g, however, that although Lear and Gloucester were both blinded by their ownself-image, it was only in real blinding that Gloucester was able to see Edmund in his true role as the "bad seed". Lear,unfortunately took much longer to make this realisation and suffered greatly for it. So much of the turmoil in King Lear, comes from nothing, that is, nothing being said or done. In particular, we can look at howLear, in his desire to hear how well he is loved, makes the mistake of trusting the substance of spoken words. Lear, vainlyasked each of his daughters to tell him how much they love him, planning to divide his kingdom accordingly. King Lear basks inthe praise from Goneril and Regan which flatters him, and professes to love him more than anything else in the world.Cordelia's honest non-answer means nothing to him after being so wordily praised by Goneril and Regan. Lear warns hisdaughter that "nothing will come of nothing"(I.i.92.). Subsequently, because Lear is more concerned with his ego than he isconcerned with the truth, he mistakes Cordelia's response for an insult. What Lear doesn't know, however, is that the reasonCordelia won't speak the words that Lear wants to hear is because they don't hold, and cannot express the way she feelsabout her father. She says this herself while Goneril and Regan are so busily praising Lear "What shall Cordelia speak? Love,and be silent"(I.i.63-64). It is Lear's inability to see past Regan and Goneril's deceit and into Cordelia's honesty that pushes hisonly faithful daughter so far away from him and isolates him from one who loves him so much. In the case of the Earl ofGloucester, it is ironic that if he had only trusted in words (the way that Lear did in act one), his ruin never would haveoccurred. This irony is evident when Edmund says the forged letter he holds is nothing (truthfully). Gloucester will not trust thetruth of the words, "The quality of nothing hath not such need to hide itself. Let'...
