Character in Hamlet
Laertes ♂ male
206Lines Spoken
1.2First Scene
5.2Last Scene
5.1%Of Play Dialogue
Laertes is the #5 largest role in Hamlet, speaking 206 lines (5.1% of the play) across 6 scenes from Act 1 through Act 5. Below: scene-by-scene line counts, who Laertes shares the stage with most, and key speech examples.
Laertes’s position in the full cast
| # | Role | Lines | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hamlet | 1,495 | 37.2% |
| 2 | King Claudius | 546 | 13.6% |
| 3 | Lord Polonius | 355 | 8.8% |
| 4 | Horatio | 291 | 7.2% |
| 5 | Laertes (this role) | 206 | 5.1% |
| 6 | Ophelia | 173 | 4.3% |
| 7 | Queen Gertrude | 157 | 3.9% |
| 8 | Ghost | 95 | 2.4% |
| 9 | First Clown | 94 | 2.3% |
| 10 | Marcellus | 67 | 1.7% |
How Laertes’s dialogue distributes across the play
Laertes’s dramatic peak falls in Act 4 with 94 lines — the act where the role carries the most weight on stage.
Voice signature
Opening line (Act 1, Scene 2): “Your leave and favour to return to France;”
Representative speech (Act 4, Scene 5): “A document in madness, thoughts and remembrance fitted.”
Who Laertes shares the stage with
| Scene partner | Shared scenes |
|---|---|
| King Claudius | 5 |
| Queen Gertrude | 5 |
| Horatio | 4 |
| All | 3 |
| Hamlet | 3 |
| Lord Polonius | 2 |
| Ophelia | 2 |
| Second Clown | 1 |
| Danes | 1 |
| First Clown | 1 |
Questions about Laertes
Is Laertes the lead role in Hamlet?
Laertes is ranked #5 by line count among 35 speaking characters in Hamlet — a major role carrying 5.1% of the play’s dialogue.
What is Laertes’s longest scene?
Act 1 Scene 3, where Laertes speaks 52 lines.
Who does Laertes speak to the most?
Laertes shares the most scenes with King Claudius — 5 scenes together across Hamlet.