Irony (is a discrepancy between expectations and reality) What is the central irony in '"The Pardoner's Tale"? (what do the rioters expect to find under the tree vs. What do they actually find?)

The central irony is that the three rioters set out unitedly on a quest to find and kill Death but became divided in their mission when they found three gold coins which made them greedy and bent on killing each other.

Explanation:

Irony means using language that means the opposite of what the writer intends. It could also mean a series of events that goes contrary to what was originally expected. In the Pardoners Tale, we learn of three friends who engaged in a reckless life, but who on learning about the killings perpetuated by Death set out on a mission to destroy it.

When they met an old man who pointed at where Death was to them-under a tree, they found three gold coins which they believed was not death. This made them divided in their mission and they all eventually died because they plotted to kill themselves so as to individually inherit all the coins.

a low four-wheeled open carriage of a kind formerly used in russia.