Claire Underwood is Frank Underwood's wife, who is in charge of an
environmental nonprofit
organization. Claire mirrors Frank when it comes to money and the way that she treats people; she isn't a shoulder to cry on, but she is the person who would make you cry (breaking the stereotype of women). However, she does follow the stereotypical way of acting when it comes to meeting Zoe and degrades Zoe for using her sexuality to create her career, she also often wears suits and is very assertive around Frank, her husband. Claire subverts to feminine qualities and is more masculine to Frank, breaking the patriarchy. Overall, Claire is ruthless, corrupt and is corruptive to those around her.
Frank Underwood is the wife to Claire Underwood and is running for Secretary, however, is disappointed and is told to stay in the Congress. In the beginning, Frank is shown killing off a dog so that it ends suffering, this immediately starts off the ruthless demeanour that he spreads. Throughout the first episode, Frank uses an extensive amount of blackmail in order to get what he wants and stereotypes the politics (for example relating to Donald Trump and Boris Johnson). Frank shows a lot of monologues, evoking a sense of individualism and breaks the fourth wall. He is the main protagonist. Frank is patriarchal, holding the power as a middle-class white man. Frank relates to the consumerism when he is at the ball and is narrating what he is thinking - judging everyone for what they are wearing and whereabouts in the economic scale they lie. Alike his wife, he is both corruptive to those around him and is corrupt himself.
Zoe Banks uses her sexuality to fraud a career, wearing low cut shirts to gain attention from men and exploit them - like the Van Zoonen theory of women being objectified - when she is in Frank's house during the first episode. Zoe tends to bite her nails when she is being confronted or talked to in the workplace, this could be a nervous tick which has developed due to her being in a position of weakness since the beginning of her career. However, she is an ambitious woman journalist, who wants to get on and break the bounds that tend to restrict her, with her work at the time being only about writing a small column - what her co-workers call gossip; a lot of the time being shut down from wanting to change what she is doing and make the workspace better. When Zoe turns up with all the "research" that she has taken from Frank, she is basically questioned whether she had to sleep with someone in order to get the article from Frank. Unlike the Underwoods, she is not corruptive to others, however, is still corrupt.
Peter Russo is a very irresponsible man who puts his personal life over his professional life. Franks is dirty and is completely addicted to drugs and alcohol. The addictions lead him to do illegal things although being part of the government. Russo acts like a child and thinks he can get away with anything, for example when he gets pulled over by the cops for drink driving, and tells them that he is a part of the government and should be let off the hook. Similar to Zoe, Russo is not corruptive to others like the Underwoods are, however, he is still corrupt.
