In the "General Prologue," the author talks about spring, and how people often go on pilgrimage during this season. He also informs us of the fact that he is going on pilgrimage to Canterbury Cathedral in order to visit the relics of Saint Thomas Becket. He then describes his meeting with a group of twenty-nine travelers at a tavern. The didactic purpose of the prologue is quite concrete. The author wants us to learn about the season and the pilgrimage. He also wants us to learn about his purpose for writing, and prepare us for the descriptions of the characters that will come.
"The Pardoner's Tale" is a clearer example of a didactic story. In this tale, the pardoner claims to be guilty of avarice, gluttony, greed and a great variety of other sins. Yet, he is still hypocritical enough to include references to God when speaking, such as <em>"Now, for the love of Crist, that for us dyde . . . now wol I telle forth my tale.”</em> The story he presents deals with all of these sins, and exhorts us to avoid them. This is completely at odds with what the pardoner does in his own life.
Finally, in the "Nun's Priest's Tale," we learn about vanity and pride. This is a fable intended to teach us about the dangers of falling for compliments.
None of the stories are traditional "instructional" stories. The stories are at times moralistic, while at other times they preach the exact opposite. Moreover, they are told by characters that are not particularly admirable. The stories can be understood as ironic.
