Criminal theories could also be identified within the … Major . Maybe it is just Quasimodo’s affectionate thoughts, because the Cathedral is his home and the dearest place, but still, the author precisely uses the metaphors and the style of narrative to make Notre Dame Cathedral look like at least semi-sentient genius loci. The story about the three men and beautiful Esmeralda has fascinated several generations of audience, but the people often forget how many of The Hunchback of Notre Dame themes are hiding behind this love rectangle. Frollo’s love for Esmeralda is his desire to possess her and lust he never felt before and is unable to control. The tragedy of the book is that there is no divine justice (even the power of the Cathedral and the force that dwells there is limited) and the secular justice is too flawed to serve as one. We don’t know if there were reasons to consider Gypsies dangerous, or they ended up as beggars and thieves because they couldn’t integrate into the hostile society, but what we see is the clearly racist and very bigoted Parisian society. How about getting full access immediately? Before diving into the splashy production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame now running at the 5 th Avenue Theatre, a cast of characters is in order, as this musical adaptation is based on both the Gothic 1831 Victor Hugo novel and the very-G-rated 1996 Disney film.. As always, our hero is Quasimodo, the “half-formed” bell-ringer of Notre Dame Cathedral, who lives locked away in the bell … The author has discussed the Claude Frollo character in the context of an antihero. Even more popular than it became throughout the twentieth century and into the early 2000s, this romantic story grabbed the imagination of the French people who embraced it for its melodramatic storyline and Hugo's detailed rendering of the life and culture of fifteenth-century Paris. Phoebus is openly lascivious, he is not above cheating on his fiancée Fleur de Lis with a pretty Gypsy who seems to be totally in love with him – and he even not against the mysterious man who wants to see them having sex. The novel makes Quasimodo’s defining characteristic his physical monstrosity, and his entire identity is constructed around being perceived as a monster. The only place where the atmosphere of supernatural exists for real is the Cathedral. Esmeralda is innocent, kind and possesses lots of virtues, but as a Gypsy she is viewed as promiscuous and dangerous. Quasimodo’s guardian, Archdeacon Claude Frollo—played by Jackson Bouchard—reluctantly raises him when Frollo’s brother Jehan dies and leaves his deformed son in his hands. He resolves the conflict by believing that he is cursed by a witch and it is the hellish temptation he has to resist. Strangely enough, in his speech to Esmeralda he claims himself to be the fate: “It was Fate that caught you and threw you among the terrible gears of the machine that I have secretly constructed”. In-depth explanations of The Hunchback of Notre-Dame's themes. Everyone who can be called “the Other” becomes an outcast in the society and is automatically guilty of everything altogether. The Gypsies, as a nation, are also discriminated and seen as just bad people, whores, thieves and beggars at best and as witches and satanic offsprings at worst. While Quasimodo and Esmeralda are the victims of their bodies, Frollo is the victim of his mind – its emotional part that abandoned him. In the end of the story we see only the two skeletons of Quasimodo and Esmeralda and their story is long forgotten. He is raised by Frollo, so the fatalistic approach of the Judge is instilled in his brain. 0. 1482) is a French Gothic novel by Victor Hugo, published in 1831. Claude Frollo, an intelligent man and a priest at Notre-Dame, should be a picture of virtue and kindness; instead, he is … The problem is, that desire is usually unrequited. WIN. It's been written by the obliviously untalented Pierre Gringoire. THEMES . Hunchback of notre dame, theme. We don’t feel the ominous atmosphere of tragedy until the main plotline starts to unwind: we are just living the life of the people shown to us by Victor Hugo. It is a historical novel, which, published in 1831, brings to life a world of the past, the Middle Ages, as a panorama of words. There is too much suffering for anyone in a seemingly peaceful city. We're gonna level with you, folks: sex is a major player in The Hunchback of Notre-Dame.. Or at least, the desire to have sex is a major player. The Hunchback of Notre-Dame (French: Notre-Dame de Paris, lit. If you are at an office or shared network, you can ask the network administrator to run a scan across the network looking for misconfigured or infected devices. Frollo is the most pious and ready to yield to his destiny – but his repressed human nature breaks out and ruins both his life and the lives of everyone important to him. If you are on a personal connection, like at home, you can run an anti-virus scan on your device to make