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This is regarding the situation at the end of House of Cards season 3 and onwards.

Why does Claire Underwood want power to herself so much? Why does she even leave Frank without helping him out? Why is Claire Underwood in so much personal power thirst without helping Frank out to get power and then have her own power?

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    She hates her husband so much that she wants to ruin him, but is waiting until she gets enough power to kick him out of her life. Can you explain what you understand and what you don't and ask a more specific question with an example?
    – Rathony
    Commented Oct 2, 2016 at 7:49
  • @Rathony I don't think she hates Frank. At the beginning of the tv series it shows the understanding between the two.
    – Shanika Ediriweera
    Commented Oct 6, 2016 at 12:26

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  • Frank and Claire's marriage is not built on love. It is built in the acknowledgement that when they work together, it will benefit both of them.
  • So far, Frank has been in the spotlight, while Claire has simply been by his side, working for charitable causes.
  • Claire has worked together with Frank more than the public suspects; but this does not change that Frank is more prominent in the public eye, and Claire is assumed to be mostly unrelated to Frank's political success.
  • After S01E01, when President Walker goes back on his promise of making Frank Secretary of State, Frank and Claire change their plan accordingly. This has dramatically shifted the balance of Frank and Claire's work to make Frank move up the ranks, but not Claire. If anything, she has had to shut down her charity and her relationship with Galloway because Frank needed her to.
  • There have been hints that Frank is more selfish and does not consider Claire as much as Claire considers Frank. One example is the ending scene of Season 1, where Frank and Claire go for a run together, but Frank pulls out ahead of her and does not look back.
  • After three years/seasons of working together to get Frank in the White House, Claire feels the need to also find a place in power. The UN Ambassador position is her first attempt at this.

Frank and Claire were supposed to share the spoils of their efforts, but the spoils have almost exlusively gone to Frank lately. Claire therefore distances himself from Frank, because he prevents Claire from achieving her goals (unintentionally. Frank is not intentionally holding Claire back but rather focusing on himself more).

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Frank broke his promise to help her with her charity when she needed him the most. She wants to prove that she can succeed without his help. Plus, payback.

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