Irony is the contrast between how things are and how things should be. This literary technique is used in The Pardoner's Tale to show how corrupt the Pardoner is. The Pardoner tells a story with the intention of teaching the company that greed is the root of all evil, yet he tries to swindle them and get contributions even after he admits they are fake. This is ironic because he should be practicing what he preaches, but he does the exact opposite. The irony surrounding the Pardoner becomes evident when his motives are explained in the beginning of the prologue. He says, "I mean to have money, wool, and cheese and wheat" revealing that he actually has no intention of educating or pardoning the masses. His sole concern is swindling people out of money. This is ironic because he admits this fact about himself, but the moral of his story is that greed can lead to death. The Pardoner is an example of a man who does not practice what he preaches. …show more content…
The discovery of this gold corrupted the rioters and led them to their death. This story is ironic because the reader expects them to end up with the gold but they all die in the end. After the story, the Pardoner says "Your horse may throw you down and break your neck" implying that you will die if you do not buy his relics. This is ironic because the Pardoner is being greedy just after he told a story about how greed will get you killed. These examples of irony in the Pardoner's tale serve to demonstrate specific moral lessons. Throughout the Pardoner's tale, the Pardoner tells a story about the love of money and its consequences. However, instead of applying these lessons to his life, he completely neglects the morals of the story and continues down a path of