Characterization: Claire Zachanassian
What others say about Claire:
Specific Example
1. ILL: ‘Clara: I can still see her…with her red hair
streaming out, slim and supple as a willow, ah tender,
ah what a devilish beautiful little witch.”
Page
14
2. ILL: “Clara loved justice. Most decidedly.”
Mayor: “love of Justice”
15
3. ILL “She was generous too. Everything she had she
shared. She stole potatoes once for an old widow
woman.”
4. Mayor: “it is my honor to welcome you, a child of
our native town.”
15
5.ILL: “my little wildcat”, “ my little sorceress”
20,
21,
51
26
6. Mayor: “cases, cases...There was a panther in it. A
black wild animal.”
7. School master: “She had the coffin put in a spare
room. Curious”
8. School master: “I only learnt what horror is one hour
ago. That old lady in black robes getting off the train
was a gruesome vision. Like one of the Fates she made
me think of an avenging Greek Goddess. Her name
20
26
26
Interpretation
Does the playwright intend Clara to appear evil? Perhaps, it is not the
playwright’s main intention to portray Clara as evil. It may just be the
consequence of his true purpose, which is to show the audience a version of the
world and reality.
The words “devilish witch” is suitable as she works her charms and powers of
money over the town’s people, who give into sinful temptation.
First indication in the play, as to why Clara might be visiting the town, hints of
her ulterior motive to kill Ill, who had impregnated her and abandoned her years
ago. Does Clara herself possess a sense of justice, when she instigates the town
to murder Ill, in exchange for a million? Does she get justice eventually?
Humorous, shows Clara’s twisted sense of generosity in her childhood, her
strange attitude seems to have remain unchanged even now, as she wants murder
in lieu of her donation to the town.
Reminder to evoke a sense of bonding and attachment to the town, a technique
to conquer Clara’s sympathy for the poverty stricken town, and hence acquire
the mammoth sum of a million. It is also a reminder of the power that money
possesses, and its ability to entice others into temptation.
Terms of endearment, wildcat may hold significance to Clara’s panther,
symbolic of Ill in her hunt down to kill him.
Ill- “its me you’re hunting down, me!”
Again, the black panther symbolizes Ill, and adds to his characterization. Her pet
name for him during their younger years was “black panther.” The idea that the
black panther is Claire’s pet shows that she is superior to Ill, and is capable of
manipulating him and the forces surrounding him.
Symbolizes Clara’s eccentricity, her passion to collect the dead bodies of her
husbands. Possibly an omen directed towards Ill, implying his awaited death.
Playwright invites the audience to view her as a heroine from a Greek Tragedy.
A creature from the underworld a spinner of Fate, with a controlling influence
on the remaining characters and the course of the drama itself. There are
numerous instances throughout the play when we see just how Claire is able to
shouldn’t be Claire, it should be Clotho. I could suspect
her of spinning destiny’s webs herself.”
9. School master: “That conspicuous consumption of
husbands; she’s a second Lais.”
27
10. ILL: “ I’ve been living in hell since you went
away”
29
57
11. ILL: “Clara are you all artificial?”
31
12. ILL: “Clara has such a golden sense of humor! I
could die laughing at one of her jokes!
33
13. Mayors speech: “My Clairie…prodigal return”
34,
35
“ Your achievements as an example to others in nature
studies the most essential ones they were astonishing, a
revelation of your sympathy for every living creature,
indeed for all things in need of protection.
34
14. Mayor:” Justice cant be bought.
36
15. Butler: “ And there you have the full story. One
38
control the thoughts and actions of the others around her. For instance, when the
citizens begin paying on credit/account, we begin to see the seductive effect of
money, leading to the demise of Guellen’s ideals and principles.
Lais- part of Greek Mythology; a beautiful and expensive prostitute. Playwright
emphasizes Clara’s character as a prostitute (+ her physical appearance), made
to dance to the world’s tune, and later on in the play the audience sees an
inversion, as Clara turns the world into a brothel.
Her presence is like the devil; she has also caused devastation in Ill’s life, like
the Devil. Link with School masters “Sinister.. Infernal Regions (pg 27)
Ill- its hell.
Priest- You are your own Hell—Echoing Clara’s idea that Ill is the cause for his
own downfall. Later on, the Priest advises Ill to examine his conscience and
repent for his sins, as this is the only way that he will find peace within himself.
Refers to her artificial and plastic beauty, yet at the same time extends the
question to her emotional stability and ability to feel, Clara may have possibly
become desensitized to anyone else after Ill left her alone and helpless. She is
numb and emotionless.
