The first historical novel in French, Notre Dame de Paris, inspired many directors. Victor Hugo wrote his work to protect a cultural monument from demolition. Following the publication of the novel, a movement for the preservation and restoration of Gothic buildings developed in France and then throughout Europe.
The directors paid attention to romantic story, putting it on the same level in popularity as the play "Romeo and Juliet"..
"Esmeralda", 1905
The first attempt to bring history to the screen was made at the beginning of the 20th century. Alice Guy-Blaché and Victorena Jasse directed a silent short drama film. The plot is based on the life of the gypsy beauty Esmeralda and the hunchback bell ringer Quasimodo.
Hugo's novel was first filmed in 1905
This is the only film adaptation that preserves the details of Esmeralda's origin and character from the original source. Unfortunately, this film can no longer be found.
"The Hunchback of Notre Dame", 1923
American Wallace Worsley, inspired by Hugo, made a drama with elements of a horror film.
According to the plot, the archdeacon of the cathedral persuades Quasimodo to kidnap the beautiful Esmeralda. The hunchback agrees, but this crime fails - the girl is saved by officer Phoebus de Chateaupert.
Hugo's novel inspired Wallace Worsley's horror film
A detailed model of the cathedral measuring about 75 meters in height and 50 meters in width was created especially for filming. About 4 thousand extras were involved in the film, for whom appropriate costumes were specially made. In total, 1 million 250 thousand dollars were spent on the production of the film, which was a huge amount at that time.
"The Hunchback of Notre Dame", 1939
Quasimodo, in love with Esmeralda, tries to save her and kidnaps her and locks her in his tower. But the beauty is rescued from there by her unloved husband. By the way, despite the marriage, the girl remains pure, as she keeps an amulet that will help her find her parents. And the amulet loses its value after losing virginity.
"Notre Dame Cathedral", 1956
This is perhaps the most famous and beloved film adaptation by viewers. The large-scale project was staged by Cannes Film Festival Grand Prix winner director Jean Delannoy. Location shooting, luxurious costumes and great acting famous actors Gina Lollobrigida, Anthony Quinn and Alain Cuny were appreciated by both critics and audiences.
Gina Lollobrigida is considered the best screen embodiment of Esmeralda
Gina Lollobrigida in this film is considered the most successful screen embodiment of Esmeralda. One of the reasons for the success, apparently, is that the actress decided to play a barefoot gypsy.
"The Hunchback of Notre Dame", 1996
The animated Disney film is directed by Kirk Wise and Gary Truesdale, who directed the 1991 animated film Beauty and the Beast. To adapt the novel for children, the creators changed the characters of the main characters, making them kinder. Frollo's position was changed from archdeacon to judge. Quasimodo now has assistants - three gargoyles. And in the finale, the bell ringer and Esmeralda survived.
The animators of the film visited the real Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris and took many photographs to clearly reproduce the architecture and details, but there were inaccuracies in the plot of the cartoon interior decoration cathedral
The Hunchback of Notre Dame is the first Disney film to use the word curse.
"The Hunchback of Notre Dame", 1997
The film, directed by Peter Medak, fairly accurately conveys the love story that unfolds in the novel. In this case, the main rivalry arises between Frollo and Quasimodo.
Esmeralda(French Esméralda) - main character Victor Hugo's novel Notre Dame de Paris, as well as films, plays, musicals, ballets and poems based on this work.
Esmeralda in the original novel
In Victor Hugo's novel, Esmeralda's story is revealed gradually. Esmeralda first appears as a beautiful young girl living in the Parisian “Courtyard of Miracles” (an abode of beggars and criminals), earning money by dancing and performing with a trained goat, Jalli. The poet Pierre Gringoire, the priest Claude Frollo and the ugly bell-ringer Quasimodo fall in love with her. Frollo, with the help of Quasimodo, tries to steal Esmeralda, but she is saved by officer Phoebus de Chateaupert. Esmeralda falls in love with her savior.