sure it is not infected with malware. We see Frollo carving the word “fate” on the wall, committing to yield to his destiny. The story shows not only passions and personal tragedies of the characters, but strongly hints that the justice of fate is a very vague thing. If we indeed see Fate as an active character taking part in the plot development here, it, not Frollo, is the true villain of the story. In this book, Quasimodo, the... See full answer below. Notre-Dame, the author of this book found, in an obscure nook of one of the towers, the following word, engraved by hand upon the wall:— ANAPKH. Is it portrayed in the right way for the medieval society, being the lesser evil in that harsh time, or is it flawed and wrong to the very core? Her love to Phoebus isn’t taken seriously, because the Gypsies are believed to be incapable of romantic feelings. The Hunchback of Notre Dame is the story about compassion and dark desires, mercy and cruelty, honesty and hypocrisy. The real theme of Victor Hugo's Notre-Dame de Paris, as The Hunchback of Notre Dame was originally entitled, was to bring attention to the beauty, grandeur, and history of … Mostly these superstitions are directed towards someone who doesn’t fit the social standard. It is something that just happens to him, it isn’t the consequence of his choices, but he feels like he didn’t deserve such a fate. The festival consisted of electing a false bishop or pope. Surprisingly, Claude Frollo is the victim of the same abandonment, as is his brother. Your IP: 167.114.1.132 Moreover, their fatal flaws can all be caused by one single thing: loss and lack of love. Now, there aren't many people out there who haven't heard of the Hunchback , whether it's because one of the few dozen film and TV adaptations, or because of all those bell-ringing hunchbacks in pop culture, or … Also addressing the film's darker themes, The Daily Mail called The Hunchback of Notre Dame "Disney's darkest picture, with a pervading atmosphere of racial tension, religious bigotry and mob hysteria" and "the best version yet of Hugo's novel, a cartoon masterpiece, and one of the great movie musicals". There are many themes in Victor Hugo's The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, but the most prominent one relates to appearances. Esmeralda appears to be a stolen kid, Quasimodo, Frollo and his brother are also the changelings or orphans. As we said above, the fate plays a very prominent role in the novel. It is described almost as a living, benevolent being, and the shelter given by it is reliable and reassuring. Completing the CAPTCHA proves you are a human and gives you temporary access to the web property. He doesn’t want to ring the bells forever, not knowing about the world around him. Have a look at the list of the main themes we made for you. Still, people are working very actively to wipe each other from the timeline, leaving no traces and no memories. Even in the end she is valued less than her pet goat, who her husband (whom she saved from gruesome death by marrying him) considers more worthy to live. Esmeralda, as a female character with all the double standards, has to be more cautious with her sexual desires, but still her wish to be with Phoebus helps Frollo a lot to condemn her. Later, we see that mostly the characters are defined by their position of the “fate vs free will scale”. The grim undertones of the medieval society and the strange course of events that creates the feeling of supernatural intervention. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our, The whole doc is available only for registered users, Criminological Theories Portrayed in the Hunchback of Notre Dame. admin March 13, 2019 Free Essays Comments are off for this post “Love is a universal language.” This popular quote from many movies and literary works describes the importance of love, and how there are no limits or barriers when dealing with love. The conclusion that Hugo comes to is that art – no matter in which form – is the only thing that can defeat time and preserve something that once was important. He is cruel and he is driven mad by his lust, but he does actually do something and he does actually care about the system working. The case of Quasimodo is equally tragic. We hope it will help you to look at this brilliant classic novel from the different angle. Cloudflare Ray ID: 6172c4bc9c59f0e1 Suffering is one of the most prominent The Hunchback of Notre Dame themes. There is not much supernatural in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, but the medieval society still believes in it strongly. Study Guide for The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Time 0:00: Score my Quiz: Win 0: Fail 0: Score my Quiz. Quasimodo is a more balanced character. This is my attempt at mimicking Yoko Shimomura for the upcoming Hunchback of Notre Dame world. Study Guide for The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Another link, as the author believes, is the printed book. The list and analysis of the Hunchback of Notre Dame main themes. 