Dramatic Irony, at this point in the play there is a great possibility that Ill may
actually die or rather be murdered, besides his comment seems rather jovial but
it takes on a more serious note. Link with how policeman tells Ill to treat Clara’s
deal as a joke.
Her mother died to TB, Father constructed a community restroom and hence she
too is worthy, remembered, never forgotten by the towns people, yet the mayor
draws out his notebook to list her achievements, suggests that Clara was a petty
insignificant or possibly a notorious character in town.
Ironic, as it seems like Clara no longer has any sense of compassion and
selflessness in her nature, the world is like a trading zone for her now, deals are
deals, she has become selfish and only her interests motivate her to do things,
her protection, her justice is what matters and nothing else.
Claire believes that money is capable of buying justice, although her logic of
justice is distorted. In fact, she believes that money can buy anything and
everything, which is something she learned from her experiences as a prostitute.
For instance, her first husband, the Armenian millionaire, was able to buy
himself a wife.
Clara’s reason to avenge Ill.
Judge, one accused, two false witnesses a miscarriage
of justice in the year nineteen ten”
16. Man Two: “You can get anything you want with
money.”
17. Doctor: “what a monstrous thing!”
46
Echo of Clara’s voice (pg 36)-‘Everything can be bought.’
66
Illustrates his shock, when Clara rejects their business proposal in exchange for
saving Ill, she also condemns them for their useless self-sacrifice and labels their
lives as a “useless waste”. She now already owns the entire Guellen, this shows
the enormity of measure she takes to destroy Guellen, shows how deep rooted
and ugly her desire for revenge is.
Greek Literature, Classical Allusion, Playwright invites us to see the more
compassionate side of Clara, as the schoolmaster appeals to her sense of
humanity. Despite the fact that Claire has transformed into this wicked creature,
she is nevertheless, still human. In reality, extreme love for someone and
oppression can result in
Change of heart of the Guelleners, sympathizing with Clara, scales of pity tilt
towards poor Clarie, who was tortured by Ill.
Reminds us of Clara as a prostitute, the Devil and a monstrous thing. Link with
references to Hell. Again, an aura of superiority is attached to Claire. The image
of Claire hovering over society reinforces the allusion of her being a spider
spinning the web of life and an avenging Greek goddess.
Slang word for scrubber, ironic as she now is a millionaire, with large disposable
sums of money.
It is possible that the Playwright’s intent is not precisely to present a moral to the
story, as it may initially seem, but rather, an actual world. He says that that Claire
“doesn’t represent Justice or the Marshall Plan or even the Apocalypse, she’s
purely and simply what she is, namely, the richest woman in the world and,
thanks to her finances, in a position to act as the Greek tragic heroines acted,
absolutely, terribly, something like Medea.” He is merely pointing to the reality
of the power that money possesses. It has the ability to lure people into immoral
temptation and can influence others to commit the most heinous acts.
18. School master: “heroine from antiquity: Of
Medea..Cast away those evil thoughts of revenge
66
19. Man one: “sweet Madam Zachanassian”
Mrs. Ill: “ Good hearted”
20. School master: “that brazen arch-whore changing
husbands while we watch, and making a collection of
our souls?”
68
21. Clara’s name: Clara Wascher
-
22. Post script: “Claire Zach. Doesn’t represent Justice
or the Marshall Plan or even the
Apocalypse………logical as the law books of
antiquity.”
106
107
76
What Claire says:
Quote
“Boby, give him a thousand.”
Page
18
“Don’t be daft. I’ve grown old and fat as well. And lost
my left leg. An automobile accident. Now I only travel
in express trains but they made a splendid job of the
artificial one, don’t you think?
21
To the policeman – “Can you wink a blind eye to things
from time to time?”
22
To the priest (regarding the death penalty) – “It may be
reintroduced.”
22
To the doctor – “Next time, diagnose her heart attack.”
32
“Since my accident I only go about in sedan-chairs. 24
Roby, Toby, bring it here.”
To Ill - “She had money”…”Now it’s me who has
money”
29
Interpretation
This shows just how wealthy Claire is as she can easily dispose of a thousand.
This foreshadows how money will be used as a medium to gain and exercise
power in Guellen. Especially because Guellen is in severe need of donations to
improve their impoverished and squalid conditions, the power of money is
fortified.
Claire is aware of her deformed physical appearance. She is no longer made of
human parts, but artificial limbs, and she seems to be perfectly comfortable with
this. This physical distortion also extends into her inner, emotional disposition.
