The Politics of Filial Silence: Ethical Refusal and Psychological Collapse in Hamlet and King Lear

Abstract

This article analyzes the political significance of filial silence in King Lear and Hamlet through a comparison of the two plays’ treatment of Cordelia and Ophelia. Rather than viewing these two figures in isolation—as good daughter versus bad daughter—it argues that their silences propel two different tragic narratives. In King Lear, Cordelia’s refusal to speak in rhetorical flourishes during the love test unmasks the performative nature of patriarchal rule and sparks political upheaval. In Hamlet, Ophelia's speech is subject to patriarchal command until it gives way to madness, illustrating the psychological effects of patriarchal constraint. By bringing these two figures into dialogue with one another, this study shows that silence in Shakespearean tragedy is neither static nor monolithic. Rather, it is a site of patriarchal limitation, culminating in either ethical martyrdom or psychological dissolution before the re-establishment of political stability.