Literary notes about NAUGHT (AI summary)
"Naught" frequently functions in literature as a potent expression of absence, insignificance, or futility. Poets and dramatists alike employ the term to denote not only literal nothingness but also the void left by efforts or emotions, as illustrated when character actions “come to naught” or when achievements are rendered meaningless ([1], [2]). At times, it underscores a dismissal of value or importance—if something is “naught,” then it possesses no substantive merit—while in other contexts it heightens the dramatic narrative by contrasting the presence of grandeur or passion with an overwhelming emptiness ([3], [4]). Moreover, the usage of "naught" often conveys a philosophical meditation on impermanence or the limits of human endeavor, inviting readers to reflect on what remains when all is stripped away ([5], [6]). This layered employment enables authors to evoke both a stylistic and an emotive impact that deepens the literary experience.
- All cried, “O lord, this barge ascend, And with thy princely followers bend To yonder side thy prosperous way With naught to check thee or delay.”
— from The Rámáyan of Válmíki, translated into English verse by Valmiki - Then bring this sorrow to an end, For naught my settled will can bend.
— from The Rámáyan of Válmíki, translated into English verse by Valmiki - OTHELLO Why, anything; An honourable murderer, if you will; For naught did I in hate, but all in honour.
— from Othello, the Moor of Venice by William Shakespeare - In behalf of the dignity of whaling, I would fain advance naught but substantiated facts.
— from Moby Dick; Or, The Whale by Herman Melville - With force that naught could stay or check, Sugríva smote him neath the neck.
— from The Rámáyan of Válmíki, translated into English verse by Valmiki - They all were slain, save one man; blind with fear He came, remembering naught—or almost naught.
— from Oedipus King of Thebes by Sophocles