In the novel we see detailed description appearance of the heroine: “She was short in stature, but she seemed tall - that was how slender her figure was. She was dark-skinned, but it was not difficult to guess that during the day her skin acquired a wonderful golden hue, characteristic of Andalusians and Romans. The little foot was also the foot of an Andalusian woman - she walked so lightly in her narrow, graceful shoe. The girl danced, fluttered, twirled on an old Persian carpet carelessly thrown at her feet, and every time her radiant face appeared in front of you, the gaze of her large black eyes blinded you like lightning. The crowd's eyes were glued to her, all mouths agape. She danced to the rumble of a tambourine, which her round, virgin hands raised high above her head. Thin, fragile, with bare shoulders and slender legs occasionally glimpsed from under her skirt, black-haired, quick as a wasp, in a golden bodice that tightly fitted her waist, in a colorful billowing dress, shining eyes, she seemed like a truly unearthly creature..." (" Notre Dame Cathedral, III. Besos para golpes (18)
The image of Esmeralda in the novel is complex and tragic. She is the embodiment of chastity and naivety, completely different from the other inhabitants of the “Court of Miracles”. Even the fact that she has to dance for a living does not corrupt her. She has a kind heart: she brings water to Quasimodo when he is tied to pillory; In order to save Gringoire, a stranger to her, from death, she agrees to formally be called his wife. But her openness and naivety almost lead to disaster: having fallen in love for the first time in her life, she is ready to give herself to Captain Phoebus, even though she is sure that with the loss of her innocence, the opportunity to ever meet her parents will go away.
The girl knows that the gypsies who raised her are not her parents, she passionately wants to find her real mother and wears an amulet around her neck, which contains a tiny child's embroidered shoe - the only thing that she got from her real mother: Esmeralda hopes for it someday find, but, according to the instructions given to her with the shoe, for this she needs to preserve her virginity. Gradually, the story of Esmeralda's origin is revealed to the reader.
The girl's mother's name was Paquette Chantfleury, she was the daughter of a famous minstrel from Reims. But the minstrel died, leaving his little daughter and wife without funds. They made a living by embroidery and lived extremely modestly. Paquetta blossomed early and began to attract the attention of noble men. She fell in love with one of them and became his mistress when she was barely 14 years old. But the flighty signor soon abandoned the girl, and she “went from hand to hand,” sinking lower and lower: from aristocrats to simpler men. Paquette, who had become an ordinary prostitute, was saved from complete degradation by pregnancy: at the age of 20, she gave birth to a lovely girl, whom she named Agnes. After giving birth, the girl who had faded became very prettier, and her “services” were again in value. She spent everything that Paquetta earned on clothes for her beloved baby.
One day a gypsy camp arrived in Reims, and Paquette, like many other mothers, could not resist and went with her daughter to the gypsies to find out the future of their child. Beautiful girl delighted the gypsies, and a few days later they stole it, throwing Paquette into the cradle of an ugly, hunchbacked and lame boy of about four years old. Unhappy Paquetta turned gray from grief overnight and lost her mind: having found traces of fires and blood stains in the place where the camp that disappeared one night stood, she decided that the gypsies had eaten her child.
Paquette soon disappeared from Reims. Some said that she drowned herself, others that she was seen on the road to the capital. The Archbishop of Reims ordered the deformed foundling to be sent to Paris and placed in a nursery near the orphanage (this child was Quasimodo).
...Esmeralda is sentenced to death on false charges: Claude Frollo, tormented by jealousy, wounds Phoebus during his meeting with Esmeralda, and goes into hiding. Quasimodo takes her out of the loop and hides her in the Cathedral. There she lives for some time, without stopping to think about Phoebus (whose wound turned out to be light, but who had already managed to forget the gypsy). Quasimodo understands that she will never be able to reciprocate his feelings, but he is happy because he can protect her.
Claude Frollo and Gringoire rescue the girl from the besieged cathedral, thereby saving her from death. They take it across the Seine. Claude gives her a choice: either she agrees to be with him, or she will be hanged. Esmeralda refuses to flee the city with the “murderer” of Phoebus. The archdeacon leaves her to the old woman Gudula, and goes after the guards to hand over the gypsy. Gudula is a recluse who fiercely hates the gypsies because they once stole her only daughter, holds Esmeralda. Gudula curses the girl and shows her her daughter’s shoe, at this moment Esmeralda shows exactly the same bootie. Here it turns out that Gudula is Paquetta Chantfleury, Esmeralda’s mother, but it turns out too late. Paquetta hides the girl from the soldiers, but seeing Phoebus among them, Esmeralda, not thinking about the consequences, naively calls him. The girl was immediately hanged, and her mother died, unable to bear the second loss of her daughter.
In productions and film adaptations of the novel, the details of the heroine's birth are usually omitted and she is portrayed as a gypsy (only in the 1923 film adaptation with Patsy Ruth Miller in leading role the details of the heroine’s birth are preserved, and the image of her character from the original source is also preserved, except that she is not afraid of her pursuer). The image of brilliant purity and innocence invented by Hugo is often omitted; instead, Esmeralda appears in the image of a fatal beauty.
