Ophelia, Desdemona, and Cordelia, presented in drama as motherless women, are profoundly affected by intense unconscious conflict over incestuous impulses, and have a subjective sense of themselves which is based upon the perspective of the male incestuous object—Polonius/Hamlet, Othello, Lear. Byles underscores the notion that women's view of themselves seems to require substantial support from the perceptions of others. There is linguistic support for this position and Lacan's work provides an underlying thread. The author asks why these female characters use language to evade rather than face up to misconceptions about what they are actually thinking and feeling. The reply is both interrelational and dynamic. With respect to the latter, the boy shifts his primary identification to father, and the girl, not needing to do so, may not establish as well-defined a separate sense of self. Also, the girl's unconscious guilt over persistent incestuous oedipal wishes provides a substantive inhibitory force. The author cites textual examples in support of her views.