Quasimodo | fictional character | Britannica.com Quasimodo fictional character THIS ARTICLE IS A STUB. You can learn more about this topic in the related articles below. Similar Topics Quasimodo, title character, the deaf, pitiably ugly protagonist of Victor Hugo ’s novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1831). He became a classic symbol of a courageous heart beneath a grotesque exterior. Learn More in these related articles: Victor Hugo (French writer) February 26, 1802 Besançon, France May 22, 1885 Paris poet, novelist, and dramatist who was the most important of the French Romantic writers. Though regarded in France as one of that country’s greatest poets, he is better known abroad for such novels as Notre-Dame de Paris (1831) and... in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (film by Dieterle [1939]) Laughton portrayed an unlikely hero: the kind, misunderstood, and pitiable hunchback Quasimodo, the bell ringer at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris.

He meets and falls in love with a beautiful Rom (gypsy) named Esmeralda (played by Maureen O’Hara). However, Quasimodo’s adoptive father figure, the sexually repressed Frollo (Cedric Hardwicke), is determined to destroy the girl. After she falls in... Corrections? Updates? Help us improve this article! Contact our editors with your feedback. MEDIA FOR: You have successfully emailed this. Error when sending the email. Try again later. Edit Mode Submit Tips For Editing We welcome suggested improvements to any of our articles. You can make it easier for us to review and, hopefully, publish your contribution by keeping a few points in mind. Encyclopædia Britannica articles are written in a neutral objective tone for a general audience. You may find it helpful to search within the site to see how similar or related subjects are covered. Any text you add should be original, not copied from other sources. At the bottom of the article, feel free to list any sources that support your changes, so that we can fully understand their context. (Internet URLs are the best.) Your contribution may be further edited by our staff, and its publication is subject to our final approval.

Unfortunately, our editorial approach may not be able to accommodate all contributions. Submit Thank You for Your Contribution! Our editors will review what you've submitted, and if it meets our criteria, we'll add it to the article. Please note that our editors may make some formatting changes or correct spelling or grammatical errors, and may also contact you if any clarifications are needed. Uh Oh There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later. Close Date Published: February 15, 2011 URL: Access Date: January 16, 2017 Share The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Character) The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Character) There may be more photos available for this character. To select more photos to be displayed in this character's gallery, click the Edit Photos link. Overview Quasimodo is the main tragic hero in Victor Hugo classic tale... See more » Alternate Names: Hunchback of Notre Dame / Quasi Modo / Quasimodo / Quasimodo enfant / The Hunchback Quasimodo Filmography ... aka "NBC's Saturday Night" - USA (complete title) ... aka "SNL" - USA (informal title) ...

aka "SNL 25" - USA (alternative title) ... aka "Saturday Night" - USA (first season title) ... aka "Saturday Night Live '80" - USA (sixth season title) ... aka "Saturday Night Live 15" - USA (fifteenth season title) ... aka "Saturday Night Live 20" - USA (twentieth season title) ... aka "Saturday Night Live 25" - USA (twentyfifth season title) SparkNotes: Hunchback of Notre Dame: Characters Hunchback of Notre Dame Summary Book 1 Quasimodo - The hunchback of Notre Dame. Quasimodo is an abandoned child left at Notre Dame and adopted by Archdeacon Claude Frollo. Hideously deformed, he has a giant humpback, a protrusion coming out of his chest, and a giant wart that covers one of his eyes. He is also deaf. His heart is pure, and this purity is linked to the cathedral itself. Indeed, his love for Notre Dame's bells and for the beautiful sound of their ringing represents his only form of communication.

The whole of Paris ironically enjoys Quasimodo's singing while at the same time detesting him for his ugliness. His name literally means "half-made." Archdeacon Claude Frollo - A priest at Notre Dame, Frollo is also the novel's antagonist. However, he is not a typical evil character bent on causing pain and suffering; instead, he is very bright and compassionate. He dearly loves his brother, Jehan and does everything in his power to make Jehan happy after their parents die. He extends the same compassion to Quasimodo, who he tries to mold into a scholar just like his brother by teaching him how to read and write. Hugo explains Frollo's descent into black magic and madness through his failure to bring up both Jehan and Quasimodo. Jehan drinks and gambles all his money away, completely neglecting his studies, while Quasimodo's deafness makes it virtually impossible to teach him anything. The hunchback thus becomes both a symbol of failure for Frollo as well as a powerful tool of vengeance to wreak his frustrations out on the world. His obsessive lust for La Esmerelda causes her to be executed and Quasimodo to be tortured.

No matter how hard he tries to make her love him, he only ends up causing her pain. La Esmerelda - The lost daughter of Sister Gudule, La Esmerelda is a beautiful gypsy street dancer. Along with her goat, Djali, she charms everyone she meets with her stunning looks and magic tricks. She keeps an amulet and other trinkets around her neck to help her find her parents. Pierre Gringoire - A struggling playwright and philosopher. La Esmerelda saves him from being hanged by a group of vagabonds and agrees to "marry" him for four years. He later joins the vagabonds and unwittingly helps Frollo hand La Esmerelda over to the authorities. Phoebus de Chateaupers - The captain of the King's Archers, he saves La Esmerelda from Quasimodo. He does not love her, but tries to seduce her and a number of other women as well. Frollo stabs him and everyone leaves him for dead. He recovers but fails to speak up when La Esmerelda is sentenced to death for his murder. He ends up marrying Fleur-de-Lys de Gondelaurier.

