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The Christian Church In The Canterbury Tales And The Decameron

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Across the span of history, religion has always played a prominent role in the everyday lives of civilians. Each and every person had a religion that they were devoted to and that shaped the course of their lives. England was and still remains predominantly Christian. The Christian church played a major role in the lives of everyday people, and society as a whole. The period in which The Canterbury Tales and The Decameron was no exception to this statement.
The Canterbury Tales were written in the 14th century. At that point in history, the church in England was very rich and very powerful. The church had a stronghold over the people of England which allowed it to rise in power. People would spend most of their lives going about to support …show more content…
The first story is about a man who falls deathly ill and so a friar is brought in to here the man’s confession and to give him his last rights. However, the sick man was dangerously impure but did not want people to know that, especially not the friar. The man did not want to be condemned to Hell for the sins that he has committed so the man lied to the friar about his life in order to make himself sound like a pure and good man. The friar believes every word that the wicked man says and after the man passes, the friars praises him and preaches about all of the good deeds that he has done. The Decameron states, “How could you say such things and be a man of God? (First Day, First Story pg.24). It was an outrage to see how a sinister man could easily manipulate a priest into believing that he was an honest and pure man.
Another story that shows the corruption of the church is the fourth story of the first day. This story is about a monk who attempts to seduce a young woman. However, the monk is being observed by an elder abbot (the head of a monastery) and so he leaves the church to complete a task and gives his key to the abbot. The abbot then brings the young woman into the room and takes advantage of her himself. The abbot as well as the monk often bring the woman back into the monastery several times. This is another prime example of how corrupt the church was at this period in

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