''
Monseigneur'' Claude Frollo () is a fictional character and the main
antagonist of
Victor Hugo's 1831
novel ''
The Hunchback of Notre-Dame
''The Hunchback of Notre-Dame'' (french: Notre-Dame de Paris, translation=''Our Lady of Paris'', originally titled ''Notre-Dame de Paris. 1482'') is a 19th-century French literature, French Gothic fiction, Gothic novel by Victor Hugo, published ...
'' (known in French as ''Notre-Dame de Paris''). He is the
Archdeacon
An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in the Church of the East, Chaldean Catholic Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, St Thomas Christians, Eastern Orthodox churches and some other Christian denominations, above that of most ...
of
Notre Dame, as well as an
Alchemist
Alchemy (from Arabic: ''al-kīmiyā''; from Ancient Greek: χυμεία, ''khumeía'') is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscientific tradition that was historically practiced in China, India, the Muslim world ...
and
Intellectual.
In the novel
Dom Claude Frollo is a pious and highly knowledgeable man who was orphaned along with his younger brother Jehan when their parents died of
the plague
Plague or The Plague may refer to:
Agriculture, fauna, and medicine
*Plague (disease), a disease caused by ''Yersinia pestis''
* An epidemic of infectious disease (medical or agricultural)
* A pandemic caused by such a disease
* A swarm of pes ...
. His studies led him to become the Archdeacon of Josas, which is his position during the events of the novel. He also has a small
fief that provides him with a minor source income, most of which goes to fund his brother's
alcoholism
Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomin ...
.
During a holiday at Notre Dame called
Quasimodo Sunday
The Second Sunday of Easter is the day that occurs seven days after the Christian celebration of Easter. Those churches which give special significance to this day recognize it by various names. In the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church, this day ...
, he rescues a deformed
hunchback
Kyphosis is an abnormally excessive convex curvature of the spine as it occurs in the thoracic and sacral regions. Abnormal inward concave ''lordotic'' curving of the cervical and lumbar regions of the spine is called lordosis. It can result ...
child whom he finds abandoned on the cathedral's
foundlings
Child abandonment is the practice of relinquishing interests and claims over one's offspring in an illegal way, with the intent of never resuming or reasserting guardianship. The phrase is typically used to describe the physical abandonment of a ...
bed. He adopts the boy, names him "
Quasimodo" after the holiday, raises him like a son, and teaches him a sort of sign language when Quasimodo is deafened by the cathedral's bells. Frollo is a respected scholar and studies several languages, law, medicine, science and theology. He becomes infatuated with
alchemy
Alchemy (from Arabic: ''al-kīmiyā''; from Ancient Greek: χυμεία, ''khumeía'') is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscientific tradition that was historically practiced in China, India, the Muslim worl ...
, however, which leads townspeople to spread the rumor that he is a sorcerer. He also
believes strongly in fate. All this, along with his extreme and irrational
fear of women
Gynophobia or gynephobia is a morbid fear of women, a type of specific social phobia. In the past, the Latin term horror feminae was used.
Gynophobia should not be confused with misogyny, the hatred, contempt for and prejudice against women, al ...
, contribute further to his
isolation from society.
Frollo also has strong passions, even though he is a
celibate
Celibacy (from Latin ''caelibatus'') is the state of voluntarily being unmarried, sexually abstinent, or both, usually for religious reasons. It is often in association with the role of a religious official or devotee. In its narrow sense, th ...
due to his station within the church. These passions erupt in him through his contact with the 16-year-old
Roma (Gypsy) girl
Esmeralda, and eventually they prove his undoing. He considers her to be a temptation sent by the Devil to test his faith, and curses her as a demon. He finds he cannot resist her, however, and determines to give in to temptation. Esmeralda, however, is repulsed by his advances. Frollo orders Quasimodo to
abduct her for him, and then abandons him when the hunchback is suddenly captured by
Captain Phoebus de Chateaupers
'' Capitaine'' Phœbus de Châteaupers is a fictional character and one of the main antagonists in Victor Hugo's 1831 novel, ''Notre-Dame de Paris''. He is the Captain of the King Louis XI's Archers.The true Captain in 1482 was Jacques Ier de ...
and his guards. Frollo even ignores Quasimodo when he sees him being publicly humiliated for the crime. When Frollo discovers that Esmeralda is in love with Phoebus, he spies on the meeting between them, which Esmeralda has arranged with Phoebus' consent. Phoebus only wants one night of passion. As Phoebus and Esmeralda are about to make love, Frollo, in a jealous rage, stabs Phoebus, and kisses Esmeralda when she faints before fleeing.
Frollo does not attempt to intercede when Esmeralda is turned over to the
magistrate on charges of
witchcraft
Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have ...
and attempted murder, but he stabs himself during her torture and shows her the wound as a proof of his lust for her. She is unmoved, however. She is also still in love with Phoebus. Shortly before the day she is to be executed, Frollo leaves Paris in a feverish madness, not realizing that Quasimodo – who is also in love with her – has rescued her from the gallows. When he returns to the news that Esmeralda is still alive, he becomes as jealous of Quasimodo as he was of Phoebus. Frollo later attempts to
rape her at her sanctuary in the cathedral, but Quasimodo – who doesn't realize who Esmeralda's attacker is at first – comes to the girl's defense and beats Frollo up. Angered and humiliated, Frollo decides to rid himself of Esmeralda by handing her over to the authorities.
Frollo's opportunity to abduct and
force Esmeralda comes when a group of scoundrels, enraged by news that the French monarchy has ordered Esmeralda to be taken from the cathedral and hanged within three days, arm themselves to assault Notre Dame Cathedral. While Quasimodo is busy fighting off the scoundrels,
Pierre Gringoire
Pierre Gringore (; 1475? – 1538) was a popular French poet and playwright.
Biography
Pierre Gringore was born in Normandy, at Thury-Harcourt, but the exact date and place of his death are unknown. His first work was ''Le Chasteau de Labou ...
, Esmeralda's legal husband – whom she only married to save his life – and a hooded figure sneak into the Cathedral and convince Esmeralda to sneak out with them. The man's face is hidden behind a hood, leaving Esmeralda to guess his identity. They flee to a boat on the
River Seine
)
, mouth_location = Le Havre/Honfleur
, mouth_coordinates =
, mouth_elevation =
, progression =
, river_system = Seine basin
, basin_size =
, tributaries_left = Yonne, Loing, Eure, Risle
, tributari ...
, then separate when they head to shore, with Gringoire taking Esmeralda's goat, Djali, and leaving her with the unknown man. The hooded figure drags Esmeralda to a nearby gallows and identifies himself as Frollo by removing his hood.
Frollo issues Esmeralda his final ultimatum: either she must submit to him, or he will hand her over to the authorities. She rejects him, so he leaves her to an
anchoress
In Christianity, an anchorite or anchoret (female: anchoress) is someone who, for religious reasons, withdraws from secular society so as to be able to lead an intensely prayer-oriented, ascetic, or Eucharist-focused life. While anchorites ar ...
to hold her for the royal soldiers coming to hang her and goes back to Notre Dame Cathedral. He then walks up to one of the cathedral's towers to watch the girl being hanged, unaware that Quasimodo has spotted him and followed him upstairs. He watches calmly while Esmeralda is taken to the gallows.
When Quasimodo sees him laughing at Esmeralda's hanging, he becomes enraged and pushes Frollo off the balustrade. A gargoyle stops his fall, and he cries out to Quasimodo for help, but Quasimodo remains silent. Then Frollo falls down off the cathedral, colliding with the roof of a house. He slides down the roof, hits the pavement of the town square and dies.
Adaptations
Victor Hugo's
novel has been adapted to film on numerous occasions. Due to policies of the
NAMPI Thirteen Points,
the filmmakers of the
1923 film adaptation would not portray a member of the
Roman Catholic Church in a negative and controversial light. As a result, Claude Frollo (played by
Nigel de Brulier
Nigel De Brulier (born Francis George Packer; 8 August 1877 – 30 January 1948) was an English stage and film actor who began his career in the United Kingdom before relocating to the United States.
Biography
De Brulier was born in Frenchay, a ...
) is not the villain, but instead a good-hearted archdeacon of Notre Dame, and the villain of the film is actually his younger brother Jehan (played by
Brandon Hurst
Brandon Hurst (30 November 1866 – 15 July 1947) was an English stage and film actor.
Early life
Born in London, England, Hurst studied philology in his youth and began performing in theater in the 1880s.
Before he began acting professionall ...
). The
1939 film had a similar change for the same reason due to policies of the
Hays Production Code;
the only difference is that Jehan (played by
Sir Cedric Hardwicke) is portrayed as
King Louis XI's
Chief Justice of
Paris, and Claude (played by
Walter Hampden) is portrayed as the
Archbishop of Paris
The Archdiocese of Paris (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Parisiensis''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Paris'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. It is one of twenty-three archdioceses in Fran ...
. In Disney's
1996 animated film,
Claude Frollo
''Monseigneur'' Claude Frollo () is a fictional character and the main antagonist of Victor Hugo's 1831 novel ''The Hunchback of Notre-Dame'' (known in French as ''Notre-Dame de Paris''). He is the Archdeacon of Notre Dame, as well as an Alche ...
(voiced by
Tony Jay
Tony Jay (2 February 1933 – 13 August 2006) was a British actor.
A former member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, he was known for his voice work in radio, animation, film, and video games. Jay was particularly noted for his distinctive bari ...
) is Paris'
judge/
Minister of Justice
A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in ...
and the villain as in the novel, the Archdeacon of Notre Dame is a separate character entirely (and voiced by
David Ogden Stiers), and the character of Jehan is omitted.
Among the actors who played Claude Frollo over the years in each adaptation of the novel are:
Jehan actually did appear as he was originally portrayed in the novel in the following adaptations:
*The
1956 film (in which he was played by Maurice Sarfati).
*The
1977 film (in which he was played by
David Rintoul).
*The
2014-2015 musical (in which he was played by Lucas Coleman / Jeremy Stolle).
See also
*
Esmeralda (''The Hunchback of Notre Dame'')
*
Quasimodo
References
External links
Illustration Gallery* Frollo in th
{{DEFAULTSORT:Frollo, Claude
Fictional alchemists
Fictional judges
Fictional mass murderers
Fictional priests and priestesses
The Hunchback of Notre-Dame characters
Literary characters introduced in 1831
Male film villains
Male literary villains
Orphan characters in literature
Video game bosses