His first name is Greek for "the sun." Sister Gudule - La Esmerelda's long lost mother. She is a miserable recluse living in the Tour Roland, who hates to hear the sound of children playing. She is convinced that gypsies ate her adoptive daughter, Agnes, fifteen years earlier. She hates La Esmerelda and is convinced that she is a child thief, but when she learns that she is actually her daughter, Gudule gives her life to save her. Jehan Frollo - Claude Frollo's brother. Jehan is a horrible student who gambles and drinks all his money away. He decides to join the vagabonds and Quasimodo kills him as he attacks Notre Dame. Clopin Trouillefou - Clopin disrupts Gringoire's play and later turns out to be not just a simple beggar, but "King" of the vagabonds. He tries to save La Esmerelda from being hanged but Quasimodo thinks that Clopin is trying to kill her. Louis XI - The King of France in 1482. Louis XI is a heartless monarch who lives in the Bastille instead of the Louvre.

He pardons Gringoire for attacking Notre Dame but orders La Esmerelda's execution. Djali - La Esmerelda's goat. Djali can perform magic tricks and spell the name Phoebus out of a group of letters. At La Esmerelda's trial Djali is accused of being possessed by the devil. Fleur-de-Lys de Gondelaurier - One of Phoebus's admirers, she later becomes his wife. She also humiliates La Esmerelda by mocking her clothes. Master Florian Barbedienne - The deaf judge who condemns Quasimodo to torture. Master Jacques Charmolue - One of Claude Frollo's associates. Jacques prosecutes and then tortures La Esmerelda to get her to confess to killing Phoebus. He later has her executed. More Help Quasimodo | Disney Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia ― Clopin , during " The Bells of Notre Dame " Quasimodo is the protagonist of Disney's 1996 animated film, The Hunchback of Notre Dame . Quasimodo was born deformed , possessing a hunched back , from which the film takes its name.

In spite of his ghastly appearance, Quasimodo is naïve, kind-hearted and knows little of the world outside his bell tower home from which he is forbidden to leave. Contents [ show ] Background Quasimodo first appeared as a baby (whose face is not seen, only his arm, but is described by Frollo to be a "monster") being carried by his mother. His mother and father were gypsies and were secretly entering Paris through the waterways. Judge Claude Frollo , believing that they had stolen something, stood in their way and gave chase to Quasimodo's mother when she ran, and delivered a kick to her, breaking her neck on the steps of Notre Dame , killing her. When he discovered that the bundle she had been carrying was actually a baby, he planned to drown Quasimodo in a well upon seeing that he was deformed in disgust. However, the Archdeacon of Notre Dame commanded him not to murder the baby. Frollo was then ordered to adopt Quasimodo as his own to make up for his sin of killing an innocent woman. However, he only did this because he felt the infant would later prove useful to him.

Personality Despite his appearance, Quasimodo is a kind and gentle person. He was also curious and trusting, enough so that he was naive to the true nature of his master, Frollo until he was in his early twenties. Even when Frollo taught Quasimodo that gypsies, such as Esmeralda , were evil, Quasimodo was not particularly violent towards them. He also seems to have an attachment to Notre Dame, as he didn't leave even after he was accepted into society. His devotion to his master almost proved to be his undoing, as it almost caused him to abandon his friends and allies. He can also show violence towards his enemies, particularly when they were threatening his friends and allies, especially towards Esmeralda. Quasimodo is a talented artist, possessing the skills needed to carve miniature figurines and toys, a scale wooden model of Paris and the Cathedral itself, and a decoration of hung shards of stained glass. Quasimodo likely developed his skills in handicraft as a hobby or to make his life isolated in the bell tower more bearable.

Quasimodo, despite his appearance, is very agile and acrobatic, as he is able to quickly move across rooftops, scale buildings, rope-swing, and climb large structures with relative ease. He likely made a habit of climbing and scaling the cathedral to better observe the world from which his master forbade him from ever entering, and to see the free people, envying them for being able to live as they do. Due to his duty to ring the bells of Notre Dame, Quasimodo possesses extreme physical strength. One of the first instances of this abnormal physical strength was shown when Quasimodo was able to lift the fully-armored Phoebus up off his feet with no notable effort when Phoebus entered the bell tower in search of Esmeralda. Perhaps the most impressive feat Quasimodo has shown was his ability to break free of the chains which held him in the bell tower when Frollo was preparing to execute Esmeralda. Appearances The Hunchback of Notre Dame Quasimodo as he appears in The Hunchback of Notre Dame Quasimodo was raised by Frollo in the bell tower of Notre Dame.

