Final answer:
"The Pardoner's Tale" personifies death as an old man who leads the rioters to their demise. The irony lies in the fact that their quest for death leads to their own demise.
Step-by-step explanation:
In "The Pardoner's Tale," death is personified as an old man who appears to the three rioters and leads them to a tree where they believe they will find treasure. This personification of death is ironic because the rioters initially set out to find and kill death, but they end up killing each other instead. The irony lies in the fact that their own quest for death ultimately leads to their demise.
Evidence of death being personified can be found in the following lines from the tale: "As you go by / From here, his body still is standing by. / Drag him by his heels while you drink away!" This suggests that death is described as a physical being that is present and interacts with the characters.
The death of the rioters is ironic because they foolishly believe they can conquer death and end up succumbing to its power. They are blinded by their greed for treasure and their desire for revenge, which leads them to kill each other. The irony lies in the fact that their own actions lead to their undoing, highlighting the theme of cosmic justice in the tale.