Laertes
noun
La·er·tes
lā-ˈər-tēz 
-ˈer-
1
: the father of Odysseus in Greek mythology
2
: the son of Polonius and brother of Ophelia in Shakespeare's Hamlet
Examples of Laertes in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Ophelia is a young noblewoman whose fate is controlled by three men: Hamlet, the prince; Polonius, her father; and Laertes, her brother.
—
Bryan West, The Tennessean, 15 Aug. 2025
And during the famously bloody denouement — when all but one of the remaining characters are killed, in a matter of minutes — the bodies of Gertrude, Laertes and Claudius tumble down the deck and out of sight, one by one, leaving only the dying Hamlet, cradled by his friend Horatio.
—Houman Barekat, New York Times, 24 Feb. 2025
The outlines of the source play are there in translation and characters based on Ophelia, Gertrude, Laertes and Horatio all show up in Juicy’s folks’ backyard, as does the ghost that kicks everything off.
—Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 22 Jan. 2025
The one who’s closest to a focused, physically and mentally balanced performance is Heri Cruz Jr. as Laertes, who duels with Hamlet at the end of the play.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 24 July 2024
At the Schauspielhaus Bochum, the climactic duel between Hamlet and Laertes swerved away from physical violence: neither combatant would make the first move.
—Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 27 Nov. 2023
That advice was given to Laertes, not Hamlet, who probably could've used it.
—Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 13 Apr. 2023
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Bryan West, The Tennessean, 15 Aug. 2025
And during the famously bloody denouement — when all but one of the remaining characters are killed, in a matter of minutes — the bodies of Gertrude, Laertes and Claudius tumble down the deck and out of sight, one by one, leaving only the dying Hamlet, cradled by his friend Horatio.
—Houman Barekat, New York Times, 24 Feb. 2025
The outlines of the source play are there in translation and characters based on Ophelia, Gertrude, Laertes and Horatio all show up in Juicy’s folks’ backyard, as does the ghost that kicks everything off.
—Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 22 Jan. 2025
The one who’s closest to a focused, physically and mentally balanced performance is Heri Cruz Jr. as Laertes, who duels with Hamlet at the end of the play.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 24 July 2024
At the Schauspielhaus Bochum, the climactic duel between Hamlet and Laertes swerved away from physical violence: neither combatant would make the first move.
—Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 27 Nov. 2023
That advice was given to Laertes, not Hamlet, who probably could've used it.
—Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 13 Apr. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Laertes.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Laertes. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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