Chaucer's Bloody Pardoner

Abstract

The complexity of Geoffrey Chaucer’s character, the Pardoner, still remains one of the most debated topics among scholars of Middle English. Most scholarly conversations isolate one feature of his character, whether his clothes, his physical appearance, his relics, his sexuality, his language, his attitude, or his intent, to come to specific conclusions that aid in the understanding of his complexity. In Chaucer’s day, identity was understood in terms of the four humors (choleric, melancholic, phlegmatic, and sanguine), a classical conception that continued into the Middle Ages and was consistently used to analyze personalities, illnesses, and behaviors. These humors could potentially become imbalanced, and it became imperative to rebalance, although some people went to extreme measures to do so. Application of the humoral theory to the Pardoner’s identity provides a tool to address all his features and reasons for action together. I suggest that the Pardoner is of the sanguine humor. His characteristics reflect those of a sanguine man through several physical and symbolical connections, which are important to understand the totality of his character. I evaluate several details in the Pardoner’s portrait and explore how each is representative of his sanguine humor. It is the Pardoner’s sanguine humor, blood that becomes imbalanced, causing his unpredictable behavior with the other pilgrims and exemplifying his ability to deceive. The Pardoner’s sanguine humor is reflected in all of his attributes, whether positive or negative. My argument for the Pardoner’s sanguinity, does not reduce the complexity of his character, but sheds light on his characteristic ambiguities. The evidence of his sanguinity provides another reading of his character as well as another complex feature, aiding in understanding the totality of his identity.