Canterbury Tales Post

Here is blog 6:

Look eek that to the king Demetrius

The King of Parthes, as the book saith us,

Sente him a paire of dees of gold in scorn

For he hadde used hasard therbiform

For which he heeld his glorye or his renown

                At this point, the Pardoner describes the folly of gambling (“hasard”). Throughout the passage, he attacks the concept as “the mother of lies, deceit, and perjury” and categorizes it as a waste of time, money, and morals. He describes royalty figures who have transcended this vice in order to make his point. First, he explains that if a prince is caught gambling, his reputation and credibility go down the drain, and his “governance and policye” is debased to common opinion. The Pardoner’s first example is the wise ambassador Stilbon, who refused to join in on Sparta’s gambling, saying he would rather die than lose his name to such shame. He thus abdicates his position as ambassador in order to uphold his reputation. The Pardoner’s next example is that of King Demetrius, leader of the Parthians. My question about the lines above has to do with the gold dice. First of all, I am unsure as to whether Demetrius is the one receiving them for his gambling or whether he is giving them to someone as a scolding. Also, I am curious as to why the object is a pair of gold dice. The dice is clearly a symbol of the gambling, but I do not know why the author makes them gold—seemingly the opposite from punishment. My idea on the topic is that since gold typically symbolizes royalty and power, the giving of the gold dice serves as a way to mock the receiver, to remind him of the respect he has lost because of his actions.

Overall, the Pardoner’s attack on these vices seems very ironic, considering that he himself admits to having them. Although he accuses himself of fraud, avarice, and gluttony, he seems to take pride in his amorality and boosts about his exploitation of the fears of others. In my opinion, he is trying to cover up his fears and worries about taking on such a life. He wants to project this confidence in his own vices, but I feel that he is worried about the consequences of his spiritual degradation.