# Clerambault — Clerambault character guide

> Clerambault in Clerambault by Romain Rolland.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Madame Clerambault, Agénor Clerambault, Agénor, Sergeant Clerambault

**First appearance:** 0002-clerambault

## Snapshot

A celebrated poet who believed the world was good until the war forced him to choose between his family's love and his conscience.

## Who they are

Clerambault is a beloved poet and family idol in his fifties, whose indulgent nature and youthful enthusiasm have made him a public advocate for the oppressed. His wife and children adore him with a sense of ownership, but his aesthetic optimism and refusal to see faults leave him dangerously unprepared for the moral storm ahead. When war breaks out, his pacifist convictions will isolate him from everyone he loves, transforming him from a comfortable prophet of fraternity into a solitary voice against the herd.

## Relationships

### [Leo Camus](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/clerambault_se/characters/leo_camus)

_friendship_

Clerambault and Leo Camus are close friends and allies, sharing a bond of mutual support and ideological alignment.

### [Julian Moreau](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/clerambault_se/characters/julian_moreau)

_professional_

Clerambault and Julian Moreau are colleagues, working together in a professional capacity with a focus on shared goals.

### [Maxime](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/clerambault_se/characters/maxime)

_friendship_

Clerambault and Maxime are close companions, often spending time together in a friendly and supportive manner.

### [Daniel Favre](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/clerambault_se/characters/daniel_favre)

_friendship_

Clerambault and Daniel Favre share a strong friendship, built on trust and frequent interaction.

### [Octave Bertin](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/clerambault_se/characters/octave_bertin)

_friendship_

Clerambault and Octave Bertin are friends, though their relationship sometimes involves mild ideological friction.

### [Victor Vaucoux](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/clerambault_se/characters/victor_vaucoux)

_rivalry_

Clerambault and Victor Vaucoux are rivals, often clashing over ideological or personal differences.

### [Xavier Thouron](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/clerambault_se/characters/xavier_thouron)

_social_

Clerambault and Xavier Thouron are social acquaintances, with limited interaction and no strong bond.

### [Alexandre Mignon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/clerambault_se/characters/alexandre_mignon)

_rivalry_

Alexandre Mignon and Clerambault are antagonists, often in conflict over differing viewpoints or interests.

### [Papa](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/clerambault_se/characters/papa)

_family_

Clerambault and Papa are family members, with a relationship rooted in familial duty and affection.

### [Julian Moreau](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/clerambault_se/characters/julian_moreau)

_professional_

Clerambault and Julian Moreau are colleagues, working together in a professional capacity with a focus on shared goals.

### [Papa](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/clerambault_se/characters/papa)

_family_

Clerambault and Papa are family members, with a relationship rooted in familial duty and affection.

### [Daniel Favre](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/clerambault_se/characters/daniel_favre)

_friendship_

Clerambault and Daniel Favre share a strong friendship, built on trust and frequent interaction.

## In the story

### [To the Reader](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/clerambault_se/chapters/to-the-reader)

The hero of the book, a weak but sincere spirit whose inward labyrinth is depicted.

### [Clerambault](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/clerambault_se/chapters/clerambault)

The protagonist, a poet and idealist, reads his ode to peace to his family, faces public denunciation for his pacifist pamphlet, and finds support in the individualist philosophy of Froment.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/clerambault_se/characters/clerambault
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/clerambault_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/clerambault_se/characters