How we cite our quotes: (Line number)
Quote #1
Goode men and wommen, o thyng warne I yow,
If any wight be in this chirche now
That hath doon synne horrible, that he
Dar nat for shame of it yshryven be,
Or any womman, be she yong or old,
That hath ymaad hir housbonde cokewold,
Swich folk shal have no power ne no grace
To offren to my relikes in this place. (91 – 98)
The gender politics of this passage are pronounced, because although the Pardoner mentions that anyone might be guilty of a particularly shameful sin, he specifically targets women in his reference to adultery. This focus probably comes from medieval views of women, which saw them as particularly vulnerable to sexual sin. (Thanks, Eve.) The Pardoner, as usual, is just focusing on women to make money. He probably doesn't care about the gender of his sinners. Maybe women are just more generous with their offerings to him.
Quote #2
And who so fyndeth hym out of swich fame,
He wol come up and offre, on Goddes name,
And I assoille him, by the auctoritee
Which that by bulle ygraunted was to me. (99 – 102)
What the Pardoner is selling is "assoilling," or absolution. This is a religious term that means erasure of sins and their respective punishments. The pardons supposedly offer the shortening or elimination of punishment for the purchaser's sins, like commuting a sentence for a crime. It might seem strange to us, but think about this: carbon offsets. That's a little like buying absolution for the sin of destroying the environment.
Quote #3
And ech of hem at otheres synne lough. (190)
How morally depraved can you get? A good Christian was supposed to take the sins of his fellow Christian very seriously because they could lead to the other's eternal damnation. The Rioters are just like the Pardoner, who admits that he doesn't preach because he wants to correct sin and that, in fact, he cares so little for people's souls that as far as he's concerned they can "goon a-blakeberyed" – go berry picking, or do whatever they want.