The Pardoner's Tale: In its original form and with a modern translation

When an eclectic group of pilgrims take turns telling tales while on the road to Canterbury Cathedral, the Pardoner begins his tale with a confession—that he preaches against greed but swindles churchgoers by pressuring them into buying fake religious relics. However, he claims that despite his hypocrisy he can tell a moral tale, and describes a story about three greedy young men attempting to cheat death.

The Pardoner is one of the most memorable characters in Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales...