Nihilism

• There is no disputing that the pervasive theme of nihilism, the latin word 'nihil' meaning 'nothing' is explored in King Lear
• 'Nothing my lord/ Nothing comes of Nothing' - 1.1 Cordelia's response to her father during the noxious love test
• 'Nothing my lord' - 1.2 Edgar echoes Cordelia's words when he responds to his father's plea to access the deceptive letter
• 'Thou art nothing' the fool to lear in 1.4
• 'Edgar I nothing am' - Edgar admits that in becoming Poor Tom he must destroy his identity as Edgar