"I want to be invisible... I paint my face and I travel at night." Ralph Reed, quoted in The Virginian Pilot and Ledger Star, 9/11/91Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayAchieving “invisibility,” or privacy away from the glare of the public eye, remains a distinct desire from modern society. This goal gave rise to the creation of "high-tech" home security systems, pseudonyms for anyone from famous authors to the average person purchasing "indecent" material on the Internet, and protections on hard drives computers. Additionally, the book market has been flooded with books that teach how to protect personal information from the prying eyes of telemarketers, scammers, or vengeful former lovers. JJ Luna, author of How to Be Invisible, a guide to “protecting your assets, your identity, and your life,” aptly describes the situation: “Privacy is now poised to become the most sought-after luxury of the 21st century. " (Moon 1). But why do people go to such lengths to separate their public and private lives? Shakespeare's Henry IV, Part I seems to offer the answer. Henry IV presents us with a rich mix of characters who, unsurprisingly, have "erotic, fiscal" and "deceptive" (Steiner) "impulses" that guide their private actions. However, as the political situation of the play becomes more and more convoluted, the characters' private desires become more and more convoluted. mixed with politics and "affairs of state" (Steiner) The Prince of Wales, Hal, clearly shows the positive impact of politics on private life When Hal, lazy and immature, is thrown into war; he rises to the occasion and proves himself honorable. His friend, Sir John Falstaff, however, fails to understand the larger meaning of the war and, instead of fighting valiantly, he chooses to remain dominated by his private financial desires. . It is thus through politics, through the meshing of public and private life, that the characters of Henry IV are forced to reevaluate their private “impulses” in the light of their public consequences; The success of political action therefore depends on the balance between private desires and political needs. Erotic urges constitute our most private desires. So it's no surprise that popular celebrities often try to hide their relationships from the press. Additionally, when President Bill Clinton's private life was thrust into the spotlight, he was also reluctant to disclose details of his affair with Monica Lewinsky and ended up perjuring himself. Similarly, Henry IV's warriors concluded that erotic impulses had no place in political relations and therefore attempted to repress the desires of their wives. However, Shakespeare clearly suggests that there is a “right” and a “wrong” way to do things. Lord Mortimer listens attentively to his wife's Welsh entreaties and to Owen Glendower's translation. He assures her that “I understand your kisses, and you mine / And it’s a dispute of feelings [dialogue par les sentiments]” (3.1.204-205). He tells her that although she cannot "be a soldier too" (3.1.193), she will soon be able to join Glendower in his march to battle. In contrast to Mortimer's affectionate speech to his wife and attempts to understand her frustrations, Harry Percy or Hotspur is rude and impatient with his wife. Initially, Lady Percy very kindly asks Hotspur why he snubbed her: For what offense have I, these fortnights, been a woman banished from my Harry's bed? Tell me, sweet lord, what does this take away from you?stomach, your pleasure and your golden sleep? (2.3.39-42) In this speech, Lady Percy shows genuine concern for her husband and his strange behavior. She worries about his developing insomnia and his preoccupation with fighting to the detriment of their marriage. However, instead of allaying his concern, Hotspur simply ignores his pleas and demands that his horse be brought to him. By obsessing over the war and excessively repressing his natural erotic urges, Hotspur not only rejects his wife, but also prepares himself for a deafening political defeat. In our money-driven society, many people let their financial desires dominate their lives. In addition to the classic “workaholics,” there are people willing to risk their safety, or even their lives, for financial reward. There have been many cases of wives or husbands murdering their spouses to collect their life insurance policies. Additionally, tax desires form the basis of some strange and disturbing television shows and movies. One such TV show, Fear Factor, features people who happily eat bugs, jump out of planes, and crawl through sewers to reap a financial reward. More seriously, a recent film, The Glass House, depicts a self-centered business tycoon who murders his best friend so he can have custody of his friend's children and their four million dollar inheritance. The old adage: “Happiness cannot be bought” seems to be lost on some of these people. In Henry IV, Falstaff's private life is consumed by financial desires; he is a hedonist at heart and requires considerable funds to purchase an "intolerable affair of a bag [of wine]" (2.4.543). At the beginning of the play, Falstaff is just an isolated drunk whose actions have no real significance on the world at large. However, when Hal puts him in charge of a band