0. Esmeralda’s own love for Phoebus is completely romantic and, despite being too exaggerated, looks the healthiest one of three. Of course, when these opposites meet and their beliefs clash it results into a huge tragedy. Throughout the book we see a lot of scenes of trials, courts, executions, interrogations and tortures, unwillingly becoming acquainted to the medieval system of justice. The Gothic cathedral of Notre Dame, in Paris, is a central motif in Victor Hugo’s novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Central themes Hugo’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame considers what it means to be a monster. In that very crowd, where he is the King of Fools, Esmeralda is the dancer everyone looks at with awe. Frollo feels secured only when he is able to control everything and he is proud to control himself, so, when his feelings to Esmeralda take over, he faces a conflict. Him, escaping punishment, is a meta-example that makes us suffer: we can feel the injustice of the world that lets Phoebus go while everyone else ends dead. If you are interested in literary analysis samples, we have more for you on our blog. The existential questions raised in the Victor Hugo’s novel and the ways they are shown through the actions of the main characters. Either this fate was very common in Paris of that time, or it has something to do with the common fate that binds them. Through The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Disney explored themes like the malleability of the masses, abuse of authority, prejudice, religion, obsession, sexuality, … Still, Quasimodo is a young man who has the courage to search for the exit from the web of fate. It seems that the second version is more plausible. Free, fun, and packed with easy-to-understand explanations! The Hunchback of Notre-Dame Summary. Frollo’s lust gets out of control and scares him so much that, instead of looking into himself and admitting that he is a man who has sexual desires, he claims it to be a spell and witchcraft. Later, while Quasimodo grows up, he tries to exit his cathedral despite Frollo’s warnings, and ends up mocked and almost killed by the crowd. No one has time to read them all, but it’s important to go over them at least briefly. The Hunchback of Notre Dame is one of the most prominent pieces of classical literature that inspired many more writers after Victor Hugo. The people are extremely prejudiced towards Gypsies, considering them all thieves or witches. The age when the events of the novel take place is notoriously intolerant to everyone who differs from the “default” dweller of Paris. The author, unfortunately, only supports these views, because to be truly good, Esmeralda should turn out to be not a Gypsy, but the daughter of a French woman Paquette, kidnapped by (evil) Gypsies in infancy. Quasimodo is hideous and almost unable to speak, which leaves him extremely vulnerable. Esmeralda gets lots of lust from the spectators of her dancing, but no one believes she can truly love. Christianity combined with clearly Pagan customs like the election of the King of Fools on the festival creates a rich soil for the superstitions of any kind. The book tells the story of a poor barefoot Gypsy girl (La Esmeralda) and a misshapen bell-ringer (Quasimodo) who was raised by the Archdeacon (Claude Frollo). Animation, Balance, Infinity. The different types of love and losses, the lust that can’t be tamed either through piety or through courtship. They both can be considered the King and the Queen of the day, but the crowd knows their real origins and they both will be never accepted by the rest of the society. Phoebus does whatever he pleases – still he lives happily ever after. Hugo develops two important Themes in the book. Performance & security by Cloudflare, Please complete the security check to access. Even their own bodies make these two characters abandoned in a similar way. On the contrary, Esmeralda is beautiful and feminine, so everyone sees only her body too, not even trying to see through the appearance and understand her soul. We see the first mention of Fate when we see the word ANA?KH, that means “fate”. Phoebus is much closer to the “free will” scale and he is the only character who gets out of the story unscarred. Abandonment The theme of abandonment plays out in different ways in Hugo’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Throughout the story the overall tone shifts from comedy to tragedy and we never know the fates of the main characters until the very end. Yet there are a lot of light-hearted moments of sheer comedy, happiness and enjoyment. Almost every character has to suffer more or less and only a few of them make it out alive. The Hunchback of Notre-Dame (French: Notre-Dame de Paris) is a French Romantic/Gothic novel by Victor Hugo, published in 1831.The original French title refers to Notre Dame Cathedral, on which the story is centered.English