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** The Visit - Study Question 13 ** ** 13. Clare says to the Doctor and the Schoolmaster: "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 the turn the world into a brothel." Why is this speech significant and what does it reveal about the effect of wealth? ** ** The phrase "Feeling for humanity" would be associated with having empathy, a characteristic most would assume 'good' people to have, people with the capability to express and understand emotion. Throughout the play, the audience is led to believe that Claire is almost sociopathic, clear since the beginning that she believes in obtaining justice by bribery. Here, she states that the emotion of empathy is nothing more than a currency used by the townspeople, and that the town of Guellen can either do her bidding and be payed in money, or refuse to do so and keep their 'empathy'. The phrase "cut for the purse of an ordinary millionaire" indicates that Clare knows the townspeople will choose money over their allegiance to Ill, the exaggeration of "ordinary millionaire" highlighting her wealth as a constant reminder to the people of Guellen. The "new world order" is symbolic of Clare's imminent influence on Guellen's justice system, where killing will be seen as rational when benefiting the greater society; while also suggesting that when the townspeople commit the crime, they will never rid themselves of Clare's philosophy and will eventually only be able to function as a robotic community similar to Clare herself.

Clare will therefore always have a hold over Guellen, either by maintaining their poverty level or by twisting and manipulating every individual so that they become as emotionless and alone as her. She presents both options to the people so that they come to the conclusion that poverty is far worse, never realizing that she has prepared their future. "the world turned me into a whore, i shall turn the world into a brothel" further solidifies Clare's premeditation, her whole life dedicated to bringing Guellen to its knees for humiliating and abandoning her. Despite Clare being unemotional, her reasons for condemning the town are drawn from passionate hatred, almost immaturely applied. Clare has thus gathered her wealth and yielded it as her greatest weapon, disguised as a bribe for Guellen so that they never question her childish request. Wealth is also a symbol for irony, since Ill left Clare for a wealthier wife, she has returned to both tempt and mock him, Ill never allowed redemption from his previous actions while also dying with the knowledge that he has no one- reduced to how Clare felt many years ago.

The shortest phrase of "And I'm paying." reminds Guellen that Clare is in control and the subsequent events will take place exactly as she sees it. Everything she says is direct and to-the-point, while also managing to place thoughts into others' minds "You want to dance", so that they feel entirely confident in their final decision, believing it to be their own. Overall, wealth is temptation; expertly handled by Clare Zachanassian so that she is elevated at the expense of Guellen.

__Act III: pg.67__

CLARE ZACHANASSIAN: //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 the 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, of we go!//

- Shannon **