However, he was trapped there and was led to believe by Frollo that his mother abandoned him. He always longed to be free, despite making three friends in the form of gargoyles Hugo, Victor, and Laverne . They persuade him to go against Frollo's strict orders never to leave the tower and Quasimodo attends the Festival of Fools. At the festival, he meets the beautiful gypsy Esmeralda . He instantly falls in love with her. She drags him up on the stage for a competition to see who can make the ugliest face after removing their masks, presuming his deformed face to be a disguise. Once upon the stage, they realize it is really his face, though Clopin points out this is exactly what they are looking for. Just then, Frollo sees him and realizes his disobedience. After a guard throws food at Quasimodo and mocks him, the crowd turns from cheering to tormenting Quasimodo, who is then tied down and barraged with a flurry of produce. Esmeralda, seeing this, stands up for him, cuts him free and calls for justice. Following the gypsy's escape, Frollo is furious with his charge.

After the festival Quasimodo witnesses Esmeralda singing " God Help the Outcasts ", but before he can talk to her, a parishioner who mistook him for causing trouble shouts at him, causing him to knock down a candle staff and flee back to the bell tower. Esmeralda was terrified seeing Quasimodo being scared away by the Parishioner and follows him, while the Archdeacon stops the Parishioner when he attempted to stop her and Djali from following him. Quasimodo eventually befriends Esmeralda, who once more apologizes to him for what happened at the festival and whom he helps escape from Notre Dame and Frollo's guards . Before she leaves, Esmeralda gives the hunchback an amulet that leads him to the Court of Miracles after he tells her that he refuses to leave the bell tower to go there due to what happened to him at the Festival. Afterward, Quasimodo encounters Phoebus and gets defensive towards him when the captain asks him where the gypsy was. Back in the bell tower, the gargoyles think Esmeralda is in love with Quasimodo but he tells them it's not true.

However, in the song " Heaven's Light ", he expresses his love for the gypsy girl and wonders if she loves him back after being the first person ever in his life to be so kind to him. Later, after seeing Paris burned by Frollo, Quasimodo is worried that Esmeralda might be in danger, but the gargoyles cheer him up by convincing him that she is in love with him (" A Guy Like You "). Later, he offers sanctuary to an injured Phoebus, who is taken to Notre Dame's bell tower by Esmeralda after she saves him from drowning in the river. He watches as the two lovers kiss right in front of his eyes. He is heartbroken, but when he hears Frollo coming, he can do nothing but push thoughts of Esmeralda to the back of his mind. He hides Phoebus and quickly tries to hide what has happened from Frollo. Frollo, however, is already aware that he helped Esmeralda and announces that he will attack the Court of Miracles with a thousand men. After he leaves, Phoebus asks Quasimodo if he can come with him to the court.

Quasi initially refuses after realizing that Phoebus and Esmeralda are in love with each other, but ultimately agrees due to his friendship with the gypsy girl. Using the amulet Esmeralda gave him, Quasimodo and Phoebus make their way to the Court of Miracles, only to be ambushed by the gypsies. Clopin , the king of the gypsies, accuses the two of trespassing their headquarters and orders them hang, but Esmeralda comes in time to rescue them. As the gypsies prepare to leave, however, Frollo arrives and captures everyone present, revealing that he had secretly followed Quasimodo to the court. He orders to his guards to chain up the hunchback in Notre Dame. The gargoyles encourage Quasi to save Esmeralda, but he tells them it's useless. He then watches in horror at the square below as Esmeralda is being burned at the stake for witchcraft, breaks free, swings down, rescues her, and holds Esmeralda over his head on top of Notre Dame, calling for sanctuary.

In the ensuing battle for the cathedral, Quasimodo successfully prevents Frollo's guards from coming to harm Esmeralda. Despite this, Quasimodo at first believes Esmeralda is dead, and when he sees Judge Frollo in the shadows with a dagger, he gets defensive with him and rejects all that his now former master has been teaching him about the world being cruel. Esmeralda then wakes up and Quasi protects her and himself from Frollo, who tries to kill them both during the film's final battle. Frollo then falls from the top of Notre Dame to his death, but not before he reveals to Quasimodo that his mother died trying to save him. Quasimodo also falls but is saved by Phoebus. Ultimately Quasimodo is free from Frollo's hold over him and is free to live a normal, happy life. Quasi also finally accepts Esmeralda and Phoebus' love for each other and gives the couple a blessing. In the end, Quasimodo is led to the outside world by Esmeralda in front of a large crowd of Parisians. A little girl emerges from the crowd and hugs him.

The crowd then hails him as a hero for his efforts, picks him up, and takes him away cheering. The Hunchback of Notre Dame II Quasimodo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame II Taking place several years after the original film, Quasimodo is now an accepted part of Parisian society, free to interact with the public, even becoming something of a town mascot; however, he continues living in Notre Dame with Victor, Hugo, and Laverne, and serve as the cathedral's bellringer. As the city prepares for Le Jour d'Amour, which is a festival celebrating romance, Quasimodo, although excited, feels a bit uneven. Unlike everyone else, Quasimodo has no love interest to celebrate the festival alongside. Esmeralda, who now acts as Quasimodo's confidant, reassures him that someone out there will cross paths with him when he's truly ready. Setting the grief aside, Quasimodo begins to prepare one of Notre Dame's bells, La Fidèle . Meanwhile, the circus arrives in the city with a secretly villainous ringmaster, Sarousch and his cohort Madellaine .

