The term “nothing” signifies emptiness or a lack of. In King Lear, however, this word creates a theme that becomes meaningful to the play and is especially seen throughout in Act One. For instance, in Scene 1, Cordelia tell Lear “nothing,” which he takes to mean that she has nothing to say, although the reader knows that really it is “nothing” good enough to talk about. In Scene 4, “nothing” is really a driving force that breeds a reaction. There is also a conversation between Lear and the Fool in Scene 4, where “nothing” is again strongly suggested. For example, Lear does not have a title anymore, since he is no longer king, but the fool can still be called a Fool. This implies that the Fool is not higher in rank than the former king.
“Nothing” is also the base for the concept of the “zero,” which did not exist until the 14th century. “Zero” is a nullifier that means stripped down; and “nothing” is central and free. In fact, the end of the play is also a representation of “nothing,” where the characters continue to die until almost no one is left.