As a result of Ill’s maltreatment, she has become emotionally hardened and her
thinking and judgments have also become distorted. She believes that money can
buy everything, to the extent of altering the legal system, and that she is allowed
to deliberately harm others in the process of attaining “happiness.”
In all three instances, Claire seems rather indifferent when discussing death,
which is a very grave matter. She is very frank and casual when she asks the
policeman whether he can occasionally wink a blind eye to things. This further
supports her being a puppet master, as she tries to control the minds and actions
of the others around her. Of course, her money is the key to tipping the scale.
The way in which she tells the Priest that the death penalty should be
reintroduced in Guellen and orders the doctor to diagnose a heart attack further
highlights her desensitization.
Again, the image of Claire riding the sedan-chair, which is carried by Roby and
Toby, solidifies her superior position and the schoolmaster’s allusion to her as an
avenging Greek goddess and a spider spinning the web of life.
Money is a recurring motif in this play. Claire learns, as a result of her
prostitution in the past, that male sexual desires can be satisfied by wealth, and
thus, sex can be purchased. The purchase of sex is a physical manifestation of
power, and presses the one who is purchased into a corrupted, degraded state.
For Claire's first husband, the elderly Armenian millionaire from whom Claire
had inherited her fortune, wealth was able to purchase a wife. Now that Claire
has risen out of this prostitution, she attempts to turn the world into her own,
personal "brothel," as she announces to the Doctor and the Schoolteacher. If in
the past, she was a prostitute and a recluse, now, she is the opposite as she
hovers above society like an avenging Greek goddess by imposing her own legal
“And I’ve grown into hell itself.”
29
“No you’re wrong. It’s artificial too. Ivory”
31
“I’m unkillable.”
31
“I’ll tell you on what condition. I’m giving you a
million, and I’m buying myself justice.”
36
“I can afford it. A million for Guellen if someone kills
Alfred Ill.”
38
“It lived one year.”
38
“I only saw the thing once. At birth. Then they took it
away.”
87
“I think it had black hair. But then new-born babies
often have black hair.”
“My third husband. The Foreign Minister.”
87
“He’s coming, my dress-designer’s coming. My fifth
husband, my best-looking man. He still creates all my
51
43
system to attain her distorted perception of justice. She employs the lessons that
she learned through her real life experiences, which is that all desires can be
bought, if one has the money.
Echo of schoolmaster’s remark (inferior) – “ I could suspect her of spinning
destiny’s web.” (p.26) – The schoolmaster recognizes the evil in her and
conjures up the image of Claire as an avenging Greek goddess.
Supports Claire’s inner wreckage. Aside from the fact that she is physically
deformed, her emotional temperament is also torn into bits and pieces, which is
why her perception of personal justice (based on vengeance) is corrupted.
This line shows Claire’s arrogance and belief in her omnipotence and
supremacy. She previously indicated that she was the sole survivor of a plane
crash, which relates to the idea of Claire being somewhat immortal and potent.
Her anger and pain has exceeded the will of life, and her only purpose now is to
avenge the crime committed against her and to seek retribution on the people
who have caused her to become the monster that she is.
Because of Ill’s crime against her, Claire has become a vengeful and dangerous
woman. She believes that she deserves to gain justice for herself, although this is
deep seethed in vengeance. As a millionaire, she believes she can buy anything,
even justice. She has obviously transformed into a wicked creature, as she is
willing to intentionally hurt others to achieve her happiness, or at least a tainted
version of it. The playwright seems to hint that Claire can only gain her true
happiness by turning back time and erasing the memories, but this is evidently
impossible. Therefore, she would rather have tainted happiness than no
happiness at all.
These three instances portray Claire’s callous indifference to her baby’s death.
As opposed to the maternal instinct and innate loving nature that mother’s are
expected to possess, Claire seems emotionally cold and hardened, especially as
she refers to her child as “it,” something inferior to a human, much like an
animal. She displays this matter-of-fact tone when discussing her baby with Ill,
suggesting that Ill’s mistreatment of her in the past has completely destroyed and
altered her rational view of the world.
The numbering of husbands illustrates Claire’s being a puppet master, who is
able to control the lives of others around her. She shows her superiority and
power over the rest of the world, which is further secured by her money. The fact
that Claire is able to marry various types of men, from foreign ministers to dress
designers, fortifies her dominant position. She is able to manipulate others and
wedding-gowns.”
“Still I love this barn and the smell of hay and straw and
axle-grease. Memories.”
