In the prologue the pardoner is talking to his company, explaining to the that when he preaches, his voice resembles a bell and that the service is about how greed is the root of all evil, “My theme is alwey oon, and evere was Radix malorum est Cupiditas”. (Line 333-334) He is very cocky and to the people that he is traveling with and he is very confident in himself. He tells the congregation about what he claims to be relics in the glass case. He invites anyone that has sinned to come and give money to his relics, and he tells them about tricking people and lying to them. He says “For myn entente is nat but for to wynne, And nothyng for correccioun of synne”. (Line 403-404) He only pretends to be holy and pious. Even though he knows he is guilty, he can still repel other people from sinning.
The tale of the pardoner is about three rioters who did nothing but sin, and then he talks against getting drunk. The three men were in a tavern and heard something and looked outside to see people carrying a dead person to his grave. He got someone to ask who the dead man was and he says that it was a man whose heart was broken in two by Death. Then discussed how death had taken many of their acquaintances, so they decided to find Death then slay him. They met a man who surprised them because he was still alive at his old age. The man wanted to die but couldn’t find anyone to trade his age for his or her youth. He said that it was rude for them to take like that to an old man. The old man told them where they could find death under a tree. The three men found eight sacks of gold under the tree. They sent