Esmeralda in the musical "Notre Dame de Paris"
Esmeralda in the musical is not a stolen French girl, but a gypsy orphan girl from Spain. If in the novel it was implied that everything positive about her came from her French origin, then in the musical these were her personal qualities, which are also possible in a simple gypsy. In the musical, she does not have a trained goat; she earns money only by dancing. Many researchers of Hugo's work [ Who?] believe that the presence of Djali in the musical is fundamentally important, because there is an opinion that the goat embodies tragedy (“tragedy” in Greek is “goat song”).
Esmeralda in film adaptations
In the film Notre Dame (1956)
Gina Lollobrigida in this film is considered the most successful screen embodiment of Esmeralda. One of the reasons for the success, apparently, is serious work on the external component of her image: on the one hand, it uses associations with gypsyism (bare feet, a bright scarf, a torn hem), on the other hand, it reflects her character (both of Esmeralda’s dresses are pure “ fiery" colors, red and yellow, their style emphasizes her youthful fragility and the impetuosity of her movements). The ending is partially changed compared to the original source: Esmeralda was killed with an arrow during the storming of the cathedral. Her last words: “Life is beautiful” (French: C "est beau, la vie).
Many years later, Lollobrigida created a sculpture depicting Esmeralda in dance.
In the 1996 Walt Disney Studios cartoon
In the cartoon, Esmeralda is a purebred gypsy. She is a beautiful girl who dances for a living. It is believed that the prototype of her image was two famous actresses: Gina Lollobrigida and Demi Moore (voice actor for the character in the original). It is also interesting that in the first sketches (during work on creation) Esmeralda looked exactly 16 years old, in the final version she was depicted a little older (in fact, she is 16 years old in the book, and 19 years old in the cartoon), perhaps because , so that the heroine does not look more fragile in comparison with other characters (Judge Claude Frollo and Captain Phoebus). In the cartoon, she is slender, has bronze skin, blue-black long, curly hair and green eyes; in the book version, her skin is also bronze, but lighter - this may indicate that her father could be a gypsy. She has a lively and independent character. She is brave, smart, proud and strong, very kind and fair. If you look closely, you will notice that with her hair down, Esmeralda looks much younger than with her hair in a ponytail. It is also one of the most beautiful girls living in France.
The main representative of French romanticism was distinguished by his harsh views on life. His works described everything surrounding reality, which, unfortunately, causes not joy, but sadness.
One has only to remember the novels “Les Miserables” or “The Man Who Laughs,” which had a huge influence on and other representatives of the literary diaspora. But in his track record, Hugo also has another work that has become a classic of world literature - “Notre Dame Cathedral.” The images of the characters from this book became recognizable, and the beautiful Esmeralda migrated to cinema, theater, ballet and animated works.
History of creation
Victor Hugo became an innovator, because Notre Dame was the first historical novel on French. His idea arose back in 1828, and in 1831 the manuscript, which stirred up the public and literary critics, appeared in bookstores. When the creator of Esmeralda dipped his pen into the inkwell, he relied on the works of his colleague, who loved to construct works based on historical subtext.
Moreover, the genius of literature was guided by political motives. According to legend, the authorities were going to demolish a huge building with a six-part rib vault, which was a Gothic masterpiece, and Hugo advocated the reconstruction of cultural monuments. It is noteworthy that after the publication of a book about Notre Dame, the desolate cathedral attracted the attention of tourists. The novel helped to instill love and respect for old buildings, which, after the publication of Notre-Dame de Paris, began to be treasured.
Biography and plot
The French novel, which has become a cult classic, is dramatic and shows social problems society, and also talks about human cruelty and the confrontation between good and evil.
Esmeralda – central heroine novel by Victor Hugo. She was born in 1466 into the family of Paquette Chantfleury, the daughter of a minstrel from Reims. But since Paquetta’s father went bankrupt and soon died, the family lived extremely modestly. Esmeralda's mother blossomed early, and already at the age of 14 she began to attract the attention of men.
She once fell in love, but the relationship with married man were doomed to fiasco, and besides, the flighty lord acquired another mistress. Then Paquetta began to descend to the very bottom of the social ladder and “went from hand to hand”: she spent her time with both aristocrats and ordinary men.
Paquette, who became a courtesan, was saved from degradation by pregnancy, which occurred at the age of 20. After the birth of Agnes (Esmeralda’s name at birth), Chantfleury became prettier, so her “profession” again became in demand, and the young mother spent all the money she earned on outfits for her daughter.
