Victor Hugo: The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Victor Hugo
Victor Marie Hugo (French: [viktɔʁ maʁi yɡo] (About this soundlisten); 26 February 1802 – 22
May 1885) was a French poet, novelist, and dramatist of the Romantic movement. Hugo is
considered to be one of the greatest and best-known French writers. Outside France, his most
famous works are the novels Les Misérables, 1862, and The Hunchback of Notre-Dame (French:
Notre-Dame de Paris), 1831. In France, Hugo is known primarily for his poetry collections, such
as Les Contemplations (The Contemplations) and La Légende des siècles (The Legend of the
Ages).
Hugo was at the forefront of the Romantic literary movement with his play Cromwell and drama
Hernani. Many of his works have inspired music, both during his lifetime and after his death,
including the musicals Les Misérables and Notre-Dame de Paris. He produced more than 4,000
drawings in his lifetime, and campaigned for social causes such as the abolition of capital
punishment.
Though a committed royalist when he was young, Hugo's views changed as the decades passed,
and he became a passionate supporter of republicanism; his work touches upon most of the
political and social issues and the artistic trends of his time. He is buried in the Panthéon in Paris.
His legacy has been honored in many ways, including his portrait being placed on French
currency.
THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME
The Hunchback of Notre Dame is set in Paris during the 15th century. The story centres on
Quasimodo, the deformed bell ringer of Notre-Dame Cathedral, and his unrequited love for the
beautiful dancer La Esmeralda. Esmeralda, born Agnès, is perceived to be a French Roma girl.
Her biological mother is a former prostitute once known as Paquette la Chantefleurie but now
known as Sister Gudule; her paternity is unknown. Fifteen years before the events of the novel, a
group of Roma kidnapped the infant Agnès from her mother’s room. Esmeralda has no
knowledge of her kidnapping: she lives and travels with the Roma as if she is one of them.
Quasimodo first meets Esmeralda at the Feast of Fools, an annual festival parodying
ecclesiastical ritual and cardinal elections. During the festival, Quasimodo is elected “Pope of the
Fools” and subsequently beaten by an angry mob. Esmeralda takes pity on him and offers him a
drink of water. Quasimodo thereafter falls in love with the dancer and decides to devote himself
to protecting her.
Unbeknownst to Quasimodo, two other men vie for Esmeralda’s affection: Quasimodo’s
adoptive father, Archdeacon Dom Claude Frollo, and the womanizing captain Phoebus de
Châteaupers. Esmeralda, for her part, has fallen hopelessly in love with Captain Phoebus. When
he asks her to meet him in secret late one night, she enthusiastically agrees. That night Phoebus
tries to persuade Esmeralda to sleep with him. From a closet in Phoebus’s room, a disguised
Frollo spies on the couple. After he sees Phoebus kiss Esmeralda’s shoulder, the archdeacon, in a
fit of jealous rage, breaks down the closet door and stabs Phoebus in the back. Phoebus collapses
before he can see his assailant. Esmeralda too loses consciousness, and Frollo escapes, leaving
Esmeralda as the only suspect for the attempted murder.
Conclusion
One of the lessons to learn from reading the novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor
Hugo is that of not judging by appearances. Quasimodo has been abandoned by his mother just
because he has been born in an ugly twisted body - but that says nothing about his heart or his
soul. In many ways he is like the character of the Beast in the fairytale Beauty and the Beast.
Conversely, just because a character appears in priestly garb, whether in reality or in disguise,
does not mean to say that they have a priestly or naturally good nature. They may be a wolf in
sheep's clothing or a devil in disguise, capable of the worst sorts of atrocities. We should weigh
people up very carefully, by their words, deeds and attitudes towards others.

Victor Hugo: The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Victor Hugo: The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Victor Hugo: The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Victor Hugo

THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME

You might also like