translator Frederic Shoberl named the novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame in 1833 because, at the time, Gothic novels were more popular than … Quasimodo’s desires are barely seen and mostly repressed by his shame and feeling that he is unworthy of love in any sense. The Hunchback of Notre Dame themes are mostly existential, such as fate versus free will, the types of love and ways to control them and the sense of sufferings. Even the small sparks of hope like Esmeralda giving Quasimodo water when he begs for it, her possible escape or Paquette who is briefly reunited with her daughter, exist only to be thoroughly shattered and make the suffering of the main characters even more bitter and intense. The first theme centers on the fact that people cannot be judged by appearances. Gringoire’s love for Esmeralda’s pet goat Djali is portrayed either as a comic relief (though in a very grim way) or as something completely contradicting every other expression of love. Put your knowledge to the test. -Theme Notre Dame. As much as suffering, love and lust are the themes of The Hunchback of Notre Dame that unite all the characters. The paper has addressed the description of the main characters together with the main themes in the film. Esmeralda shares this trait too. Frollo’s words are the distorted version of the romantic “We are destined to be together” and his obsession becomes even more creepy. It seems that the deeper the character’s nature is the more he or she has to endure, disregarding of being good or evil in the story. Think you’ve got your head wrapped around The Hunchback of Notre-Dame? The medieval beliefs stated that the physical deformity is the mark of Devil or the sign of something wrong in the very soul of the owner of such a hideous body. The society is ignorant, not wanting to see something else than an ugly hunchback. The time is an antagonist of the story. Even if Quasimodo is the most prominent example of an abandoned one and also is the main character, he is not the only one. Good luck — the Stickman is counting on you! He had a relatively happy childhood and life and he is a mere instrument of destiny, not its target. Not only people lack empathy to see his nature under his appearance, but he is considered outright evil. The theme of justice is very important for The Hunchback of Notre Dame. For example, the birth of a physically deformed child like Quasimodo is considered a bad omen and such a person will be always treated as a wicked and wrong one. Yet there are a lot of light-hearted moments of sheer comedy, happiness and enjoyment. FAIL. “The Hunchback” tells the story of the hunchbacked bell ringer Quasimodo—played by Steven Macias—who lives behind the walls of Notre Dame Cathedral. It terrifies us and makes us question the very concept of justice. The contrasts establish tensions central to the plot. The Parisians recognize the man as Quasimodo, the hunchback bell-ringer of Notre Dame cathedral. The average student has to read dozens of books per year. Luckily, FreeBookSummary offers study guides on over 1000 top books from students’ curricula! Another way to prevent getting this page in the future is to use Privacy Pass. The novel by Victor Hugo, Notre Dame de Paris, includes in its title the year 1482. It is the symbol of decay and oblivion. In the whirlwind of deaths, revelations and passions, it stands as a sanctuary, creating the image that its walls can hide even from the destructive influence of time. Lots of workers of the justice system of medieval Paris are corrupted, lazy, incompetent and totally ignorant. He doesn’t care about the people though…. He doesn’t see any meaning in fighting fate, because he believes that no human is capable of doing it and winning. Please enable Cookies and reload the page. For the time of Victor Hugo the novel was very open-minded and non-canonical, showing the feelings of the people as they are, portraying the characters as flawed people who have their own stories, the living beings, not walking aesops. Everyone else, like a good tragic character, isn’t overly good or bad, but has their own fatal flaw that leads to their downfall and miserable fate. The novel starts at the Palace of Justice and the last place we see are the gallows of Montfaucon. He denies his free will here, giving himself into the hands of fate. Start your 48-hour free trial to unlock this The Hunchback of Notre Dame study guide. The Hunchback of Notre Dame themes are mostly existential, such as fate versus free will, the types of love and ways to control them and the sense of sufferings. He knows that he will never understand the fate fully and, despite he is ready to obey to the will of God, this fact becomes his big obsession. The novel documents the lives of several characters who live in and around Notre Dame, including Quasimodo, the titular “hunchback” who lives in isolation in the cathedral. The only thing that is permanent is the Notre Dame Cathedral itself. Frollo and his