The Parson’s Tale

The Parson’s Tale, the final of the 24 stories in The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer. The tale is a lengthy prose sermon on the seven deadly sins. Chaucer may have intended this tale, with its plethora of pious quotations, as a fitting close to the stories of the religious pilgrims. After reviewing the sins of Pride, Envy, Anger, Sloth, Avarice, Gluttony, and Lechery and their remedies, the Parson urges confession and satisfaction (that is, atonement through such acts as almsgiving, penance, and fasting).