Themes, character reflections, epilogue

The Pardoner (Chaucer's Canterbury Tales)

Indulgence-a favor or concession. An indulgence obtains by a very slight penance the remission of penalties that would otherwise be severe.
Relic- A part of a deceased holy person's body or belongings kept as an object of reverence

Sheep Shoulder Bone Relic

"Radix malorum est cupiditas" translates to "Greed is the root of all evil."

Papal Relic

In the prologue he tells the pilgrims that the relics are fake and basically that he is only in it for the money. At the end he offers to absolve the pilgrims for money with his "fake" relics. This reveals the Pardoner to be nothing more than a greedy hustler and hypocrite for doing exactly what he preaches against.

Shroud

This movie, A Simple Plan, has many of the same elements of the Pardoner's tale. Three friends find a bag of money in a crashed airplane in a remote forest. Soon their "simple" plan isn't so simple. They find death much in the same way the three rioters did.