Sarousch plans on stealing La Fidèle and orders Madellaine to convince the Notre Dame bell ringer to reveal it to her. Once he does, she is to tell him the location so that he may steal it. Inside, Madellaine wants no part of Sarousch's scheme but must obey or suffer the harsh world alone. Inside Notre Dame, she speaks with Quasimodo, who's hiding under a bell to prevent her from seeing his face. The two become fairly comfortable with each another. However, when Madellaine finally sees his face, she runs away in terror, leaving Quasimodo depressed. Even though their time was brief, Quasi begins to develop feelings for her. Hugo, Victor, and Laverne advise Quasimodo to head over to the circus, which he decides to do. He meets up with Esmeralda, Phoebus, and their son Zephyr , and they all head for the circus together. After the performance, Madellaine is again ordered to get La Fidèle's whereabouts. However, she notices Quasimodo and Zephyr's close relationship and realizes that he is a wonderful person inside.

Quasimodo and Madellaine head off on a tour through the city, falling in love during the process. The next day, Quasi feels odd and goes to Esmeralda for help. She easily realizes he's in love and advises him to tell her the truth. Just then, Phoebus arrives openly blaming the circus for the sudden robberies going on throughout the city. Quasimodo sticks up for Madellaine, who he feels is different, but Phoebus is not convinced. Quasimodo storms out. Back at the circus, Sarousch forces Madellaine to lure Quasimodo out of Notre Dame so that he may make his move on La Fidèle. Madellaine tries to reject the demand but Sarousch threatens to murder Quasimodo unless she cooperates. Quasimodo feels it's time to ask Madellaine the truth about their relationship and leaves her for a walk. During their absence, Sarousch tricks Phoebus into believing Madellaine is the mastermind behind the thefts and two of his goons steal the bell successfully.

When Quasimodo and Madellaine return, Phoebus orders Madellaine arrested for the thefts which leave Quasimodo feeling betrayed and heartbroken. Inside Notre Dame, Hugo, Victor, and Laverne inform Quasimodo about the robbery, and that Zephyr followed Sarousch. Quasimodo, Esmeralda, Phoebus, and a captive Madellaine make their way to Sarousch. Quasimodo and the others venture into the dark catacombs. They encounter Djali, who takes them to Sarousch and Zephyr. Sarousch forces Phoebus and the guards into opening the gate to allow his raft through by using Zephyr as a hostage. Madellaine convinces Quasimodo to trust her again, and the pair runs up a stairwell. Quasimodo lassos a rock to create a tightrope, and Madellaine walks across it. When Sarousch's raft passes beneath her, Madellaine seizes Zephyr from Sarousch's grasp. With Sarousch now robbed of his leverage, Phoebus's men quickly arrest Sarousch and recover the bell.

At the festival, Quasimodo and Madellaine finally proclaim their love for one another and kiss as Zephyr rings La Fidèle. Cameos Quasimodo makes several cameos as a guest on House of Mouse . In episode " Jiminy Cricket ", Quasimodo was used as a reference for Jiminy 's quote "Maybe you'll meet someone special, maybe you won't," poking fun at the fact that Quasimodo did not get Esmeralda at the end of the 1996 film. In the episode " Ask Von Drake " Quasimodo is seen clapping his hands while he watches Esmeralda dance on a table. In the episode "House of Scrooge", Quasimodo's face is not deformed when you see him in the audience. Quasimodo also makes a cameo appearance at the end of The Lion King 1½ . In Descendants , Quasimodo appears as one of the heroes to have images in the Cathedral. Video games Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance Much like the film, Quasimodo is forced to remain inside Notre Dame's bell tower , under the order of his master Claude Frollo .

During the Festival of Fools, Quasimodo sneaked out and ended up being taking part in the festival and being crowned King of Fools. Dream Eaters were a part of his parade and they became Nightmares and turned violent when Sora arrived, who fought them off after. Quasimodo met Riku when he entered Notre Dame for answers about Frollo. Having been informed by Frollo himself that he carried out business on the outskirts of the city, Quasi informed Riku where his master is and that the Archdeacon is away. Riku questioned him as to why doesn't go outside and Quasimodo explained that it's because of his hideous appearance. However, Riku encouraged him to find true friends who see him for who he is in his heart. Quasimodo later met Esmeralda and showed her around the bell tower. After realizing that Frollo was plotting to kill her due to her ethnicity, Quasimodo offered her sanctuary and protection within Notre Dame. She declined but gave him a band with the hidden location of the Court of Miracles , a safe haven for hunted gypsies like her.

When he heard from Sora and Phoebus that Frollo discovered the Court of Miracles and was going to attack, he used the band to lead Sora and Phoebus to the court in an attempt to warn the gypsies However, it turned out that Frollo tricked them and only pretended to know the court's location so that he could follow Quasimodo there. Frollo reached the court with an army of Nightmares. Quasimodo rescued Esmeralda from her execution and took her to sanctuary within the Notre Dame. Here, he learned that his mother had died while protecting him rather than abandoning him as Frollo said. He offered to help Riku fight the Wargoyle but Riku told Quasimodo to look after Esmeralda instead. In the aftermath, he was encouraged by Sora to go out and make more friends. Quasimodo agrees, no longer fearing being rejected by society. Quasimodo also thanked Riku for his advice earlier. Musical Quasimodo, in this version, is not deaf but has trouble expressing himself in verbal communication. He is, however, able to express himself when he sings.

