Obsessions and Determination

   Throughout the act, one of the two themes that seemed to fit a characters motivation for his or her actions is obsession. Obsession pertains to Hotspur, Falstaff, and Hal in some respects. Hotspur is definitely obsessed with fighting and war in general. He gets a cheap thrill out of strategy and organizing armies. In this act he reads a letter of refusal from someone who won't join his army. He becomes angry at the man's justifications, but it only makes him more willing to fight. Falstaff and Hal are obsessed with their images, but Hal's has a different result. Hal is trashing his image, by consistently being defiant to his father, in order to make himself look better. He is able to keep an emotional detachment from everyone in the tavern, so when he has to "break away" it will be easy. No regrets. Falstaff is incredibly obsessed with his image so much, that he lies continuously in order to impress the townspeople. He hopes to later get some respect from the future king Hal.
     Another theme I found that seems to fit the act was determination, which pertains to Hotspur, Lady Percy, and Hal. Hotspur is determined to overthrow the new king after helping him acquire the originally. He feels getting rid of Henry IV will help the land. Lady Percy is determined to figure out what's bothering Hotspur. She confronts him with examples of his abnormal behavior and all he does is avoid it. The excuse he uses seems to only make Lady Percy even more interested. Once again, Hal is determined to make his image the best its ever been. He even is willing to steal from Falstaff in order to make him look like a fool, resulting in making Hal look like a "great man."
     Overall, everyone's obsessions and determination ends up conflicting with everyone's personal well-being.