62
“I own those too. And all the factories, Puckenried
Valley, Petersens’ Barn, the entire township, street by
street ad house by house. I had my agents buy the whole
ramshackle lot and shut every business down. Your
hopes were lunacy, your perseverance pointless, and
your self-sacrifice foolish; your lives have been a
useless waste.’
“Feeling for humanity, gentlemen is cut for the purse of
an ordinary millionaire; with financial resources like
mine you can afford a new world order. The world
turned me into a whore. I shall turn the world into a
brothel. If you can’t fork out when you want to dance,
you have to put off dancing. You want to dance. They
alone are eligible who pay. And I’m paying. Guellen for
a murder, a boom for a body. Come on, the pair of you,
off we go!”
66
“You only have husbands for display purposes, they
shouldn’t be useful.”
86
“The way I was, when I was seventeen, when you loved
me.”
88
67
persuade them submit to her every desire.
Claire clearly loved Ill. She often recalls the happy moments they spent together,
and although she hates Ill, she continues to cherish their good memories. As she
mentions later on, her love for Ill did not die, it merely transformed into “an evil
thing.” Therefore, love seems to have destroyed Claire’s life and was the root of
all evil, but at the same time, it seems to be the only force that can bring true
happiness to Claire.
Claire's power and wealth do indeed, as she has claimed, entitle her to alter the
very foundation of the legal system. The audience has seen her "buying" justice
several times throughout the play, such as when she pulls the emergency brake
on the express train and escapes punishment, but it is only here that the true
scope of her power is revealed.
The allusions to sexual services, through words such as "brothel," directly refer
to Claire's past. She has suffered because she gave birth to a child and then
became a prostitute, which labeled her as an unfitting member for societal
inclusion. Her clients, however, were free to satisfy their own desires because
their wealth gave them the ability to do so. Even her first husband, from whom
she inherited her wealth, was rich enough to purchase a beautiful young wife
even though he was old and decrepit, “a gold lecher,” as she says (p.29). Claire's
real-world experiences have convinced her that anything can be bought,
marriage, justice (or revenge), personal services, and even life, itself. The only
things that money cannot buy, which are perhaps the things that Claire wants
most, are a way to erase the past and regain romantic love. Durrenmatt appears
to believe that it is romantic love that provides true happiness. In a notable
moment of irony, Ill's wife tells the reporters that "Money alone makes no one
happy" - although she, along with the rest of the town, clearly equates wealth
with happiness.
Again, she views men as material objects. The fact that she casually says that
they are for “display purposes” and should be “useless” reinforces her emotional
coldness and detachment.
Claire often asks Ill to talk about her and how he loved her in the past. Deep
inside, she longs for the romantic love that they shared to return. This love was
the root of all Claire’s joy and pain, and what has caused her to transform into
this monster, a completely different person from who she was in her youthful
“I shall take you in your coffin to Capri. I have had a
mausoleum built, in my Palace Park. It is surrounded by
cypress-tress. Overlooking the Mediterranean.
88
“A dead man beside a stone idol. Your love died many
years ago. But my love could not die. Neither could it
live. It grew into an evil thing, like me, like the pallid
mushrooms in this wood, and the blind, twisted features
of the roots, all overgrown by my golden millions. Their
tentacles sought you out, to take your life, because your
life belonged to me, forever. You are in their toils now,
and you are lost. You will soon be no more than a dead
love in my memory, a gentle ghost haunting the
wreckage of a house.”
89
years.
Claire has successfully proven that money can, indeed, purchase "justice". While
Claire was never able recapture her youthful innocence, she has achieved her
goal, which was to control the actions of the man (Ill) who had dictated the
course of her entire life. For Claire, this is perhaps the only kind of happiness
that she can ever know. She has truly become a monster, someone who can find
peace only when inflicting pain upon others.
Claire’s love did not die, it merely transformed into something evil. She realizes
that she is a wretched creature because of her love for Ill. Her thirst for revenge
will only be quenched by killing Ill, as the crime he committed deprived her of
truly living again. The saying that “revenge is sweet” does not apply to Claire as
she is clearly miserable. She would rather have tainted happiness than no
happiness at all.
She uses the “pallid mushrooms” and the “blind, twisted features of the roots, all
overgrown by golden millions” as analogies to the transformation of her love
into this “evil thing.” This shows how detached she has become from reality. She
is “blind” and “twisted” indicating that she is distorted emotional state and
irrational perception of the world. She is “overgrown by my golden millions,”
which provides the image of Claire drowning in her wealth, which is why she
can so easily dispose of large sums. The fact that nature imagery is being used
conjures up the idea of man’s essential illness.
