Clare Quilty is a esteemed playwright and a friend (and former lover) of Charlotte Haze, the mother of Dolores "Lolita" Haze, who he kidnaps and falls in love with.
Biography[]
Quilty meets Charlotte's husband, Humbert Humbert, a closet pedophile who is obsessed with Dolores, during the party hosted by Charlotte. During the party, Clare is seen dancing with Vivian Darkbloom and trying to avoid Charlotte's awkward flirtation.
Humbert meets Clare again after Charlotte's death, at a hotel where he has taken Lolita, intending to rape her. They have a brief conversation in which Quilty insinuates that he knows of Humbert's true intentions. After Humbert and Dolores become lovers and move to a new town, Quilty follows them. He poses as Dr. Zempf, the resident psychologist at Lolita's school, to manipulate Humbert into letting Lolita be in the school play - which, in an apparent coincidence, was written by Quilty.
After the play's opening night, Humbert discovers Lolita with a boy, and he angrily takes her home. On the way, Lolita asks to make a phone call, and Humbert allows it, unaware that she is calling Quilty. She and Humbert move to another town, where Lolita apparently falls ill and has to go to a hospital. Humbert goes to visit her, only to find that she has been discharged by a man claiming to be her father. He immediately realizes that Dolores and Quilty have run away together, but when he tries to go after them, he discovers that their trail has gone cold.
Years later, Humbert receives a letter from Lolita, who reveals to him that she is married and pregnant with her husband's child. Humbert visits Lolita to gave her money and beg her to come back to him, but she refuses. When Humbert asks her why she ran away, she tells him that Quilty took her away by promising to make her a star, only to try to force her to perform in filmed child pornography; when she refused, he kicked her out. Humbert resolves to kill Quilty to punish him for hurting Lolita, and to atone for his own abuse.
Years later, Humbert receives a letter from Dolores, who reveals to him that she is married and pregnant with her husband's child. Humbert visit Dolores to gave her money and beg her to come back to him, but she refuses. When Humbert asks her why she ran away, she tells him that Quilty took her away by promising to make her a star, only to try to force her to perform in filmed child pornography; when she refused, he kicked her out. Humbert resolves to kill Quilty to punish him for hurting Lolita, and to atone for his own abuse.