The Nun’s Priest’s, the Pardoner’s, and the Parson’s Tales

The Nun’s Priest’s Tale is given by a holy and intelligent priest. He has listened carefully to the other tales and now responds to them. He possesses an excellent and kindly wit. He uses a barnyard tale with animals as his characters to make his many points. The rooster in the barnyard is very sure of himself, overly sure. He has a dream that frightens him. His favorite hen tells him to ignore it. A fox shows up, compliments the rooster, and as he is stretching his neck to crow, the fox grabs him. The farmers follow in hot pursuit. The rooster tells the fox to call off the farmers, and when he opens his mouth to speak the rooster escapes. He kept his wits, and lives. He is now a humble rooster. The Pardoner’s Tale begins talks openly about himself: his only interests are self and money. He preaches on the sin of love of money, his own very sin. He convinces everyone of their own guilt to give him money, but ignores his own guilt. He is clever, intelligent, and pure evil. His story is of three men who seek to root out death, only to find death.

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