Here's the thing about the Pardoner’s Tale, one of the most famous stories in Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, explores themes of greed, death, and morality through a grim parable told by a corrupt church official. Understanding what is the resolution of the Pardoner’s Tale requires examining how the narrative concludes, the fate of its characters, and the deeper message Chaucer embeds in the ending. This article explains the resolution clearly, analyzes its literary meaning, and answers common questions about the tale’s conclusion.
Introduction to the Pardoner’s Tale
The Pardoner’s Tale is framed as a sermon in story form, delivered by the Pardoner—a religious figure who admits to selling fake relics and indulgences for profit. He tells three riotous young men in a tavern that they can find Death, who has been killing people in the area. The men set out to kill Death but instead encounter an old man who directs them to a tree where they find a pile of gold florins And that's really what it comes down to. Simple as that..
The story builds on the idea that radix malorum est cupiditas (greed is the root of all evil). The three men, who began as brothers in revelry, quickly become enemies because of the discovered treasure. To understand what is the resolution of the Pardoner’s Tale, we must see how their bond collapses under the weight of avarice It's one of those things that adds up..
The official docs gloss over this. That's a mistake Not complicated — just consistent..
Summary of the Plot Before the Resolution
Before reaching the resolution, the tale follows this sequence:
- Three friends hear a funeral bell and learn a companion died from a mysterious figure called Death.
- They swear to slay Death and ride out drunk and angry.
- An old man wishes to die but cannot; he tells them Death is under a nearby oak tree.
- At the tree, they find not Death but eight bushels of gold coins.
- They decide to wait until night to move the gold secretly.
Two of the men stay to guard the treasure while the youngest goes to town for food and wine. This setup leads directly to the tale’s fatal conclusion.
What Is the Resolution of the Pardoner’s Tale?
The resolution of the Pardoner’s Tale occurs when the bonds of brotherhood are destroyed by greed, fulfilling the old man’s implication that Death was among them all along. The sequence of the resolution is as follows:
- The youngest man buys poison in town and plans to kill the two guards so he can have all the gold.
- He returns with wine, and the two older men ambush and stab him to death.
- The two murderers then drink the poisoned wine meant for their brother, dying instantly.
- All three lie dead next to the gold they murdered for.
Thus, the resolution of the Pardoner’s Tale is the simultaneous death of all three protagonists, who each sought to outwit the others for wealth and instead fulfilled the prophecy of Death. The gold remains unclaimed under the tree, and the tale closes with the Pardoner turning to his audience to sell pardons, revealing his hypocrisy.
Scientific and Literary Explanation of the Ending
From a literary perspective, the resolution is a classic example of dramatic irony and poetic justice. The men went looking for Death as an external enemy, but Chaucer shows that Death was internal—born from their own greed. The resolution reinforces the Pardoner’s stated theme that greed is the root of evil And that's really what it comes down to. That alone is useful..
Structurally, the tale follows a circular narrative:
- Beginning: Death is reported as a killer abroad.
- Middle: Men seek Death and find gold.
- End: Men become their own Death through greed.
Psychologically, the resolution demonstrates how sudden wealth removes trust. Each character assumes betrayal is inevitable, so they strike first. This mirrors modern studies on resource competition where perceived scarcity or hidden motive triggers preemptive aggression.
Why the Resolution Matters in Medieval Context
In Chaucer’s time, sermons often used exempla—short stories with moral lessons. The Pardoner’s Tale is an exemplum taken to extremes. The resolution served as a warning to medieval listeners that:
- Worldly treasure leads to spiritual ruin.
- False fellowship breaks under sin.
- Death comes to all, especially the greedy.
The fact that the Pardoner then asks the pilgrims for money shows the gap between teaching and practice, a critique of church corruption in the 14th century The details matter here..
Key Characters and Their Roles in the Resolution
Understanding the resolution also means knowing who caused it:
- The Three Rioters: Represent youth, recklessness, and greed.
- The Old Man: A symbolic figure of patience and acceptance; some scholars link him to Death or a hermit.
- The Pardoner: Narrator who uses the tale to manipulate others, though the story’s truth still stands.
Each rioter’s plan to betray the others forms the chain that ends in the resolution’s triple death Easy to understand, harder to ignore..
Step-by-Step Breakdown of the Resolution
To make it simple, here is the resolution in clear steps:
- Youngest rioter leaves for town with intent to poison brothers.
- He purchases rat poison and mixes it into wine bottles.
- Two older rioters agree to stab him upon return.
- Youngest is killed by the two at the tree.
- Older rioters celebrate with poisoned wine and die.
- All three dead; gold untouched; moral confirmed.
This stepwise collapse is the answer to what is the resolution of the Pardoner’s Tale in its most literal form.
Themes Revealed in the Resolution
The ending is not just about death but about human nature:
- Greed destroys unity: Brotherhood means nothing against coins.
- Self-fulfilling prophecy: Seeking Death brings Death.
- Hypocrisy: The teller profits from a truth he ignores.
These themes make the resolution timeless and frequently taught in schools Easy to understand, harder to ignore..
FAQ About the Pardoner’s Tale Resolution
Does the Pardoner regret the tale? No. He admits his relics are fake but still offers them for sale after finishing the story.
Is Death a person in the tale? Death is mostly symbolic. The old man says Death is under the tree, but the tree holds gold—showing Death is the consequence of greed Worth knowing..
Why do all three die? Each chooses betrayal. The poisoned wine and stab wounds are instruments, but greed is the true killer.
What happens to the gold? It is left beneath the tree, unspent, emphasizing that material wealth cannot save life.
How long is the tale? The Pardoner’s Tale is roughly 900 lines in Middle English, but its resolution is compact and decisive.
Conclusion
In short, what is the resolution of the Pardoner’s Tale is answered by the grim finale in which three men who sought to defeat Death are killed by their own avarice. The youngest poisons wine to murder his brothers, the brothers stab him first, and all drink the poison and die. Chaucer uses this resolution to teach that cupiditas is fatal, while also exposing the Pardoner’s own moral failure. The gold remains under the tree, a silent witness to the cost of greed. The tale endures because its ending is both a warning and a mirror, showing readers that the death we fear may be the one we carry inside Worth knowing..
The cyclical nature of the betrayal ensures that no character escapes the consequences of their own design. Plus, by intertwining the physical act of murder with the spiritual corruption of greed, Chaucer transforms a simple cautionary tale into a complex psychological study. The resolution serves as the ultimate irony: the men go looking for Death to settle a score, only to find that Death was waiting for them in the very gold they sought to possess The details matter here..
In the long run, the power of the resolution lies in its lack of ambiguity. There is no redemption for the rioters, no moral lesson learned in time to save them, and no ambiguity in the Pardoner’s intent. Through this grim conclusion, Chaucer leaves the reader with a chilling realization: the most dangerous enemy is not a personified specter under a tree, but the insatiable desire for more That's the whole idea..
