Question

Irony is a contrast between expectations and reality. what is ironic about the pardoner

Answer 1

In The Pardoner’s Tale from The Canterbury Tales, we can see the use of Dramatic Irony, Situational Irony, and Verbal Irony.

These are some examples of different kinds

*Dramatic Irony on the phrase "youngest man comes back with bread and wine but is killed before he can poison the two men".

This is when the reader knows details that the characters don't that's why the situations are seen in a different way for the reader.

*Situational Irony on the phrase "the three brothers go on a hunt to kill death, but end up being killed themselves".  

This is when incongruity situations appear and it is a very common literary device.

*Verbal Irony on the phrase "the Pardoner preaches about avarice, yet he himself is a victim of the vice".  

This is when the words show something opposite to reality in any aspect.

Answer 2

In Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales" the reader is introduced to the Pardoner in "the Pardoner's Tale". What is ironic about the Pardoner is that he would often preach that money was the root of all evil, but then he would sell pardons (official documents that pardoned sins).