King Lear Nothing Quotes

Cordelia scarifies many things, throughout this that play, for example, when hen King Lear asked Cordelia how much she had loved him, her response had taken him by a huge surprise. Cordelia answers with “I cannot have her heart into her mouth” in the way that she

At the end of the play these two stories are intricately woven together, each emphasizing and reinforcing the themes of the other. There was symmetry of plan and movement between the two different situations that had them come together in the end. There was prime example of good vs. evil that was displayed throughout the play. Good being Cordelia, Lear’s truly good daughter and evil being Edmund, the son of Gloucester (Lear 5.3.310). There is conflict between the good influence of Cordelia and the evil influence of Edmund. This created the situations that left the play ending in

The first mention of "nothing" is when King Lear asks his daughters to profess how much they love him. The eldest daughters shower compliments upon him tickling his ears. Yet the Lear's favorite daughter Cordelia will only speak the truth. When asked what she can say to gain her a portion of land better than her sisters, she replies, "Nothing, my Lord" (1.1. ) He exclaims, "Nothing!" (1.1. ) and she responds, "Nothing" (1.1. ). Lear's answers, "Nothing will come of

-The Fool's question to Lear "Can you make no use of nothing…" is not really a question concerning what Lear has given the Fool, but a direct question of Lear's life. He had given away all he had to his daughters, which meant he literally had nothing. What the fool meant is that having nothing, he (Lear) cannot expect to make anything of it.

The irony in Cordelia's "nothing" response to her father is that by saying nothing she says everything. Lear is correct when he replies "nothing will come of nothing," but he

At this point in the play, King Lear has completely lost his sanity and is yelling at his surroundings during a storm. Upon saying these words, he takes off all his clothes and declares himself free of the trappings of civilisation. The importance of this quote lies in the symbolism of nakedness. Nakedness is representative of many things, including insanity and loss of status. As stated before, Lear’s insanity is at its

Of the deaths in Shakespeare’s King Lear, the death of Cordelia and King Lear at the end of Act V are most significant in revealing the development of Lear and how his development contributes to the theme surrounding it. The dynamic King Lear is a tragic hero whose fatal flaw, arrogance, prompts his removal from power and eventually the death of both himself and Cordelia. However, by the time of King Lear’s death, his arrogance has been replaced with a compassion which allows him to mourn the death of Cordelia and die from his own grief. Besides redeeming himself for his flawed judgement, the compassionate King Lear of Act V recognizes the loyalty in characters like Kent and Cordelia, while also seeing through the dishonesty of Regan and Goneril which fools the King Lear of Act I. King Lear’s transition from disowning Cordelia because of his arrogance to recognizing her as his only faithful daughter is demonstrated through Lear’s death, which serves as the culmination of his development and a reversal of his character. Furthermore, his death elaborates the theme of how someone’s arrogance may blind them from the reality of others’ intentions, which can be seen through a more compassionate and humble lens.

Edmund’s reflection rejects the concept of the Great Chain of Being as well as Lear's statement about the influence astrology has over the actions of man: "By all the operation of the orbs / From whom we do exist and cease to be" (Shakespeare I, i, 123-124). Throughout the play, Edmund rejects the Great Chain of Being as well as the idea that the stars control the fate of man because both principles state that he is less important than those around him simply because he was born a bastard, a fate that he could not help. However, he makes an astute observation on the nature of man; when presented with the opportunity, humans are more likely to blame someone or something else on their own faults instead of accepting their flaws. Likewise, both Lear and Gloucester count on the stars to provide an excuse for their children's actions because they believed that for no reason should the Great Chain be broken; that would be impossible, for a child to rebel against his or her parent. Conversely, Edmund denies the influence of these astrological signs and acknowledges that man is ultimately responsible for his actions; to Edmund, those who would blame their actions on the heavens are but witless, spineless fools.

Although Cordelia appears in Act I, Scene I and disappears until Act IV, she has an enormous impact on the play as a whole. It is generally acknowledged that the role played by Cordelia in King Lear is a symbolic one. She is a symbol of good amidst the evil characters within the play. Since the play is about values which have been corrupted and must be restored, it is not surprising that the figure who directs the action must be embodiment of those values which are in jeopardy – love, truth, pity, honour, courage and forgiveness. Cordelia’s reply does not initiate the tragedy; Lear’s misguided question does that. Her “nothing” sets her father’s tragic journey in motion. There is nothing wrong with her remarks.

Goneril feels jealousy towards her youngest sister Cordelia due to her strong relationship with King Lear, something Goneril never had with Lear. Goneril feels as though her father has reprimanded her all of her life and could never accept her. “You see how full of changes his age is; the observation we have made of it hath (not) been little. He always loved our sister most, and with what poor judgment he hath now cast her off appears too grossly.” (1.1.290-293)

Confining examination to those meanings in use in Shakespeare's time, the list remains extensive and rich: "nothing" can mean "a trifling event" (O.E.D. 2nd edition, s.v. "nothing," 6a); "that which is non-existent" (5a); "not any (material or immaterial) thing" (I.); "that which is not any number, and possesses neither quantity nor value; the figure or character representing this; nought (4); a person of no note ( 6c). "Nothing" also denotes "extinction or destruction" (5b) or "the final point, stage, or state of the process of destruction" (5c). Nothing's position is paradox: it is that which does not exist, yet me must name it, invent a numeral for it, use the concept of it as the ultimate point of reference‹in graphing mathematical models and equations, the coordinates (0,0) mark the starting point of all things, the center of infinity. In use, "nothing" as a concept is constitutive of the real, as what is not helps us to define what is. The word points to the open maw of dark that begins immediately at the boundary where Elsinore castle and the world end, while the borders of "nothing," in turn, help to mark the outlines of the world. Yet in Hamlet, "nothing" is constantly encroaching on the territory of something‹its appearance calls attention to the inadequacies of language, the dissolution of action into inaction, the form and formlessness

A recurring topic I saw while reading Shakespeare’s “King Lear”, is that the characters often dealt with not fulfilling their life. In the last lines of the play, Edgar states, “The oldest hath borne most; we that are young/ Shall never see so much nor live so long” (King Lear 5.3, 331-332). Edgar, being one of the few characters alive at the end, witnesses all the people around him not living their dreams and wishes. Edgar says this quote to fully end the play on a note that tells the reader to follow your dreams while you can. He knows this because he sees that Lear doesn’t get to fully reconcile with Cordelia because she dies. Edgar also watches Goneril and Regan fight over the attention of his half brother to the point where they die together.

Shakespeare's tragedy King Lear can be interpreted in many ways and many responses. The imprecision’s and complication of the play has led

Can nothing be something? Or can something turn into nothing? Shakespeare would have the reader believe both are possible. A person can be something and "nothing" as exemplified when Ophelia asks Hamlet "What is my Lord?" and Hamlet replies "Nothing."(3.2. 109,111) Shakespeare uses "nothing" multifariously in his tragic play  "Hamlet."  "Nothing" becomes a way for the reader to draw parallels between Young Hamlet, and his slain father.  Young Hamlet's  use of  the word "nothing," consistently borders on the realm of something. Still, "nothing" is more than a  mere lack of something, "nothing" is the catalyst that enables the reader to see the coalescency that exists between Hamlet, and his father.

Edmund’s frustration at the treatment of illegitimate children was present from the start of the play, as he exclaimed: “Why ‘bastard’?/ [..] When my mind as generous and my shape as true / As honest madam’s issue?” (I ii 6-7). He considered himself an