In my opinion, both "The Pardoner's Tale" and "The Nun's
Priest's Tale" are very effective in providing a moralistic message to the audience of
pilgrims gathered to listen.
There are arguments that would
support that each tale is equally powerful, but I believe that although I personally
prefer the story of Chanticleer, the rooster, it is probably the
tale of the three drunkards who go looking for Death that has more of an
impact.
"The Nun's Priest's Tale" is entertaining—even
funny. And its message is very clear regarding pride. The Priest has been asked to tell
a tale a little more uplifting than the one shared before his, "The Monk's Tale," which
conveyed too many tragedies; ironically, however, the Priest also shares a story about
the fall of Chanticleer.
The pilgrims have just listened to “The Monk’s
Tale,” actually a series of short de casibustragedies, which
medieval critical theory defined simply as the accounts of the fall of persons from high
places.
However, it does not
fill the reader with the same sense of doom and fear that "The Pardoner's Tale"
does. The Pardoner tells a story of greed among three drunken men. They decide, after
the passing of a friend, to pursue Death (personified as the entity that has taken the
life of their friend). They are fired up, disrespectful of an old man (who may have
symbolic significance of his own), and decide, upon discovering a hoard of gold, to
murder one and steal his portion. The third also plots to murder the other two and steal
their portion. In the end, all three die because of their
greed.
This tale is probably more impactful because it
directly relates to the sin of greed, of which the Pardoner has already confessed.
Whereas Chanticleer's pride almost led to his death, he is spared
at the last minute. However, the men who search for Death, find "him" in no uncertain
terms, and it would seem this message is more powerful to the listener, in my
opinion.
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