of infantrymen, he has the opportunity to change. And Falstaff considers the merits and pitfalls of acting honorably: Honor stings me. Yes, but what if honor stings [kills] me when I arrive? How then? Can honor be given to a leg [replace a lost leg]? No. Or an arm? No. Or take away the sorrow of an injury? No. So Honor has no surgical skills? No. What is honor? A word. What is in this word honor? What is this honor? Post a report [end]! Who has it? The one who died on a Wednesday. Does he feel it? No. Does he hear it? No. So it’s insensitive? Yes, to the dead. But won't he live with the living? No. For what ? Defamation [slander] will not tolerate it. That's why I won't do anything about it. (5.1.129-140) Instead of allowing his feelings of public duty to penetrate his private financial impulses, Falstaff selfishly concludes that since honor is of no use to the living man, he will not die trying to reach it. He ends his speech by again linking honor to death and calling honor "a mere escutcheon" (52E1.140-141), which is a painted decoration for the coffins of the dead. Furthermore, Falstaff goes beyond simply attacking the abstract idea of ​​honor. ; he undermines his principles to achieve his financial goals. He is first introduced as a somewhat ruthless and greedy man who jumps at the opportunity to steal money from innocent travelers. Furthermore, he insists that if Hal doesn't join him on this little adventure, then Hal has "neither honesty, nor manliness, nor good companionship in you, and you are not of royal blood if you Don’t you dare defend [stealing from someone.” of] ten shillings” (1.2.143-145). Falstaff's dishonorable acts of promoting his own fiscal desires at the expense of the royal family continue unabated.however not there. When Hal puts him in charge of a brigade of infantrymen, Falstaff only impresses the richest men, the "toast and butter" (4.2.21), who can afford to pay their separation from service. While Falstaff acknowledges having "abused the king's press [the power of conscription] in a damnable manner" (4.2.12-13), he rejoices in having received, "in exchange for one hundred and fifty soldiers, three hundred and some books” (4.2.13-14). Falstaff's actions in this situation are unique in that they could have a direct effect on the war and, by extension, the English kingdom. By choosing a group of "dishonorable" (4.2.31) and "unjust and rejected servants" (4.2.28) to be his soldiers, Falstaff single-handedly weakens the English forces. However, Falstaff does not consider the broader consequences of his selfish actions; he simply marveled at his own intelligence and his ability to satisfy his private fiscal desires at the expense of the English public. With Owen Glendower, Shakespeare presents something of a “fiscal” foil for Falstaff; Glendower recognizes the importance of the war and therefore reevaluates his own budgetary impulses in light of their political ramifications. Glendower, the leader of Wales, is a wise and powerful warrior, accustomed to getting what he wants and not tolerating insolence. However, when the fiery Hotspur insists that his share of the land under the rebels' proposed land division "in quantity is not equal to one of yours" (3.1.96), Glendower agrees that Hotspur can redress the River Trent so that his holdings include a fertile valley: “Come, thou shalt turn Trent [straightened]” (3.1.135). Glendower gives in to Hotspur at his own expense because he recognizes the potentially disastrous results that internal division among the rebels could have on their war effort. Several characters in Henry IV also exhibit deceptive impulses that hinder their political action. People often make mistakes because they want to hide from reality and feel better about themselves. In Jane Austen's Emma, ​​the protagonist, Emma Woodhouse, is the perfect example of self-deception. Emma is the town matchmaker, but she has convinced herself that she doesn't want a spouse and is content to be single. Only once Emma is able to overcome her deceptive barriers can she recognize and act on her love for Robert Knightley. Likewise, the refusal of alcoholics and drug addicts to admit that they have a problem often slows the recovery process. At the beginning of the play, Prince Hal seems to live in self-deception. He spends his days frolicking in various taverns and hatching immature plots to embarrass Falstaff. We initially view Hal as extremely self-centered; he doesn't seem to care that his callous behavior disgraces the royal family. In fact, Hal mocks the young warrior Hotspur, whom his father admires the most: "I am not yet in the spirit of Percy, the Hotspur of the North: he who kills me six or seven Scots at breakfast, is washes his hands and says to his wife: "Rely on this quiet life! I want work" (2.4.112-116). However, as a testament to Hal's delusion of his own warrior aspirations, we see him embody Hotspur's fighting spirit as he enters into battle. Sir Richard Vernon, a relative of the Percys, describes Hal approaching as follows: I saw young Harry with his beaver [helmet], his pads [thigh armor] on his thighs, valiantly armed, rise from ground like feathered Mercury, And jumped with such ease into his seat As if an angel fell from the clouds To spin and spin a 1986.