Examples Of Irony In The Pardoner's Tale

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The Pardoner’s prologue and tale both present the readers with various examples of irony. Chaucer’s focus on irony primarily lies within the corruption of religious figures. Even though Chaucer remains consistent with this observation, Geoffrey also has the pardoner tell a tale that is ironic in itself.
The first example of irony is the very apparent difference between the telling of a moral tale and how its alignment with the Pardoner's lifestyle. The Pardoner is very hypocritical and preaches that ‘greed is the root of all evil,’ which is indisputably the Pardoner's most commonly committed sin. In his line of work he often gives sermons on the dangers of avarice, but he does not do this out of some intrinsic motive, it is for the soul desire