The Hunchback of Notre-Dame

“Great edifices, like great mountains, are the work of ages.”

The story begins in 1482 Paris during the Festival of Fools. The gypsy dancer Esmeralda captivates the crowd, including the deformed bell-ringer Quasimodo, his adoptive father Archdeacon Claude Frollo, and the poet Pierre Gringoire. Gringoire, nearly hanged by beggars, is saved when Esmeralda marries him in a mock ceremony.

Frollo, obsessed with Esmeralda, orders Quasimodo to kidnap her, but she is rescued by Captain Phoebus. Quasimodo is publicly flogged, and only Esmeralda shows him mercy by giving him water. Frollo’s jealousy grows when he sees Esmeralda with Phoebus, whom she loves.

Frollo stabs Phoebus during a secret meeting with Esmeralda, then frames her for the crime. Under torture, she falsely confesses to witchcraft and murder. Quasimodo rescues her from execution, bringing her to the sanctuary of Notre-Dame.

The outcast community of Paris, led by Clopin, storms the cathedral to free Esmeralda, but Quasimodo, misunderstanding their intent, defends the church. Meanwhile, Frollo manipulates Gringoire to help him abduct Esmeralda. When she rejects Frollo’s advances, he hands her over to the authorities.

Esmeralda is hanged. Quasimodo, discovering Frollo’s treachery, pushes him from the cathedral tower. Years later, Quasimodo’s skeleton is found embracing Esmeralda’s in the charnel house.

Key Ideas

• The conflict between fate and free will
• The destructive power of obsession
• Society’s cruelty toward outsiders
• The contrast between beauty and monstrosity
• The role of architecture as a cultural symbol

Notable Adaptations