The story opens with three rioters learning of a young mans fatal end caused by Death. The three men get very upset that Death is killing so many of their young people. Together they set out to find and kill him. It is ironic that only the readers understand that they will not be able to find an actual being named Death to kill. The readers might feel that the men are being foolish throughout the story.
A second ironic situation in the Pardoner’s tale, is when the rioters pledge to protect one another. Soon after this declaration they find a large sum of money and automatically start plotting against each other. It is ironic that they promised to kill and fight for one another but so quickly allow money to turn them against each other. The reader may feel that the three men inevitably found Death once all of their plotting was carried out.
The Pardoner’s telling of the story, itself, is very ironic. Chaucer describes the Pardoner as a very devious and scheming man. It may not seem ethical that the Pardoner can tell a story with a moral lesson such as the destruction of greediness, when he is a greedy man. He is a man of the church who is dishonest like many others in The Canterbury Tales. One of Chaucer’s main goals is to uncover the corruption in the church.
The Pardoner’s tale has many ironic situations throughout its duration. The relationship between his tale and himself is ironic. Irony is also shown in his story by the three men searching for Death and pledging to fight and kill for one another. The reader can conclude that the three rioters did allow greed to be their final destruction. They may also see that the Pardoner may have the same fate.
