In Greek mythology, Laërtês (Greek: Λαέρτης) was the son of Arcesius (also spelled Arceisius) and Chalcomedusa. He was father of Odysseus and Ctimene by his wife Anticlea, daughter of the thief Autolycus. Laërtes was an Argonaut and participated in the hunt for the Calydonian Boar. Laërtes's title was King of the Cephallenians, which he presumably inherited from his father Arcesius and grandfather Cephalus. His realm included Ithaca and surrounding islands, and perhaps the neighboring part of the mainland.

Another version of the story says that he was not Odysseus' real father, which was Sisyphus who had seduced Anticlea.

After Odysseus and Telemachus routed the suitors that had been threatening his wife, Penelope, some of the suitors' surviving relatives confronted them. Athena infused vigor into Laértes, so he could help Odysseus by killing Eupeithes, father of Antinous.

In Robert Fitzgerald's transliteration of The Odyssey, Odysseus refers to him as King Allwoes.

Homer, Odyssey XXIV; Ovid, Metamorphoses VIII, 315.

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Laertes is also a character in William Shakespeare's play, Hamlet. He spends much of his time in France and acts as a foil to Hamlet.

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Laertes also is a character in Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's novel Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship. Shakespeare's Hamlet is performed in the story and Laertes is cast to play the role of Laertes.

Argonauts

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