Nihilism

Nihilism

1. Lear wants to have to deal with nothing

2. Cordelia's refusal to speak

3. Daughters believe Lear deserves nothing (knights)

4. Reduction of Lear's language

   • Dropping of royal pronouns
     • We have no such daughter
       • I am a fond foolish old man

5. Lear shouting into the storm, shouting into nothing

6. Edgarhas nothing

7. Gloucester sees nothing

8. I am a fool thou are nothing

9. No No No life

10. Dismemberment

11. mock trial, Lear is surrounded by nothing

    • i took her for a foot-stool

12. religious Nihilism

    • The gods are just
      • Gods never appear

13. Lear disrobes

14. Epistemological nihilism

    • Denies the possibility of knowledge and truth
      • Disguises
        • Edgar denied the truth of who is is
        • Kent
          • After Lears death he too goes to die
            • No place for truth and knowledge in the play
      • Changes where we think it comes from, NOT linked to status or class.
      • THe fool
        • Voice of truth and knowledge
          • Disappears
            • No place for truth and knowledge in the play

15. Political Nihilism

    • For positive change the political social order must be destroyed
      • Edmund attempts to get his inheritance
    • Are the 'bad' characters needed?
      • They create the chaos which allows Edgar to come forward and change the situation for the better

16. Ethical Nihilsm

    • Morals are creation of society, there is no such thing as good or bad
      • Not so much, right and wrong very clear from audiences confrontation with horror
      • Honest in its depiction of morality

17. Existential Nihilism

    • Life has no meaning or value
      • Edgar saves Gloucester from suicide because life has value
    • I will endure. In such a night as this!
      • etermination to survive, life has purpose

18. Ecphonesis

    • Audio cue, shows great despair
    • Shakespeare one of the first students to learn the figure 0
      • 0 vs o
        • Nothing, everything is reduced to nothing
    • COnstant reiteration
      • o me! my heart

19. The blame of Lear's loss on his daughters

    • Nothing could have subdued his nature to such lowness