Decameron And The Pardoner's Tale

Geoffrey Chaucer and Giovanni Boccaccio both offer modern society a glimpse into the dark ages through their literary pieces, The Canterbury Tales and The Decameron. Composed of numerous short stories, the two pieces of literature convey the way of life in 1300s as well as the medieval society’s belief and the strong influence of the bubonic plague. Short stories within The Canterbury Tales and The Decameron feature the plague and utilize the illness to construct plot and the overall theme. In the short stories “The Pardoner’s Tale” and “Federigo's Falcon,” Chaucer and Boccaccio collaboratively convey that sacrifice is better than greed through dramatic irony, situational irony, and thematic symbolism. Boccaccio facilitates the overarching …show more content…
Chaucer introduces the audience to three rioters in “The Pardoner’s Tale” who “ made their bargain, swore with appetite,/These three, to live and die for one another/As brother born might swear to his born brother” (122-124). Before greed develops within the rioters, they treat one another with respect and love as if they were family. Chaucer positively describes the rioters through the positive, selfless mindset and brotherly bonds. However, the bonding moment is contrasted as two of the rioters plan to kill the other by “‘To have a wrestle; then, as [one] attack[s],/[the other will] up and put [their] dagger through [his] back/...Then all the money will be [theirs] to spend…’” (248-253). Once greed occupied the rioters’ minds, each rioter turns on one another and contradicted their brotherly bond and promise. Through the irony of rioters’ promise, Chaucer depicts greed as an evil, manipulative occurrence, thus causing the rioters’ deaths. As Chaucer conveys the self destruction of greed, he furthermore contributes to the overarching theme, sacrifice is better than greed, by depicting the evil nature of greed and it’s manipulative ability to lead to self,