Laertes Montague

Laertes Montague is the ruthless, Machiavellian Duke of Neo Verona. During the premise of the show, he orders the massacre of the House of Capulet and seized control of Neo Verona, spreading lies about the corruption of the Capulets to justify himself without persecution. As the ruler of Neo Verona, he believes it is the right of the House of Montague to exploit and oppress the common people, since the noblemen are superior to them. He is Romeo’s father but acts coldly towards his son, only using him as a pawn for political gain. He also seems to be among the few who know the secrets of the Escalus Tree, along with its caretaker Ophelia and a mysterious old man whom Romeo and Juliet found in the country.

Tybalt divulges the known origins of his father privately to Juliet. Montague was originally born into poverty. His mother was a prostitute and therefore abandoned by his father. On her deathbed, she confesses to her young son that his father was a Capulet and expressed wishes for him to live in nobility. Her death greatly sparks his unrelenting and ferocious grudge against the Capulet name and his ambitions for becoming Duke. Sometime afterwards, young Laertes caught the eye of the Montague family whom at the time was headed by a pederast lord, and he was adopted into the clan. In his older adolescence, he poisoned his benefactor’s food and became head of the family. He then met Tybalt’s mother (a Capulet woman who he later heard died during the massacre) at a ball and used her to learn more of the Capulets, specifically about the Great Tree Escalus. After impregnating Tybalt’s mother, he then left her and married Portia.

When he learned of Romeo’s love for Juliet, Montague attested that his son was tricked to turning against him. His son’s continuous declarations for his feelings for Juliet angers him and he sent Romeo to the mines as punishment. With Mercutio’s adoption, it’s assumed that Montague has decided to disown his son, made evident with the “accidental death” of Titus.

In the final moments of his reign, he is cornered by Tybalt, Romeo, and Juliet’s forces in his throne room. No longer surrounded by anyone loyal to him, he curses Escalus for Capulet’s bane. After he listens to Juliet’s offer to peacefully exile himself and forsake his status from Neo Verona, he relents, apparently ready to agree. Before he could voice his opinions deeper, Mercutio stabs his back and he collapses. As he lies in Juliet and Romeo’s arms, he wonders why no one loved him yet also says that he wanted to be the most feared in the world. He dies soon after.