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Plays › The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark › Laertes

Laertes

The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark · 62 speeches across 6 scenes

Ophelia's brother and Polonius's son. A foil to Hamlet, he embodies swift, decisive action in contrast to Hamlet's hesitation.

Who they are

Laertes begins as a dutiful son and brother, departing for France. His return after Polonius's murder transforms him into a vengeful force, manipulated by Claudius. His arc culminates in a fatal duel with Hamlet, where he acknowledges his own culpability before dying. His relationship with Ophelia is protective, and his conflict with Hamlet drives the play's final catastrophe.

Playing them

Play with a hot-blooded, impulsive energy. His vocal quality should shift from courteous formality in early scenes to raw, explosive grief and rage in Act 4. Physicality is athletic and aggressive, especially in the final duel. The emotional range spans filial duty, passionate sorrow, vengeful fury, and final remorse.

Appearance

Often presented as a young nobleman, well-dressed. In later acts, his costume may reflect mourning or disarray. His physical presence should contrast with Hamlet's, suggesting a more conventional, action-oriented masculinity.

Worth knowing

The character's name is derived from the father of Odysseus in Homer's Odyssey, a figure associated with paternal loyalty. Shakespeare's Laertes is an original dramatic creation for this plot.

Where they appear

Play Laertes

Take the part and Yorick reads every other role aloud, following you line by line as you speak.

Rehearse Hamlet on your phone: App Store · Google Play

Shakespeare the way it was meant to be had — out loud

These plays were written to be performed, not silently read. Yorick is a rehearsal app that lets you perform them: you take a part in any of Shakespeare’s 38 plays, and Yorick reads every other role aloud, listens while you speak your lines, keeps your place, and prompts you the moment you dry.

It is built for the person who has to be off book by tech week — school and college productions, community theatre, festivals, drama students and classical auditions — and for anyone who wants to hear a scene rather than skim it. Alongside the performance you get a plain-English translation of every speech, scene context, performance notes, and the ability to ask about any line and get an answer that already knows the play, the scene and who is speaking.

The text is the public-domain Cambridge/Globe edition. Translations and notes are AI-generated rehearsal aids for actors and students, not a scholarly apparatus. Yorick runs in a browser with nothing to install, and on iPhone and Android.