Not to say that Agnessa’s childhood was cloudless. The little girl was kidnapped by Spanish gypsies, who in return left a hunchbacked child named Quasimodo in her crib. After this tragic event, Paquetta lost her mind, thinking that the kidnappers had eaten the girl. This conclusion was made by Chantfleury when she saw traces of a fire and blood at the site of the camp.
Esmeralda, who grew up in someone else's family, wanted all her life to find her real mother, whose biography was overgrown with rumors and legends. Some said that the woman threw herself into the water, while others allegedly saw her on the way to the capital. The dancer wore around her neck the only item left from her mother - an amulet with a child's embroidered shoe.
The character and image of Esmeralda is revealed to readers gradually. On the first pages of the work, she appears as a short, dark girl living in the Parisian “Palace of Miracles” - an abode of beggars, criminals, gypsies, thieves and other people who are at the very bottom of the social abyss. Despite such a depressing environment, the black-haired maiden could feel safe, since she had gained everyone’s love for her kindness, beauty and spontaneity.
Gypsy with early age I learned what it was like to earn a living through hard work. She received money by delighting passers-by with dances and magic tricks with her trained goat Jalli. The appearance of the young dancing girl amazed the imagination; she was often compared to an angel or fairy. Therefore, it is quite natural that three heroes fell in love with her at once: the poet Pierre Gringoire, the temple servant Claude Frollo and the ugly bell-ringer Quasimodo.
Archdeacon Frollo tries to steal Esmeralda with the help of the holy fool Quasimodo, but the gypsy will be saved by the officer Phoebus de Chateaupert, with whom the heroine falls in love at first sight. Esmeralda has a kind heart, for example, she did not pass by Quasimodo and brought him water when he was tied to the pillory and dying of thirst. But the heroine, personifying “a ray of light in dark kingdom", does not differ in analytical mental abilities. She is used to acting as her heart dictates.
Openness and naivety play a cruel joke on this girl. Having fallen in love, she is ready to give herself to Captain Phoebus, but the dancer is sure that with the loss of her innocence, the opportunity to meet her parents will forever elude her.
Esmeralda is haunted by misfortunes: the gypsy was falsely accused and sentenced to death penalty. This happened because a jealous priest, tormented by unrequited love, wounded his opponent Phoebus and disappeared. Quasimodo saved the beauty from the noose: although the bell ringer is sure that Esmeralda will not pay attention to him, it is a joy for him to be nearby and protect the dancer.
Next, Claude Frollo frees the object of his desire from the besieged monastery and gives the girl an ultimatum: either him or death on the scaffold. But the girl refuses to run away from the city with her lover’s killer. Then the archdeacon leaves Esmeralda to the old woman Gudula and goes for the guards to hand over the unfortunate woman. Gudula does not like the gypsies because they stole her daughter. The elderly woman shows the gypsy a shoe and it turns out that Gudula is actually Paquette Chantfleury.
Unfortunately, the fact that Gudula is Esmeralda’s mother becomes clear too late. The warden hides the girl from the guards, but the gypsy makes a fatal mistake: seeing Phoebus among the soldiers, she naively calls for her beloved. The heroine of the work was hanged, and Paquette soon died, unable to bear the second loss of her daughter.
Film adaptations and actors
The heroes of “Notre Dame de Paris” are a favorite theme of directors, and the image of Esmeralda in literary and cinematic works is interpreted in different ways: often the name of this girl, who is considered to be a gypsy, is associated with a fatal beauty who breaks men’s hearts. There are more than ten film adaptations of Victor Hugo’s novel, so let’s look at popular films.
"The Hunchback of Notre Dame" (film, 1923)
Perhaps, the black and white film directed by Wallace Worsley, shot in the horror genre, was not deprived of the attention of fans of film adaptations. The Gothic painting is not much different from the original plot that Victor Hugo came up with. It is noteworthy that the filmmakers approached their work judiciously; for example, the preparation of the filming process lasted a whole year.
The brilliant cast includes professional actors. Lon Chaney played the role of Quasimodo, the captain of the Royal Fusiliers was played by Norman Kerry. The role of the dark-eyed beauty was played by actress Patsy Ruth Miller.
"Notre Dame" (film, 1956)
Cannes Film Festival Grand Prix winner Jean Delannoy delighted film fans with a luxurious dramatization of Victor Hugo's novel.