He seems to have a more of a morose attitude than he had in the Disney film version but he is still quite much the same. Aboard the Disney Dream and Disney Wonder , Quasi appears (as a face character) in the The Golden Mickeys "Heroism" segment, performing "Out There". Differences from the original character The original Quasimodo, created by Victor Hugo, was an even more tragic character because he was even more ugly and deformed than the Disney version, as well as being deaf and having unintelligible speech from being the bell ringer of Notre Dame. However, the original version was also kind-hearted and caring like in the Disney version. The original was also considerably more violent towards his enemies, even going so far as killing them to protect Esmeralda. The main difference is that Quasimodo was not able to save Esmeralda from her death sentence (hanging in the original novel) and he kills Frollo himself by throwing him off the cathedral towers. He then finds Esmeralda's body in a tomb for those who were sentenced to death and clutched her body, staying long enough to meet the same fate.

In the ending of the book, Quasimodo runs away from Notre Dame after the death of Esmeralda. About three years later some soldiers find Quasimodo's dead body which has rotted into a skeleton, but as they pull his dead body off of Esmeralda's it crumbles into dust. Relationships Claude Frollo Claude Frollo first encountered Quasimodo as a baby, after he killed his mother . For the murder, he had to take Quasimodo and raise him as his own. Frollo genuinely poses as an intimidating, yet oddly comforting, father figure, for the next twenty years. However, when Quasimodo is twenty years old, Frollo allows him to be tortured after he attempts to sneak out of the bell tower for which he is forbidden to leave. He is also enraged when Quasimodo helps Esmeralda escape him and sneaks down to the Court of Miracles, where the gypsies are hiding. Frollo applauds him for finally proving useful to him before forcing him back to the bell tower. At this point, Quasimodo has come to hate Frollo and will help anyone who helps him, such as Esmeralda.

After Quasimodo goes against him in a battle, Frollo's hatred for him reaches its limits and Frollo attempts to kill him, like he "should have done twenty years ago". However, this ultimately leads to Frollo's own demise. Trivia Despite the fact that his eyes are green in the original film, in The Hunchback Of Notre Dame II and Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance in "La Cite Des Cloches", Quasimodo's eyes are blue. Quasimodo is 20 years old, judging by his argument with Phoebus, and Frollo's remark at the climax. Quasimodo was the first new Disney character featured in promotional pictures and footage of Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance . Quasimodo is the third Disney male protagonist to have a single voice actor do both his speaking and singing voices in a film, with the first two being Beast from Beauty and the Beast , and John Smith from Pocahontas . Quasimodo is Tom Hulce's final theatrical performance role before his retirement from acting. Quasimodo is Romani, as his mother and father were gypsies.

However, he does not share his parents' (and generally all of the movie's other Gypsies') dark skin tone or their black hair. Though this can be explained away as a combination of his natural deformity and of living in a tower all his life (thus with very little sunlight), this is actually a consequence of a dropped plotline from the book, where Quasimodo was revealed to have actually been kidnapped as an infant by his Gypsy parents. Clopin claims his name means 'half-formed'. Though the word does mean that, this is not why he was named so in the original novel; "Quasimodo" is the Italian name of the holiday (following Easter) on which he was abandoned on the steps of Notre Dame. Gallery Quasimodo in The Hunchback of Notre-Dame Character Analysis There's Something About Quasimodo Quasimodo is the hunchback—you know, the one from the title. He's deformed, he's ostracized, and he's the bell-ringer of Notre-Dame. He's also got a heart of gold, if you'd just give him a chance to prove it.

There have been so many representations of Quasimodo in pop culture it's ridiculous. We're not just talking about the Disney movie either, which, for all of its awesome musical numbers , totally G-rates the story. (What, you mean all that death at the end of the novel is too much for toddlers? Pshaw). There's just something about Quasimodo's grotesqueness that captures peoples' imaginations. Early filmmakers found him really appealing, as well; we're guessing they were jumping at the chance to try and create the ugliest person imaginable, which is what Lon Chaney attempted in 1923. The image of him clambering up the sides of the great cathedral with Esmeralda dangling off his back is pretty much iconic. But if you think that pop culture has taught you everything you need to know about The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, think again. Most people assume that Quasimodo is the protagonist of the novel, and in many adaptations,he is. But we think of him as sharing the stage with a number of protagonists (see our "Character Role Identification" section to learn why).

Still, one thing is for certain: more than for anyone else, we feel compelled to root for this guy. Maybe it's because he can't seem to get a break, what with that unsightly visage and all. Maybe it's because everyone loves a character who's misunderstood. Or maybe it's because, out of all the characters in the novel, we feel like Quasimodo is the only one capable of pure, genuine love. He's the ultimate ugly-on-the outside, beautiful-on-the-inside character. Even Disney can't make him escape his looks. How could you not feel for this guy? A Face Not Even a Mother Could Love Quasimodo's defining feature is his ugliness—and we mean defining, as in his entire character is based around the idea of his ugliness. On a literal level, we can use the explanation that the narrator gives us: "He was, in truth, bad because he was wild; he was wild because he was ugly" (IV.III.10). In other words, all that demonization has made him into something of a real demon. But remember, all it takes is one act of kindness from Esmeralda to totally flip that around.