Stage Directions:
Specific Example
Enter, right, Claire Zachanassian… Followed by her
entourage
Page
17
Mayor crosses ceremoniously to Claire Zachanassian.
Painter and Man Four stand on bench, hoist banner:
‘Welcome Claire Zachanassi’…
19
Populace gather round coffin. It is followed in by
Claire Zachanassian’s maidservants and an endless
stream of cases and trunks, carried by the Gulleners.
24
Butler comes out of background, passes her a cigar,
lights it.
29
Claire Zachanassian examines wife through lorgnette.
32
Claire Zachanassian examines Doctor through lorgnette
as he kisses her hand.
Claire Zachanassian turns from Doctor to inspect
Gymnast, clad in shorts and vest.
Claire Zachanassian appears on balcony in background,
dressed for the morning.
42
Interpretation
Claire is portrayed as much more noble and wealthy citizen compared to the
people in Guellen. She has her own group of followers, which already depicts
her influence and power. Interestingly, all of them are men displaying that she is
above everyone.
Mayor’s movements suggest his respect and desire for Claire’s approval.
Important because as his title suggests, the Mayor should be the most powerful
man in Guellen who seeks Claire’s approval. The welcome banner for Claire
also displays the townspeople wanting Claire’s approval so she can make her
donations for Guellen
The coffin brought in by Claire signifies that she is expecting the death of
someone in Guellen. It is important to note that Claire’s maidservants and the
people of Guellen appear to still be following her initially despite her bringing a
coffin with her to the town.
Smoking a cigar is typically associated with achieving a goal (victory cigars).
Perhaps Claire smoking the cigar foreshadows that she will eventually achieve
what she set out to do or get done while the Butler passing and lighting her cigar
depicts the assistance of the Guelleners in her endeavor.
Claire examining the different people of Guellen through her lorgnette is not a
typical action to be taken between humans. Her actions may suggest that she
places herself above all the Guelleners by not treating them like other people
normally would.
Claire is positioned on an elevated ground compared to the other characters.
However, she is stationed in the background, which gives an image of her
overseeing everything in Guellen. This suggests that despite the people agreeing
with the Mayor that they will not murder Ill, her proposal has a powerful
influence in the town as she somewhat manipulates the people of Guellen.
Appearance (including Props):
Specific Example
“Sixty-three, red hair, pearl necklace, enormous gold
bangles, unbelievably got up to kill”
Page
17
“Followed by her entourage”
“I’ve grown old and fat as well. And lost my left leg...
But they made a splendid job of the artificial one,
don’t you think?”
17
21
“She inspects little house, left, through jewelencrusted lorgnette.”
“Since my accident I only go about in sedan-chairs.”
22
“Elaborate black coffin”
24
“And a little while ago they came in with a cage.
There was a panther in it. A black, wild animal.”
26
“...clad in white wedding gown”
63
24
Interpretation
Claire is given a bizarre appearance in the beginning of the play. The
descriptors, ‘enormous’ and ‘unbelievably’ demonstrates her audacious
appearance. Her physical appearance conveys her eccentric personality as well
as her excessive wealth. Even though ‘unbelievably got up to kill’ refers to the
way Claire is dressed, it is ironic and also foreshadows her desire to avenge
herself on Ill.
Her servers are reminders of her power, which is derived from her vast wealth.
Clara’s dismembered body is symbolic of her having lost her integral qualities
of moral values and virtues. She is driven only by her hatred and need for
vengeance. This relates to the quote, “ ‘Clara are you all artificial?’
‘Practically.’ “ (P 31) Her artificial limbs are a metaphor to her morality; she is
cold and inhumane.
The ostentatious props that are associated with Claire are manifestations or
exhibitions of her wealth.
This is another demonstration of her wealth and the privilege she grants herself.
This is also a reinforcement of the retinue and her power as a result of her
money. Furthermore, this suggests that she is dependent on other people to
impose her will on.
This prop foreshadows Ill’s imminent death and Claire’s certainty in
accomplishing what she set out to do. Claire is also depicted as a harbinger of
death.
The black panther, which is Claire’s nickname for Ill, is a symbol, which
foreshadows Ill’s death. The fact that the animal is caged, signifies that Ill is
captive to her will. The fact that the panther was later shot after it escaped
suggests Ill’s forthcoming death. The color ‘black’ further affirms death as it is
synonymous with death.
This image is ironic and also sarcastic as a ‘white wedding gown’ is a symbol
of purity and innocence. This provides an exaggerated contrast and almost a
contradiction between Clara’s true self considering that she is getting married
for the 8th time and also taking into account the purpose behind her visit to
Guellen.