The directors did not skimp on the scenery and costumes, and the canonical image of Esmeralda was created by the famous Italian beauty, who shared the set with Anthony Quinn, Alain Cuny, Jean Danet and other stars.
"The Hunchback of Notre Dame" (cartoon, 1996)
The Disney animated film is a loose interpretation of Hugo's novel, and the plot centers on the dancer Esmeralda.
She becomes Quasimodo's friend and tells him that the main thing is inside, not outside: even though the bell-ringer's appearance is ugly, his soul is beautiful. The heroine appears before the audience independent girl, which is against the authorities persecuting Roma. The role of Esmeralda was voiced by.
- The name "Esmeralda" is translated from Portuguese as "emerald", so Disney illustrators gave the heroine green eyes.
- The cartoon “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” attracted not only positive reviews, but also caused a flurry of criticism. Hugo researcher Arnaud Leiter accused the studio of simplifying the original plot and characters, and the cartoon itself contributed to the emergence of stereotypes.
- In the hand-drawn film about Quasimodo and Esmeralda, you can also meet other cartoon characters: Pumbaa, Donald Duck, and Jafar from "".
- On Russian stage The song “Belle” from the musical “Notre Dame de Paris” was performed by Alexander Marakulin and.
Quotes
“He realized that a person needs affection, that life, devoid of tenderness and love, is nothing more than an inanimate screeching and creaking mechanism.”
“He felt how cruel the transition from student dreams to everyday reality was.”
“And it is already known that when girls laugh a lot, it means they are preparing streams of tears for themselves in the future. Beautiful teeth will ruin beautiful eyes.”
“The same string sounds in this heart, the most hidden, the most sensitive string; but instead of an angel tenderly touching her, she is tugged at by a demon.”
The story of Quasimodo, Claude Frollo and Esmeralda is one of the most powerful, touching and tragic love stories created in literature.
Quasimodo was born hunchbacked and lame. A huge wart covered his left eye. In infancy, he was given to Paquette Chantfleury, and in return, her beautiful daughter Esmeralda was stolen (thus, their destinies were connected from childhood). She, horrified, got rid of the little monster, and Quasimodo would have died if the priest Claude Frollo had not adopted him. Claude raised the unfortunate man and made him a bell ringer at Notre Dame Cathedral.
Despite his deformity, Quasimodo grew up strong and agile, but his mind and soul did not really awaken. To top it all off, the hunchback became deaf due to the ringing of the bells and the small thread connecting him with the world was broken.
...He was vicious because he was wild; he was wild because he was ugly. His nature, like any other, had its own logic. His excessively developed physical strength was another reason for his anger. However, we should give him justice: his anger, one must think, was not innate. From his very first steps among people, he felt and then clearly realized himself as an outcast, persecuted, branded creature. Human speech was either a mockery or a curse for him. Growing up, he encountered only hatred around him and became infected with it. Pursued by everyoneembittered, he finally picked up the weapon with which he was wounded...
Quasimodo's only passion (besides the worship of Claudo) was the Cathedral. He fell in love with it, studying every nook and cranny of it and climbing it from top to bottom. The poor hunchback gave each bell his own name and loved ringing them.
"..hanging over the abyss, following the bell in its terrible scope, he grabbed the copper monster by the ears, squeezed it tightly with his knees, spurred it with the blows of his heels and with all the effort, with all the weight of his body, intensified the fury of the ringing. The whole tower shook, and he screamed and screamed his teeth, his red hair stood on end, his chest puffed like a blacksmith's bellows, his eyes flashed flames, the monstrous bell neighed, suffocating under him. And now this is no longer the bell of the Cathedral of Our Lady, not Quasimodo - this is delirium, a whirlwind, a storm that has taken hold; a sound; a spirit clinging to a flying croup; an unprecedented centaur, half-man, half-bell; some terrible Astolf, carried away by a monstrous winged horse made of animated bronze..."
One fine day, Quasimodo noticed a young gypsy dancing in the square (this was Esmeralda). His heart caught fire new love. Later, she was the only one who showed mercy to him when the court sentenced him to the pillory, and gave him water. This strengthened the feeling of Quasimodo, who had never seen anything good from those around him.
And then, one day, Quasimodo had the opportunity to save Esmeralda from execution. They wanted to hang the poor gypsy woman and force her to confess to witchcraft. Quasimodo, risking his life, pulled her out of the loop and hid her in the Cathedral.