On a broader level, Quasimodo's extreme ugliness means that he will never find love. See, there is a difference between an unattractive character and a character like Quasimodo: Hugo chose to create a character so grotesque that Esmeralda can't even bear to be in the same room as him. The people of Paris automatically despise him. Basically, his appearance is an insurmountable barrier. Yet unlike Frollo, this knowledge that he's never going to be in a relationship doesn't turn Quasimodo into some kind of lustful, obsessive monster. Instead, Esmeralda's one act of kindness while he's on the pillory turns him into an incredibly compassionate and caring person. As he says when Esmeralda asks why he rescued her, "You have forgotten a wretch who tried one night to carry you off, a wretch to whom, the very next day, you brought relief on the vile pillory […] You have forgotten that wretch—but he has not forgotten." (IX.III.13) This kind of generosity is not lost on poor Quasimodo.

Considering how this is one of the few acts of kindness he has ever received in his life, it's not too surprising that he would be way more interested in reciprocating that kindness than he would be in fulfilling a possessive sexual desire, as Frollo does. It's this refusal to be the monster that society thinks he is that allows Quasimodo to at least momentarily transcend his ugliness. Remember that it's when Quasimodo rescues Esmeralda that he is described as "really beautiful": Yes, he was beautiful—he, that orphan, that foundling, that outcast; he felt himself august and strong; he looked in the face that society from which he was banished, and in which he had so powerfully intervened. (VIII.VI.105) When Quasimodo asserts that he is beyond the rules and customs of society (society has done nothing good for him, anyway), he is able to be something other than what society has always defined him as. Yes, Quasimodo is more than just an ugly face. What Is Love? Hollywood might love a happy ending, but having Quasimodo ride off into the sunset is not on Hugo's agenda.

The fact of the matter is that it's pretty much impossible to conceive of any kind of positive outcome for the poor hunchback. He's never going to get the girl—even the Disney movie didn't attempt to convince us that it was plausible—and it's hard to imagine all of Paris having a sudden change of heart and deciding unanimously that beauty is on the inside. Nope, that's all way too happy for this novel. That doesn't mean, though, that Quasimodo can't teach us, the readers, a little thing or two about love. Because Quasimodo is the most unlikely candidate for love, he's also the perfect character to teach us something about its nature. He uses his last line of dialogue to do just that: gesturing at the dead bodies of Esmeralda and Frollo, he cries out, "There is all I ever loved!" (XI.II.30). One person he did everything to protect; the other person he killed. Love is complicated. But let's start from the beginning. The Festival of Fools is "the first gratification of self-love that [Quasimodo] had ever experienced.

Until then he had encountered nothing but humiliation, contempt for his condition, and disgust for his person" (II.III.23). It's telling that the only time Quasimodo feels accepted is when people are praising him for being the ugliest person around. Even here, people are totally focused on what Quasimodo looks like on the outside. Once the festivities are over, they're just going to go back to treating him as they always have. Later, we also learn about the master-servant relationship that Quasimodo has with Frollo in the chapter "The Dog and His Master" (IV.IV). We're starting to get a picture of someone so starved for love that any kind of positive attention is good attention. But that doesn't stop Quasimodo from knowing real kindness when he sees it, and he sees it in Esmeralda on the day she gives him some water on the pillory. But his newfound love for Esmeralda is not possessive, lustful, or jealous. It's selfless, through and through. Heck, he even offers to throw himself off of the cathedral towers for her just so she won't have to look at him.

But Quasimodo's devotion to Frollo and his devotion to Esmeralda are bound to collide. The first challenge arises when Frollo tries to rape Esmeralda in her cell. Quasimodo proceeds to kick the tar out of him, but as soon as he realizes that the assailant is in fact his master, here's what he does: Quasimodo looked at him, was seized with a trembling, relaxed his grasp, and started back […] Quasimodo stood for a moment with bowed head, and then, falling on his knees before the door of the gypsy, said, "Monseigneur," in a tone of gravity and resignation, "kill me first, and do what you please afterward." (IX.VI.21-22) Old habits die hard. Even Frollo's clearly nefarious intentions can't make Quasimodo disobey him. Quasimodo remembers how Frollo acted kindly by adopting him, and he's fiercely loyal to those who have been kind to him. This incident makes us worry, though, that when it comes down to it, maybe Quasimodo's slavishness towards Frollo overrides Esmeralda's compassion.

But the scales do eventually tip, and when Quasimodo sees Frollo bark out a laugh at Esmeralda's death, he recognizes that his master is no longer a person at all capable of love. That's because Quasimodo realizes that true love comes from kindness—and he is not the kind of character to take acts of kindness for granted. His love might be too ideal for the real world to handle, but as an outsider, he's the one to at least give us a glimpse of it. Quasimodo | Halloween Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia In the novel Quasimodo, an oil painting by Antoine Wiertz (1806-1865). In the novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Quasimodo is described as having a severe hunched back and a large wart that completely covers his left eye. He is abandoned as a baby and left at Notre Dame cathedral's foundlings' bed, where orphans and unwanted children are left to be adopted by others. He takes his name from the day on which he is found, Quasimodo Sunday, the first Sunday after Easter.

