“CORDELIA Nothing, my lord.
LEAR Nothing?
CORDELIA Nothing.
LEAR Nothing will come of nothing. Speak again.”
Nothing? That is the question. In King Lear we hear that word many times; more than once we hear Lear say that nothing will come of nothing. Yet, after reading the play one must ask whether or not this is true. The source of the conflict in this play comes from nothing; literally in Cordelia’s response, and ultimately because King Lear brought the issue of the love of his daughters for nothing more than his own weariness. Therefore, in a sense, all of the conflict (something) arose for no good reason (nothing). So, if the conflict came from nothing, then Lear was wrong in saying “nothing will come of nothing.” On the other hand, in the end of the play, almost every character dies. It is very dismal and void, and most of it was in vain. In a way, the play ends with a feeling that there is nothing, and no one left. If we look at the play this way, from start to finish, Lear is right and nothing really does produce more of nothing.
Another issue raised by the “existence” of “nothing,” is what is implied in speech. Is saying nothing better than saying the word “nothing”? If Cordelia had just remained silent, would Lear have become so outraged? By speaking the word “nothing” then reiterating it when asked for “something,” perhaps Cordelia is perceived to be defiant of her father. If she had simply not said anything, Lear might have been more concerned rather than angry.
We can assume that in certain instances, when a character says “nothing,” they mean quite the opposite. We know that when Cordelia says it in the beginning, she actually means that there is too much to put into words. When Edmund reads the fabricated letter and says “nothing” when asked what he is reading, he actually means “something very important” (or at least it would be if it were true). Even when Lear says that “nothing will come of nothing” we know that, in terms of the plot, something came from nothing then ended up in nothingness.
This issue of “nothing” is reminiscent of Othello, in the fact that both plots end sadly with most of the characters dead, and both conflicts were raised out of what could have very well been nothing at all. In other words, neither tragedy needed to occur; it was merely the work of cruel characters. Speech also plays a big part in both plays; in Othello, Iago uses his speech to manipulate people and get what he wants, as does Edmund (they also both forge letters).
-Eliza Gerland discussion A: Th 2-2:50 F.Wang
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