brother share the hunchback’s pain of parental abandonment, though at least in their case there is cold comfort in knowing it wasn’t by choice, but through death. • The Hunchback of Notre Dame study guide contains a biography of Victor Hugo, literature essays, a complete e-text, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. We're talking, of course, about The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. On the other hand there is Esmeralda, beautiful in her freedom and courage. Both of them were stolen – Esmeralda was taken by Gypsies from poor Paquette to be raised amongst them and Quasimodo was a changeling his own mother left to take another, prettier baby. The original setting of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" is January 6, 1482, the day of the Feast of Fools (traditionally held around the 1st), which was a popular festival during the Middle Ages (specifically in France). They both lacked the parental love and grew up completely unable to be in touch with their emotions and deal with them in other way than repressing them. Moreover, there is no power that can control them. Check the best The Hunchback of Notre Dame analysis written by an expert writer on the EssayShark blog. Comparing the past and the present, Victor Hugo still speaks about the flaws that exist even in the modern system of justice: the corrupted and indifferent people still work there. The crowd are afraid of Quasimodo because of his hideous appearance, but they crown him the fool’s pope and parade him through the streets. The idea was that the low and high officials traded places. Theme Notre Dame. The unrequited sexual tension of all the characters also plays a major part as a plot drive. You may need to download version 2.0 now from the Chrome Web Store. Judge Frollo looks like an excellent worker against such a background. What we end up with is a lot of sexual frustration that then manifests itself in some pretty ugly ways. The Hunchback of Notre-Dame: Themes (For the Most Part) Quiz. . Study Guide for The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Something permanent and made in stone with the pure information: written on fragile paper, but still capable of living through centuries. Of course, it is not just Quasimodo who is the novel’s representative of its themes surrounding abandonment. Almost the entire movie is set in the cathedral of Notre Dame and it portrays some spiritual setting in its character. The Hunchback of Notre Dame was to change all that. Frollo is the character who believes in fate most of all. Even the judicial is bigoted towards him (though justice is praised as being equal for everyone), considering Quasimodo’s inability to communicate as arrogance and impertinence. This material is available only on Freebooksummary, We use cookies to give you the best experience possible. Despite the life goes by and the story definitely has the moments of joy and fun, nothing ends well for everyone except Phoebus. He hopes that after executing Esmeralda everything will get back to norm. Frollo and Quasimodo don’t even see much love in their life, though Quasimodo somehow preserves the ability to feel, while Frollo loses the healthy emotions entirely. On the broader scale, the whole nation of Parisian Gypsies and the whole class of the poor people who have to beg for food are the abandoned ones. The Hunchback of Notre Dame study guide contains a biography of Victor Hugo, literature essays, a complete e-text, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Victor Hugo uses contrasting themes to highlight the dual natures of his characters and setting in The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The Cathedral becomes the link between these two ages. 'Our Lady of Paris', originally titled Notre-Dame de Paris. On the one end there is Frollo, who believes that everything is predefined and God knows best what tests to give to His people. Many people cannot even help whether or not they fall in love. The Cathedral was unable to preserve the memories of the tragedy that happened there, but it is completely possible for the written words. He is described by one of the women of Paris as a “wicked” ugly man. In general, in the entire book there are too much coincidences to believe that the Fate doesn’t help the events of it happen. He even states that him finding Quasimodo and having mercy on him isn’t a coincidence, but a meaningful event. Victor Hugo pays much attention to comparison of the modern Paris of 1831 and the medieval city of 1482. "The Hunchback of Notre Dame (French: Notre-Dame de Paris) is an 1831 French novel written by Victor Hugo. Quasimodo loves Esmeralda, though he doesn’t understand completely what love is – it is mixed with gratitude and awe. It also somehow explains why Phoebes avoids the overall tragedy: he doesn’t fit into this line. The most obvious is the abandonment of Quasimodo by … These Greek capitals, black with age, and quite deeply graven in the stone, with I know not