He is adopted by Archdeacon Frollo and grows up to be the cathedral's bell ringer. As a result of the bell ringing, he becomes almost completely deaf. Quasimodo is feared and hated by the people of Paris but he often accompanies Archdeacon Frollo when he walks around the city. The archdeacon commands Quasimodo to kidnap the gypsy girl Esmeralda. He is captured in the attempt by Captain Phoebus de Chateaupers and sentenced to be publicly whipped and left on the pilory. During his punishment he calls out for water. Esmeralda eventually gives some water to him. Quasimodo falls in love with her at that moment. Esmeralda is later falsely accused of witchcraft and the attempted murder of Captain Phoebus. She is found guilty and sentenced to be hanged. While she is being forced to pray in front of the cathedral before being led to the gallows, Quasimodo climbs down on a rope, takes her inside the cathedral and shouts "Sanctuary!' to the crowd outside. Although Esmeralda comes to appreciate Quasimodo's kindness, she never loves him.

Esmeralda always finding Quasimodo physically repulsive and remains infatuated with the handsome Captain Phoebus. Quasimodo tries to show Esmeralda the difference between himself and the captain. He shows her a beautiful crystal vase which is broken and contains withered dry flowers, representing Phoebus, and a simple pot with beautiful flowers in it, representing himself. However, Esmeralda takes the withered dry flowers and clutches them passionately to her chest. Nevertheless, Quasimodo remains highly protective of Esmeralda. A mob storms the cathedral. Quasimodo does not realise that they intend to rescue Esmeralda and tries to prevent them from entering. Esmeralda is eventually lured outside by Archdeacon Frollo. She is handed over to the authorities and hanged. Quasimodo learns of Esmeralda's death. He goes to Montflaucon cemetery, where the bodies of all people executed in Paris were dumped. He finds Esmeralda's body and embraces it, staying with it always, neither eating nor drinking, until he starves to death. Some time later, workmen find the two skeletons locked together.

When they attempt to separate them, the bones crumble into dust. Adaptations Esmeralda takes pity on Quasimodo in a still from the 1923 movie The Hunchback of Notre Dame. There have been many stage, radio, television and movie adaptations of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Actors who have played Quasimodo include Lon Chaney (1923), Charles Laughton (1939), Anthony Quin (1956) and Anthony Hopkins (1982). The character was voiced by Tom Hulce in the 1996 Disney animated version. Some adaptations have been more faithful to the novel than others. The 1939 movie version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame starring Charles Laughton gives the story a relatively happy ending. The evil Frollo is killed, Esmeralda is saved from hanging and finds happiness with her true love. However, Quasimodo is left alone and unloved, lamenting that he can not be like other men. The 1996 Disney cartoon version ends with Quasimodo eventually being accepted by the people of Paris.

The 2002 direct-to-video sequel, The Hunchback of Notre Dame II, ends with Quasimodo finding his own true love. Quasimodo is one of the many monster characters who appear in Mad Monster Party? , a 1967 stop-motion animated movie. A hunchbacked French chef named Quasimodo, who has a pet mouse named Esmeralda, appears in the 2012 CGI animated movie Hotel Transylvania . The 1944 movie House of Frankenstein features a sub-pot in which a hunchback falls in love with a beautiful Gypsy woman. The Gypsy appreciates the hunchback's kindness but is unable to love him because of his appearance. Instead, she loves the handsome Larry Talbot, even after she finds out that he is a werewolf . Videos 01:53 The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939) - Open-ended Trailer for The Hunchback of Notre Dame Theatrical trailer for the 1939 movie The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Fully licensed video from Fandom Video .

External links Text of Victor Hugo's The Hunchback of Notre Dame in French and English on Wikisource. Free public domain audiobooks of The Hunchback of Notre Dame in French and English from LibriVox. The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Character) - Comic Vine The Hunchback of Notre Dame The The Hunchback of Notre Dame wiki last edited by fables87 on 10/07/16 12:37PM View full history Origin Quasimodo was born to a family of Gypsies parents in 15th century France. He was born with significant deformities, " a huge wart that covers his left eye and a severely hunched back. His unnamed parents parents decided to abandon him. They abducted a beautiful baby girl called Agness, the illegitimate daughter of a nobleman and prostitute Paquette Guybertaut. (The baby Agness would grew to become Esmeralda). They left Quasimodo in the girl's place in Rheims, at the hands of Paquette. Paquette had adored her young daughter. This replacement son was not so lucky. Paquette left her native city, Rheims, in distress.

She left the deformed baby boy behind. The authorities of Rheims found themselves in custody of this unwanted child. They had it sent to Paris and left there as a foundling. Persuming the boy would become someone else's problem. It did. The boy was taken in by Claude Frollo , the 21-year-old Archdeacon of Josas of Notre-Dame Cathedral . Frollo was "a respected scholar and studies several languages, law, medicine, science and theology ". But his interest in alchemy had gained him a reputation as a sorcerer. Keeping most people away from him. Besides his wards Jehan Frollo, Claude's younger brother, and Quasimodo few had much affection for the man. Adoptive son of a social outcast, Quasimodo became an outcast himself. His deformities gained him a reputation as some kind of deamon. People feared and hated him on sight. Frollo found employment for his ward as the bell-ringer of Notre Dame. But the job came with a cost. The sound of the bells rendered Quasimodo almost completely deaf. Physical Description By 1482, when the novel starts, Quasimodo is given a rather gruesome but detailed description.

