This is exactly what his other daughters do and he feels very strongly that Cordelia should do the same. Because of all the flattery that was given him by his other two daughters, he gives them most of his possessions. The first thing that Cordelia says when the King asks her to speak is "nothing." The king is enraged by this remark and says that, "Nothing will come of nothing: speak again." (I.i.89) When Cordelia speaks again she says that she does love him but according to their bond, no more no less. The king is also angry by this remark and tells her to "mend" her speech a little. The king really means that he wants to be flattered more and that she is not doing so by saying what she does. In the speech that Cordelia gives beginning on line 95, she says: " Good my Lord, You have begot me, bred me, lov'd me:I Return those duties back as are right fit, Obey you, love you, and most honour you." I.i.94-97 This speech professes that she loves him for all that he has done for her including raising her and the bond that they have to each other. It is the bond that keeps them together. Throughout the entire play, the bond is the only thing that helps Lear in the end. Cordelia takes him in and does whatever she can to ease his pain. She does not do this out of sympathy but because of the bond that they have as father and daughter. In line 106, Cordelia says, "So young, my Lord, and true." (I.i.106) She is saying that the love that she has for the king is true and sincere. She is the only one out of all of her sisters that speaks the truth and shows that she really is sincere. Because of her sincerity and her wish not to flatter him like the rest of his daughters, Lear proceeds to ridicule her and then takes away her dowry. This is what she meant when she utters the words "nothing." She has nothing to say that will flatter the king because she is true and sincere. She is not like he...
