When Claire went back in time the first time, she was still married to Frank. Did she cheat on Frank by marrying Jamie in Outlander?
There are a lot of debates when it comes to certain topics in the world of Outlander. One of those is whether Frank cheated on Claire, but what about the other way around? Did Claire have an affair when she married Jamie?
It is an interesting debate. It even gets brought up in the first Outlander book. Claire wonders if she has committed bigamy.
Frank wasn’t born when Claire went back in time in Outlander
The first time Claire went back in time, she went to a time period 200 years from her own. It would suggest that she couldn’t possibly have an affair. How do you have an affair when the person you married isn’t even born yet?
This would be the logical way of looking at it. However, we have to look at where Claire’s heart lies at the same time. In her heart, he was still alive during that time.
At first, Claire did what she needed to do. She had to marry Jamie to keep herself alive. As a woman in the 18th century, she had no rights. It could still be technically classed as an affair, but she was still trying to get back to Frank, and she was in survival mode at the time.
It started to change when Claire developed feelings for Jamie. She did develop the lustful feelings at first, but then those feelings developed into love. Claire chose not to return to Frank when she had a chance. She chose to return to Jamie, and that was the moment for many where she cheated on Frank.
Claire’s heart always belonged to Jamie after that
When Claire went back to her own time, her heart was still with Jamie. Even though she was physically with Frank, she wasn’t with him emotionally. She’d checked out of that marriage when it came to love.
Sure, she still loved Frank but not in the way she once had. The love for Jamie was too much.
What did you think of Claire’s actions? Did she cheat on Frank when she was with Jamie? Share your thoughts in the comments below.