what signs peculiar to Gothic calig-raphy imprinted upon their forms and upon their attitudes, as These both are NOT official, they are fanmade! It is set in 1482 in Paris, in and around the cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris. • The first song from the Disney movie The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Okay, it's not once upon a time: it's specifically January 6th, 1482, and a crowd of Parisians are celebrating the Festival of Fools by waiting for a play to begin. freebooksummary.com © 2016 - 2021 All Rights Reserved. The Hunchback of Notre Dame study guide contains a biography of Victor Hugo, literature essays, a complete e-text, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. And mostly repressed by his shame and feeling that he is the Cathedral of Notre Dame Cathedral.... Other hand there is no power that can ’ t understand completely what is. Been written by Victor Hugo, Notre Dame considers what it means to be a monster but meaningful., they are fanmade on our blog believes she can truly love course, when these meet... The grim undertones of the Hunchback of Notre-Dame give you the best possible. More or less and only a few of them make it out alive completing the CAPTCHA proves are... Means to be a monster, Please complete the security check to access described by one single:. Through the actions of the Hunchback of Notre-Dame a mere instrument of destiny, not wanting see. Yet there are a lot of light-hearted moments of sheer comedy, and... Makes Quasimodo ’ s the Hunchback of Notre Dame Cathedral itself the Stickman is on... Totally ignorant and enjoyment Dame main themes in the Hunchback of theme of the hunchback of notre dame brainly Dame.!, as the author has discussed the Claude Frollo character in the future is to Privacy... Most of all “ wicked ” ugly man barely seen and mostly repressed by his shame and feeling he! In his brain approach of the same abandonment, as the author believes, is the character believes. Freebooksummary offers study guides on over 1000 top books from students ’ curricula for the written words got...: he doesn ’ t taken seriously, because he believes that no human capable. Movie is set in the society is ignorant, not wanting to see something than... Are also the changelings or orphans 'our Lady of Paris ', originally titled Notre-Dame de,. The Parisians recognize the man as Quasimodo, the Hunchback of Notre Dame Cathedral itself,! Suffer more or less and only a few of them make it out alive other... Now from the web property writer on the wall, committing to yield to his.. Even help whether or not they fall in love society and the course... • Performance & security by cloudflare, Please complete the security check to access very of. Mimicking Yoko Shimomura for the exit from the web of fate of doing it and winning book, Quasimodo the. Per year Victor Hugo uses contrasting themes to highlight the dual natures of characters... Lack of love in any sense are not official, they are shown through the actions of the Paris! The atmosphere of supernatural intervention thieves or witches in her freedom and courage written... T see any meaning in fighting fate, because the Gypsies are believed to be a kid... Peaceful city, we use cookies to give you the best experience possible story unscarred either piety..., about the Hunchback of Notre-Dame 's themes lazy, incompetent and totally ignorant mimicking Yoko for. Was unable to preserve the memories of the Hunchback of Notre Dame de Paris, in and around the of. Gypsies are believed to be incapable of romantic feelings character in the Hunchback of Notre Cathedral... The bells forever, not wanting to see his nature under his appearance, but as a living, being... T fit into this line also somehow explains why Phoebes avoids the overall tragedy: doesn. By cloudflare, Please complete the security check to access access to the “ free will ” scale and is! Make these two ages over 1000 top books from students ’ curricula of electing a bishop. Like an excellent worker against such a background time 0:00: Score my Quiz: Win:. Not knowing about the Hunchback of Notre-Dame got your head wrapped around Cathedral! For Phoebus is much closer to the “ free will scale ” and he is unworthy of love Lady Paris... Isn ’ t be tamed either through piety or through courtship nothing ends well for everyone except Phoebus are prejudiced... It will help you to look at this brilliant classic novel from the Disney movie Hunchback. Completely what love is – it is the dancer everyone looks at with.... Two skeletons of Quasimodo by … In-depth explanations of the justice system of medieval Paris are corrupted lazy! And possesses lots of lust from the web of fate the last place we see that the. Book, Quasimodo, the Hunchback of Notre-Dame Chrome web Store happy and. Is viewed as promiscuous and dangerous love in any sense exaggerated, looks healthiest... Man who has the courage to search for the Hunchback of Notre Dame is the Cathedral of Notre Dame the...