This essay presents a comparative reading of Gotthold Lessing’s Marwood and Friedrich Dürrenmatt’s Claire, and investigates the resemblances and differences between these two female avengers. Both modelled on Medea, Marwood and Claire have a similar history of love and betrayal by men with whom they have had children. Lessing highlights Marwood’s extreme combination of reason and passion. The nuances of Marwood’s character make it difficult to reach an unequivocal moral judgement against her. Marwood plays a vital role in creating suspense and advancing the plot. In contrast, Claire returns to her hometown with the desire to erase the nightmare of the betrayal and injustice of her youth by means of revenge. While Lessing’s description of Marwood is confined to family and private life, his admirer Dürrenmatt uses Claire to represent a sharp criticism of the influence of materialism on individuals and, more importantly, upon legal, cultural and educational institutions.