Notre-Dame de Paris

Author: Victor Hugo
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-05-01
Features: Published in 1831, this is a major novel of significant ideological and artistic value by Victor Hugo (1802-1885). It is hailed as a representative work of the Romantic movement in the 19th century. The story takes place in mid-15th century Paris, where the pious Bishop Frollo and his adopted son, the deformed bell-ringer Quasimodo, reside in Notre-Dame Cathedral. The hypocritical and inwardly evil Frollo develops a lust for the Gypsy girl Esmeralda, who dances and performs on the streets. At night, he sends Quasimodo to abduct the girl, but she is rescued by the handsome Captain Phoebus. The girl falls in love with Phoebus, and the jealous Bishop stabs the officer during their tryst, framing Esmeralda for the crime. She is sentenced to death by hanging, but at the moment of execution, Quasimodo, who secretly loves her, rescues her and takes her to the safety of Notre-Dame Cathedral. However, Frollo incites the church to label her a witch, and the court, ignoring Notre-Dame's status as a sanctuary, decides to arrest her. The tough guys of Paris's underworld come to rescue the girl, but Quasimodo mistakes them for officials coming to capture Esmeralda and fights fiercely. King Louis XI sends troops to attack Notre-Dame in a battle, where Frollo abducts the girl from the cathedral and forces her to submit, but she refuses. He then hands her over to the soldiers and watches from the top of the bell tower as she is hanged. Filled with righteous fury, Quasimodo pushes Frollo off the tower, killing him instantly. He then goes to the cemetery to find the girl's body and dies beside her. A year later, two human skulls, one male and one female, are found in the graveyard. They were Quasimodo and his beloved Gypsy girl, embracing each other!