Laertes

Laertes is an old man diminished by time and grief, yet bearing the indelible marks of nobility. Once a formidable king and warrior of the Cephallenians, he conquered fortresses and ruled with authority, but the twenty-year absence of his only son Odysseus (Ulysses) has broken his spirit. He has retreated to a remote farm, where he tends his vineyard and orchard with devoted care—seemingly the only labour that still engages him. Clad in rags and worn down by sorrow, he works the soil himself, binding his legs with oxhide thongs to protect from brambles. He is a man of the old guard, one who remembers when he "stood by" to help younger heroes and whom Athena (Minerva) herself once favoured in counsel. When at last he receives absolute proof of his son's return, his strength and bearing are miraculously restored by divine favour, allowing him to stand once more as a man of imposing stature and immortal-like presence. His reunion with Odysseus (Ulysses) rekindles his warrior spirit, and he expresses bitter regret that he can no longer fight alongside his son against the suitors who have plagued Ithaca.