: "We shall not try to give the reader an idea of that tetrahedral nose, that horseshoe mouth; that little left eye obstructed with a red, bushy, bristling eyebrow, while the right eye disappeared entirely beneath an enormous wart; of those teeth in disarray, broken here and there, like the embattled parapet of a fortress; of that callous lip, upon which one of these teeth encroached, like the tusk of an elephant; of that forked chin; and above all, of the expression spread over the whole; of that mixture of malice, amazement, and sadness. Let the reader dream of this whole, if he can. " "His whole person was a grimace.

A huge head, bristling with red hair; between his shoulders an enormous hump, a counterpart perceptible in front; a system of thighs and legs so strangely astray that they could touch each other only at the knees, and, viewed from the front, resembled the crescents of two scythes joined by the handles; large feet, monstrous hands; and, with all this deformity, an indescribable and redoubtable air of vigor, agility, and courage,--strange exception to the eternal rule which wills that force as well as beauty shall be the result of harmony. Such was the pope whom the fools had just chosen for themselves." Quasimodo had trouble comprehending the words aimed at him. he himself was mostly silent in his interactions with others. But he did notice the grimaces and hostile expressions aimed at him. He then left his hands do the talking. For example, "One scholar (Robin Poussepain, I think), came and laughed in his face, and too close.

Quasimodo contented himself with taking him by the girdle, and hurling him ten paces off amid the crowd; all without uttering a word." Main events of the novel Frollo managed to live a celibate life to his 35th year of age. But then had "strong sexual passions" awakened by his meeting with the teenaged Esmeralda. But the girl had no interest in the priest. Quasimodo initially attempts to help his adoptive father by abducting Esmeralda His attempt is thwarted by Captain Phoebus de Chateaupers. Quasimodo is then placed on trial and sentenced to a public flogging. Esmeralda shows some kindness to the tortured man, bringim him water after his punishment. The act causes Quasimodo to fall for her. If Esmeralda had two unwanted suitors in the faces of Frollo and Quasimodo, she found a lover in the handsome Phoebus. The first (and only man) to actually seduce her. She fails to realize the man is "vain, untrustworthy, and a womanizer".

Nor that he is engeged to Fleur-de-Lys de Gondelaurier, a lady of good social standing. Phoebus only saw his mistress as a fun diversion. Not a loved one. Frollo discovers their affair and is driven over the edge out of jealousy. He attacks Phoebus and stabs him in the back, then escapes into the night. Esmeralda is the one accused of attempted murder instead. Placed on trial, the girl is sentenced to death. But then Quasimodo helps her escape and transports her back to Note Dame. A sanctuary for her. Forced to co-habit for a while, Frollo, Quasimodo and Esmeralda argue constantly. Quasimodo tries in vain, through use of symbolism, to explain to her than his emotions are pure while her beloved Phoebus' are not. She fails to get the message and treats him as a servant. The once self-controlled Frollo has degenerated into a would-be rapist, forcing Quasimodo to physically separate the other two. When the Parlement of Paris decides a pagan gypsy has no right to sanctuary within a Christian church, the Parisian people start a riot.

During the chaos Quasimodo violently defends Notre Dame from whoever attempts to enter. Unfortunately failing to realize some of these people are allies of Esmeralda and were only trying to help her escape. Among those killed by Quasimodo is Jehan Frollo, though his death goes unnoticed. Meanwhile is smuggled out by Claude Frollo and Pierre Gringoire, a poet betrothed to Esmeralda. Esmeralda gives herself away for a chance to know where the recovered Phoebus is. She instead swiftly executed. With Phoebus a spectator her execution, revealing no emotion. Frollo also witnesses her death, laughing at the thought of hopefully becoming free of his obsession with her. An enraged Quasimodo pushes his adoptive father off the heights of the cathedral. He then has clear views of the corpses of Frollo and Esmeralda, realizing the death of "all that I have ever loved". He disappears shortly after. His final fate is explained in another chapter. "About eighteen months or two years after the events which terminate this story, when search was made in that cavern for the body of Olivier le Daim, who had been hanged two days previously, and to whom Charles VIII.

had granted the favor of being buried in Saint Laurent, in better company, they found among all those hideous carcasses two skeletons, one of which held the other in its embrace. One of these skeletons, which was that of a woman, still had a few strips of a garment which had once been white, and around her neck was to be seen a string of adrézarach beads with a little silk bag ornamented with green glass, which was open and empty. These objects were of so little value that the executioner had probably not cared for them. The other, which held this one in a close embrace, was the skeleton of a man. It was noticed that his spinal column was crooked, his head seated on his shoulder blades, and that one leg was shorter than the other. Moreover, there was no fracture of the vertebrae at the nape of the neck, and it was evident that he had not been hanged. Hence, the man to whom it had belonged had come thither and had died there. When they tried to detach the skeleton which he held in his embrace, he fell to dust. " Latest Images Thanks, we're checking your submission. Whoah, whoah... slow down there. Thanks!

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Question: Quasimodo is what book character?
Answer: The hunchback of Notre Dame