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Greed And Corruption In The Canterbury Tales

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During the 14th century, the Catholic Church ruled over almost all of Europe and was extremely wealthy. While people were suffering from poverty, disease, and famine, lavish cathedrals were being built in the bigger cities, only proving that the contrast between the misery of the people and the wealth of the Church was mind-boggling. Consequently, the characters Chaucer uses in the Canterbury Tales as a representation of the Church, or clergy, project character traits of greed, deceit, and corruption.

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