Claire Durrenmatt

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Recommended: Characteristics of a villain in literature

In the play The Visit by Friedrich Durrenmatt, the character of Claire Zachanassian is presented as an antagonist, primarily because of the bargain that she has placed on the life of her former lover, Alfred Ill. With this being said, Durrenmatt does provide details of Claire's history, that when contrasted with her current malicious behaviour, reveal the effects that the past actions of Ill had on her and in turn renders a level of sympathy for this apparent antagonist.

When the character of Claire is first introduced, the audience is given very little information as to who she is or why she has come; Durrenmatt merely reveals that she is a famed millionaire returning to the town of her youth, Gullen. With this being said, it does not …show more content…

Firstly, there is the fact that she has been married to over seven men and during her time in Gullen she marries twice more. “Everyone of my marriages is happy. But it was the dream of my youth to be wed in the Gullen Cathedral.” (28) Clearly, Claire is implicitly referring to her desire to have stayed with Ill when she was seventeen, meanwhile the several husbands of hers symbolize her inability to find a man she actually loves. Along with the men surrounding her, Claire has a caged back panther following her throughout the play. The significance of this once again lies in her past relationship with Ill “ I called you my black panther” (13). Moreover, the entirety of Claire's entourage is symbolism relating to Ill and more specifically the love they once had. This all contributes to the idea that Claire never stopped loving Ill, which would suggest that her motives for wanting him killed are not driven by any hatred she has for him. “I loved you. You betrayed me. But the dream of life, of love, of trust - this dream that was reality once - I haven't forgotten that. I want to rebuild it with my billions, I will change the past, by destroying you. ”(98) From this, It would certainly be reasonable to say that Claire still has feelings for Ill and isn’t attempting to have him murdered because of her distaste for him but rather because she seeks justice, and his

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