The Weight of “Nothing” in King Lear by William Shakespeare

The Weight of â€Å"Nothing† in King Lear Though the word â€Å"nothing† connotes insignificance and emptiness when taken out of context, it feels like one of the most significant and loaded words in King Lear. This one word becomes a critical tool to help us reflect on the development of characters and their relationships to one another throughout the play. The word â€Å"nothing† appears to play a crucial role in defining the relationship between Lear and Cordelia, and consequently has an immense impact on the fate and transformation of Lear. â€Å"Nothing† also helps draw a parallel between Lear and Edgar, and is used by the Fool as more than just a means to inject cryptic wit. Because the word â€Å"nothing† seems central to the play’s conflicts and, as a result, permeates the plot and development of characters, this response will draw out the word’s significance by examining some instances in which it appears in each act. Our firs t significant encounter with â€Å"nothing† happens when Lear says to Cordelia, â€Å"Strive to be interest. What can you say, to draw / A third more opulent than your sisters’? Speak† (I.i.85) and Cordelia responds, â€Å"Nothing my lord† (I.i.87). Lear repeats, â€Å"Nothing?† and Cordelia confirms, â€Å"Nothing,† to which Lear responds, â€Å"Nothing will come of nothing; speak again† (I.i.88-90). When Lear says â€Å"Nothing will come of nothing,† he is essentially determining that Cordelia will not receive anything from him if her response does not change; but it seems that what Cordelia meansShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Shakespeare s King Lear Essay1733 Words   |  7 PagesPaola Moreira Garrity AP Literature 28 November 2016 KING LEAR Although Lear and Cordelia start with a continuous quarrel, the compassion between these characters has a sense of necessity in both their lives. Neither of their souls would feel content without one another’s compassion. The King’s dialogue was created in order to cause Cordelia to suffer. When the king first reprimands his daughter, he mentions, â€Å"When she was dear to us; her price is fallen,† (1.1. 215). This marks the dwindlingRead MorePower In Stephen Frears Film, The Queen And Shakespeares King Lear1316 Words   |  6 Pagesauthority and power play an extensive role in both Stephen Frears Film, The Queen and Shakespeare’s play, King Lear. Frears explores the theme of power through, Queen Elizabeth II, a hardline traditionalist who is blinded by old world protocols and traditions all but failing to see the transfer in balance of power. Similarly, Shakespeare explores the theme through the protagonist Lear, a king fascinated with grand showings of his sovereignty by staging and arranging situations that praise his egoRead MoreEssay about William Shakespeares Relevance Today2257 Words   |  10 PagesWilliam Shakespeares Relevance Today For as long as formal education has existed in Britain it has been a largely standard assumption that teaching the works of William Shakespeare is relevant and necessary. Perhaps the relevance of his writing is taken for granted, perhaps it is necessary to re-examine the role of Shakespeare for the modern audience. There are indeed many people who question the relevance of this 440 year old playwright to a 21st century audienceRead MoreKing Lear vs the Stone Angel Blindness1504 Words   |  7 Pages(Kingslover) This is a quote that can relate the characters in The Stone Angel and King Lear. In the tragedy King Lear, written by William Shakespeare and in the novel The Stone Angel, written by Margaret Laurence, the term blindness has an entirely different meaning. It is not a physical flaw, but the inability of the characters to use their thoughts and emotions to see a person for whom they truly are. King Lear, Gloucester, and Hagar are prime examples of characters that suffered most by havingRead More The Existential Progression of King Lear Essay3680 Words   |  15 PagesThe Existential Progression of King Lear The human condition is the scrutiny of art, Prince Hamlet notes the purpose of art is to hold the mirror against nature. King Lear is a masterful inquiry into the human condition. King Lear is confronted with existence in its barest sense and is forced to adapt to that existence. His adaptation to the absurd provides an invaluable insight for all into the universal problem of existence. Lear is forced into an existential progression that will be tracedRead More Blood Imagery in Macbeth Essay1916 Words   |  8 Pagesstory taken from Scottish history and presented to the Scottish king James I. Shakespeare took this gory tale of murderous ambition, however, and transformed it into an imaginative tale of good and evil. Shakespeare brought about this transformation by relying upon â€Å"imaginative verbal vigor† that imbeds itself in the brilliantly concentrated phrases of this literary work. Critics have dubbed it his darkest work, along with King Lear. In his critique of Shakes peare’s works and plays, Charles HainesRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s A Master Of Tragedy2257 Words   |  10 PagesWilliam Shakespeare was a master of tragedy. In Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, Shakespeare spins a tale of murder, madness, and lies. The character of Prince Hamlet is burdened by the assassination of his father and must avenge the King’s death while protecting his own life. Many have contemplated whether or not Hamlet’s sanity was flawed. Hamlet told the audience that he was not insane, but it is clear that his mourning and melancholia were taking over his world. Hamlet, in a stagnant state of mourningRead More William Shakespeare and His Works Essay3349 Words   |  14 Pages William Shakespeare, the figure to whom the most influential works of literature in history are credited, was born in April of 1564 (the exact date is approximated as April 23rd, also the date given as his death fifty-two years later) in Stratford, England to John and Mary Shakespeare. He grew up in relatively middle-class surroundings, attending grammar school and studying Latin, logic, and literature, from which he graduated to marry a woman by the name of Anne Hathaway. With Hathaway he hadRead MoreElizabethan Era11072 Words   |  45 PagesI (1558–1603) and is often considered to be a golden age in English history. It was an age considered to be the height of the English Renaissance, and saw the full flowering of English literature and English poetry. In Elizabethan theater, William Shakespeare, among others, composed and staged plays in a variety of settings that broke away from Englands past style of plays. It was an age of expansion and exploration abroad, while at h ome the Protestant Reformation was established and successfully