Ethical Issues During Louis XIV Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ethical Issues During Louis XIV - Research Paper Example Spitting or scratching oneself at a table especially during meals is strongly discouraged but if at all one has to then he or she should do it politely and unnoticed. The above-mentioned laws are not immutable, they can be changed. For example in ancient times one could yawn, provided he or she did not speak in the process but nowadays it could be shocking to a person of rank. Spitting frequently is very much disagreeable but when there is need one should conceal it as much. When one spits he has to cover the saliva with the foot. When in the house a handkerchief should be used instead while turning aside. Care should be taken especially when spitting so as not to spit on one's clothes or those of others (Corey 78). One should not only spit in a handkerchief while in the house but also when in church and in places where cleanliness reigns. It is an inexcusable habit for children to spit in their playmates’ faces. Too it is a bad habit to spit out of windows, on furniture and o n walls. A series of quotations on spitting clearly shows that there has been a change in behavior towards a particular direction since the Middle Ages. Frequent spitting is still being viewed as unpleasant behavior and lack of â€Å"cleanliness† unlike it was seen almost four centuries ago. This clearly demonstrates how the civilization process has taken place (Hernandez 89). Taboos and restrictions of different kinds view ejection of saliva not as any other natural process but as a â€Å"primitive† and â€Å"uncivilized†. The distinguishing fact between the former and the latter is that the former views this as an external constraint while the latter sees it as an internal constraint (Lama 89). Elias asserts that even Louis xiv, who mostly is seen as the supreme among the omnipotent absolute monarch, proofs when scrutinized as a person whose rank as a king was in a certain network of interdependencies (Barrat 101). He preserved his power by a carefully calcula ted strategy which was under a peculiar structure of court society and by the society at large. Elias understood Louis xiv in the sense of light-recentre-thinking on the nature and structure of the French absolute monarchy. The personal rule of Louis xiv started in 1661, a time of great weakness when all the opposition was crushed. Louis xiv seemed to use the old Roman adage as the simplest strategy for his rule but he did not. From the experienced of the Fronde, the king knew that his ruler was under pressure of threats from below. Barrat asserts that to maintain his rule and avoid the unification of the court society against him, Louis had to exert more pressure (100). His genius, from Elias, was that he rose to perfection as a result of the careful assessment of the relationship of power at the court and the balancing of tension that was within it. He, therefore, succeeded by creating organizations which not only maintained the tension and the differences but also facilitated sup ervision. Louis xiv calculated strategy was implemented during his close to fifty-five years of personal reign. During the period he succeeded in maintaining his rank as a king and instilling the need for it in the French nobility. The king had to use all means at his disposal to maintain and enhance his power. The court and the etiquette as understood by the king were the most important instruments for his reign and power distribution.