The person01–03
01·Who they are
Who is Laertes?
Laertes is Ulysses's father and Telemachus's grandfather. Once, he was the king of the Cephallenians and the man who captured the fortress of Nericum. By the time the events of the poem unfold, he has withdrawn from the town and now lives alone on a rural farm, where he spends his days tending to his vineyard in tattered clothes, with oxhide thongs wrapped around his legs to shield against brambles. Eumaeus describes him in Book XV as "terribly distressed" over his son's absence and notes that he has aged significantly, mainly because of his wife's death. Since Telemachus set out for Pylos, Laertes has neither eaten nor drunk properly, nor taken care of his farm; instead, he sits weeping and wasting away.
02·Arc & motivation
What is Laertes's arc and motivation?
Laertes doesn’t drive the action; he endures it. His primary wish is to see his son again and to die peacefully in his own home—Eumaeus mentions that he "prays heaven to let him depart peacefully in his own house." His journey shifts from deep isolation and grief to a brief moment of restoration, helped by Minerva. When Ulysses finally reveals himself in Book XXIV, Laertes first seeks proof of his son's identity, and upon receiving confirmation, he nearly faints. After regaining his composure, and with Minerva's assistance enhancing his presence, he expresses a wish that he were still the warrior who captured Nericum, stating he would have fought alongside Ulysses against the suitors.
03·Key moments
What are Laertes's key moments?
- Book I: Minerva, disguised as Mentes, tells Telemachus that Laertes "never comes to town now, and lives by himself in the country, faring hardly, with an old woman to look after him." This sets the stage for Laertes's condition before he appears later.
- Book II / Book XIX / Book XXIV: Penelope's weaving strategy serves as a shroud for Laertes—"till I have completed a pall for the hero Laertes, to be in readiness against the time when death shall take him." This ruse is mentioned three times (by Antinous in Book II, by Penelope in Book XIX, and by the ghost of Amphimedon in Book XXIV), emphasizing Laertes's mortality as the reason for Penelope's clever deception.
- Book XVI: Eumaeus asks Telemachus if he should tell Laertes about his safe return; Telemachus declines, suggesting the news should come through Penelope's household, adding, "we must leave him to himself just now."
- Book XXIV: In the orchard, Ulysses finds his father alone, hoeing a vine, "so worn, so old and full of sorrow," and he weeps before choosing to test him with a false story. When Laertes mourns over "my unhappy son," Ulysses reveals his identity by showing the scar from the boar hunt on Parnassus and recounting the trees Laertes had given him as a child—thirteen pear trees, ten apple trees, forty fig trees, and fifty rows of vines. Laertes nearly swoons but then recovers, expressing concern about possible reprisals from the townspeople. Minerva then restores his physical form, prompting him to wish he had fought alongside his son.
The cast04–05
04·Relationships
What are Laertes's most important relationships?
Laertes's relationship with Ulysses is the emotional core of his role in the poem. The orchard scene in Book XXIV mirrors other recognition moments but uniquely demands the most personal proof—not just a scar, but the shared memory of a father gifting trees to his child. His relationship with Penelope is indirect yet structurally vital: her pall for him represents the poem's most famous act of delay. His acquisition of Euryclea (Book I)—at the cost of twenty oxen, characterized by respect but lacking intimacy—subtly portrays him as a man of means and dignity in his prime.
05·Connected characters
How is Laertes connected to the other characters?
Study06–07
06·Questions
Questions readers ask about Laertes
Where is Laertes during most of the poem?
In Book I, Athena, disguised as Mentes, tells Telemachus that Laertes no longer visits town and now lives alone in the countryside, struggling to get by, with an elderly woman to care for him and prepare his meals when he returns home weary from working in his vineyard.
Why does Penelope weave a pall for Laertes?
Penelope cleverly employs the pall as a way to delay the suitors, asserting that she cannot remarry until she finishes a burial shroud for Laertes. Since he is wealthy, the local women would gossip if he were laid to rest without a pall. By day, she weaves, and at night, she unwinds her work by torchlight, successfully staving off the suitors for three years until a maid eventually spills her secret.
How does Odysseus prove his identity to Laertes?
Odysseus first reveals the scar on his leg from a boar's tusk he got while hunting on Mount Parnassus. He then lists the exact trees Laertes gifted him as a child in the orchard—thirteen pear trees, ten apple trees, forty fig trees, and fifty rows of vines. This intimate recollection is enough to convince Laertes.
What is Laertes's physical condition when Odysseus finds him?
He stands alone in his orchard, hoeing a vine, wearing a dirty patched shirt and oxhide thongs wrapped around his legs to shield himself from the brambles, with a goatskin cap on his head. Earlier, Eumaeus noted that ever since Telemachus left for Pylos, Laertes hasn’t been able to eat or drink properly, spending his time weeping and losing weight.
Does Laertes play any active role in the events of the poem?
He doesn't get involved until the very end of Book XXIV, when Minerva restores his physical stature, and he expresses a desire to have fought alongside Ulysses against the suitors. Throughout the story, he stays a grieving, passive figure, representing the pain of Ulysses's absence.
What is Laertes's connection to Euryclea?
Laertes bought Euryclea when she was young, spending the equivalent of twenty oxen for her. He treated her with the same respect he gave his wife in their home, but he didn't take her to bed because he was worried about his wife's jealousy.
How does Telemachus respond when Eumaeus offers to tell Laertes he has returned safely?
Telemachus expresses his sorrow for his grandfather but insists that they need to leave him alone for the time being. He tells Eumaeus not to make an effort to inform Laertes, and instead requests that Penelope discreetly send one of her women to deliver the news.
07·Essay angles
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Tool · Essay angles