Laertes

Laertes (pronounced /leɪˈɜrtiːz/) is a character in William Shakespeare's play Hamlet. His name is taken from the father of Odysseus in Homer's Odyssey. Laertes is the son of Polonius and the brother of Ophelia. In the final scene, he kills Hamlet with a poisoned foil to avenge the deaths of his father and sister, for which he blamed Hamlet, but informs him that King Claudius had poisoned the sword Laertes was using. The Laertes character is thou... more

Laertes (pronounced /leɪˈɜrtiːz/) is a character in William Shakespeare's play Hamlet. His name is taken from the father of Odysseus in Homer's Odyssey. Laertes is the son of Polonius and the brother of Ophelia. In the final scene, he kills Hamlet with a poisoned foil to avenge the deaths of his father and sister, for which he blamed Hamlet, but informs him that King Claudius had poisoned the sword Laertes was using. The Laertes character is thought to be originally from Shakespeare, as there is no equivalent character in any of the known sources for the play. In the first Act, Laertes is seen warning Ophelia against Hamlet's romantic pursuit of her, saying Hamlet will soon lose his desire for her, and that it is not Hamlet's own choice but the king's as to whom he will marry. Before Laertes returns to France (he had returned to attend the coronation of King Claudius), his father, Polonius, gives him advice to behave himself in France. During Laertes's absence, Hamlet kills Polonius... less