Greed Ends with
Death
In The
Canterbury Tales,
by Geoffrey Chaucer, the theme of the “Pardoner’s Tale” is that
greed leads to Death. The artist,
Nicolaes Maes, drew the Death
and the Miser.
It
is a drawing that has a Miser counting his money and Death standing
next to him. The drawing and the Pardoner’s Tale have the same
theme. In the “Pardoner’s Tale”, the theme is explained by
three men at a tavern that get drunk then go out to find Death. They
find a pot of gold under a tree and in the end Death takes them
because of greed. They were greedy and they each other in order to
get a bigger cut of the money. In the drawing, Death is standing near
to the Miser, who is counting his money. The definition of a miser is
someone who hoards money and lives under their own means in order to
keep their money. The Miser is showing greed and Death is near to
take him. The drawing is also showing that greed terrible and Death
awaits to who has this characteristic. The Pardoner’s
Tale and
Death
and the Miser both
show that greed is a terrible thing and only leads to death.
Maes, Nicolaes.
Death
and the Miser.
1650/1655. Ink on laid paper. National
Gallery of Art.
Web. 13 Feb. 2014.
This is a really good comparison. I don't think you could have found a better picture to go with that story. I really do agree that greed leads to Death. Comparing the Miser to the three men really makes sense because in the end, they all just want as much money as possible. The picture is really unique and kind of dark, but it goes with the story very well and it definitely gets your point across. Greed and money are both dark topics and that really shows in the painting that you chose. I also like how you taught a lesson through this. Your writing is really good and I enjoyed reading it!
ReplyDeleteYou have done an excellent job here and it really shows. I believe you picked a great work to write about on the story of the pardoners tale. You show an excellent connection between the guise of greedy intentions and the swift hand of death. In showing how the men and the miser displayed there greed you gave better insight. The work you choose is great because it gives light mans interactions with death. You have shown you are a good writer and that you know the morale of the story. Overall I must say that I enjoyed your piece and hope to see more.
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