FALSE RELICS AND FALSE PROMISES: CHAUCER’S PARDONER AS A PROTOTYPE OF MODERN POLITICAL HYPOCRISY

Abstract

Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Pardoner’s Tale presents a powerful critique of greed, hypocrisy, and the misuse of moral authority. The Pardoner, who openly admits that his preaching is motivated by personal gain, uses false relics and persuasive rhetoric to manipulate his audience. This paper argues that the Pardoner functions as a prototype of modern political hypocrisy, where public figures claim moral or ethical authority while pursuing private interests. By examining the Pardoner’s rhetoric, performance, and institutional position, the study draws parallels with contemporary political practices such as false promises, symbolic gestures, and emotional manipulation of the public. The paper adopts a comparative literary approach to show how Chaucer’s medieval narrative continues to reflect modern political behaviour marked by greed, deception, and abuse of power. The analysis avoids reference to particular political figures or parties and focuses on recurring patterns of hypocrisy and public complicity across historical contexts. The study concludes that The Pardoner’s Tale remains relevant as a literary warning against the erosion of moral integrity in positions of authority and demonstrates how literature can serve as a critical lens for understanding contemporary political culture.