoures is significant in showing that their greed for excess has already started to take a toll on their relationship,slyly, prively. Between each other, avarice has blinded them of their friendship, highlighting the consequences of committing such sins thus illustrating the medieval view that avarice leads condemnation.

Chaucer creates a direct parallel between the Prologue and the Tale emphasising the Pardoners avaricious attitudes before telling a tale which warns against sin.The Pardoner echoes the rioutoures lust for wealth throughout the prologue, calling for an offering ofnobles or sterlinges/ Or ells silver brooches, spoones, ringes. The sibilance insterlinges, silver spoones creates a rich ambiance which makesus connect wealth with greed and avarice. It is important to note that despite the Church being an institution designed to reflect Christ, it was the great wealth accumulated by the Church and the clergymen in the 14thcentury that instigated the Pardoners obsession with excess. Chaucers use of irony in the misapplication of religious language to the acquisition of the Treasure;Heigh felicitee, makes a direct link to the Medieval Church highlighting that their great happiness came from wealth and excess rather than religion. This was intentionally done by Chaucer to highlight the hypocrisy within the Medieval Church, thus advocating Chaucers antipathy for avarice.The swift pace of the tale illustrates how the rioutoures avarice causes them to rushheadlong towards their doom; Shal renne tothe town, and that ful swathe,Chaucers use of parenthesis heightens the rapidity of the rioutoures actions, creating a thrilling yet sinister atmosphere which ultimately foreshadows the rioutoures untimely deaths. Chaucer uses language of doom and condemnation throughout the Pardoners tale, honge, slay, traitor, levere die; in Medieval England people would have believed that death was directly related to the committing of sins and by using connotations of death inThe Pardoners Tale, Chaucer establishes the importance of keeping free from sin in Medieval England, thus highlighting the medieval view on avarice. Chaucer begins the phrase with a call to action:"Bretheren," quodhe, "taak kep what that I seye.This is in order to create a more conversational tone and engage his audience. Ironically, he is establishing a sense of trust between the Pardoner and the audience which again gauges their attention allows him to continue his criticism of the greed of excess. It is ironic in that the Pardoner consumes himself in avarice, which is a more realistic view of Medieval England; even those supposed to be religious were guilty of sins such as avarice.Chaucers use of positive connotations directly parallels with the ending of the tale, creating a sinister tone; mirth, jollity. The contrast in tone to that of the beginning of the extract and that of the end, highlights how all of the deaths are caused by the rioutoures avarice;For which anon they storven bothe two.Chaucer makes a direct contrast between the positive beginning and ominous ending of the tale to make the idea of avarice more condemning and sinister, ultimately highlighting the medieval view that avarice led to death. In Medieval England, poverty was seen as a positive state, in contrast to avarice. This belief is illustrated by Chaucer,fair a grace. By emphasising the rioutoureshappiness at their wealth, the tale is made much more disturbing as their wealth is what kills them, thus agreeing with the medieval view that poverty was a better outcome. Irony again shines through as the Pardoner who preaches about poverty, is the one with the most money; creating a more realistic view of avarice in Medieval England.The three rioutoures are used to show the dire consequences of sin and this is evident in the progression of their friendship;And two of us shul kepen subtilly This tresor wel / And twoof us shul strenger be than oon-The began as friends but their need for excess drove them to be enemies and ultimately killed them all. The Medieval view of avarice is highlighted by the three riouroturs; avarice leads to condemnation and death.Overall, Chaucers presentation of the Pardoner and the tale of the three rioutoures overtly encapsulates the medieval view on avarice through the use of irony and vivid connotations to death. The fact that the rioutours die in such an ominous way (by poison) is more telling in that sin doesnt just lead to death, but to eternal damnation. The Pardoner himself embodies avarice through his manipulation of the audience and his hypocrisy when telling about the importance of sin before performing the very act. Chaucer displays the Pardoner as greedy and manipulative, which shows that he wants to associate these attributes withsin and excess, thus emphasising the medieval (and his own) personal views on avarice. It is a fair argument to state that avarice, despite being depicted as sinful, was performed by Religiousofficials even though it was religion that supported such views regarding sin. This makes Chaucers adaptation of avarice more realistic as it was a more accurate portrayal of the time. It is obvious that Chaucers view on avarice was that it led to condemnation and death and this is made evident through his expressive language and deathly imagery.

Cora Kelly