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Irony, within ¡°The Tale¡± In the story ¡°The Pardoner¡¯s Tale¡±, Chaucer, who is the Author, uses a great deal of irony. Chaucer is a master of both Verbal and Situational Irony. What is the difference you say? The difference is quite simple. Verbal irony comes from the mouth. It is when you say one thing and mean another. Situational Irony is when what actually happens is different from what you expect. Summarily, Irony is a discrepancy between expectations and reality. ¡°But let me briefly make my purpose plain; I preach for nothing but for greed of gain and use the same old text, as bold as brass, Radix malorum est cupiditas¢ª. Radix malorum est cupiditas, meaning literally, ¡°the root of evil is desire¡±. Those very first words mark the beginning of the Tale¡¯s prologue. It helps with understanding the characteristics of the pardoner. The pardoner sells relics to those who are in need of a relieved heart, but only to those who can afford one. When I say ¡°relieved heart¡±, I mean those who have sinned. Inversely, he is committing the sin of avarice by being a greedy man. He pardons honest people who are genuinely forgiving themselves, all while in the process of committing sin himse