Geoffrey Chaucer told a marvelous...
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Geoffrey Chaucer told a marvelous tale of a trickster getting tricked. Actually, he had the
pardoner tell it; it's part of the Canterbury Tales. In the "Pardoner's Tale," three
revelers decide to seek out death and destroy it. On the way they discover a basket of
gold. The youngest lout is sent to get wine, food, and water. While he is away, he
schemes to kill his two companions, and to that end, poisons the wine. Unbeknownst to
him, his companions decide to kill him and divide his portion of the gold between
themselves. When the young man returns he is killed, but the murderous companions
celebrate by drinking the poisoned wine and they, too, die. (They found death!)
Jacob was a trickster, tricking his blind father, Isaac, into giving him Esau's birthright. But the trickster met his match in Laban, who switches Leah for Rachel on Jacob's wedding night. I suppose the moral is, "If you live by the sword you will die by the sword."
Jacob was a trickster, tricking his blind father, Isaac, into giving him Esau's birthright. But the trickster met his match in Laban, who switches Leah for Rachel on Jacob's wedding night. I suppose the moral is, "If you live by the sword you will die by the sword."