"... Quasimodo stopped under the arch of the main portal. His wide feet seemed to be as firmly rooted in the stone slabs of the floor as heavy Romanesque pillars. His huge shaggy head went into his shoulders, like the head of a lion, under whose long mane is also not visible neck. He held the trembling girl, hanging on his rough arms, like a white cloth, holding her so carefully, as if he was afraid to break her or crush her, it seemed that he felt that it was something fragile, exquisite, precious, not created for his hands. he did not dare to touch her even with his breath, and suddenly he pressed her to his angular chest, like his property, like his treasure. So the gaze of this cyclops, turned to the girl, enveloped her with tenderness, sorrow and pity. then he suddenly rose, full of fire. And then the women laughed and cried, the crowd went wild with delight, for in these moments Quasimodo was truly beautiful, this orphan, this foundling, this rabble; he felt majestic and strong, he looked into the face of the society that had expelled him, but in whose affairs he had so authoritatively interfered; looked into the face of human justice, from whom he snatched the prey, all these tigers who were left to caress with their teeth, the bailiffs, judges and executioners, all the royal power, which he, insignificant, broke with the help of almighty God ... "
He decided to protect her from everyone (unfortunately, he mistook Esmeralda's friends for enemies and did not allow them to save her). Realizing his ugliness and insignificance, he realized that the beauty was unattainable for him and this brought him terrible torment. He was even jealous of Esmeralda's goat, seeing how she caressed her. Quasimodo's love was so strong that he, wanting to fulfill the gypsy's every whim, tried, at her request, to bring to her her lover, the beautiful, immoral and insensitive Phoebus (Esmeralda, in fact, was a naive dummy). This caused him even greater suffering.
...- Damn it! So this is how you should be! Beautiful outside!
Quasimodo did not save Esmeralda. When she was hanged, he killed his teacher, realizing his guilt in this tragedy (Claude was also in love with a gypsy and, being rejected, killed her), made his way into the crypt where the girl’s body lay, hugged her and lay there until he died.
Esmeralda... This name has become a household name, personifying purity, beauty and kindness. But is she so innocent and pure?.. And is she so kind to those around her, with whom she lives side by side? The desire to understand her actions and motives prompted me to write this analysis.
II. Esmeralda - Clopin Trouillouf
III. Esmeralda - Quasimodo
IV. Esmeralda - Claude Frollo
V. Esmeralda - Pierre Gringoire
VI. Esmeralda - ROCK.
I. Esmeralda - Feb de Chateaupere
The story of their acquaintance, and as a result of her falling in love, corresponded to all the dreams of a young girl: They are trying to kidnap her, but then He comes to the gypsy’s aid: in a uniform, with spurs, and also very attractive. Naturally, Esmeralda immediately falls in love with him, or more correctly, with his cover, completely unaware of his true face. She is ready to say goodbye to her virginity, for his sake she is ready to give up meeting her mother. However, when Claude prevented them by hitting Phoebus with Esmeralda's dagger, he quickly forgets her and returns to Fleur-de-Lys, promising to execute the gypsy. And the girl justifies all his actions by the fact that he may be sick, leave, and seeing him with his fiancee, she convinces herself that this is his sister. Thus, she does not want to see the truth at all. She invented, added to the beautiful uniform no less beautiful soul, which I was very wrong about. She believed that Phoebus would save her, until the very moment when Phoebus almost with his own hands took her to the gallows, but even then she was not angry with him, but blamed everyone else for everything, but not him...
II. Esmeralda - Clopin Trouilleuf.
The girl has a very tender and trusting relationship with her teacher: Clopin replaced her father and protected her. Thus, they developed almost family attachments to each other, however, in the scene with Gringoire, when the inhabitants of the Court of Miracles wanted to hang the poet, she managed to surprise everyone by taking the writer as her husband, saving the tramps from the desired spectacle - the execution of the poet. Nevertheless, Clopin and the beggars, according to Gringoire, “... venerate Esmeralda like the Virgin Mary...” And in the end it becomes clear why, Esmeralda is a born Parisian and a noblewoman!..
III.Esmeralda - Quasimodo
Their relationship changes quite dramatically on the pages of the book with Claude’s easy input. She hates him and is afraid of him in the scene when the hunchback was supposed to kidnap her at the instigation of Frollo. However, their relationship takes a turn for the worse when the gypsy gives Quasimodo water the day after his punishment. Then their friendship is strengthened on the day of Esmeralda's execution, when the bell ringer saves her and brings her to the Cathedral. There, thanks to his care and attention to the girl, their relationship becomes very strong. However, for Quasimodo, Esmeralda is not a friend, but a lady of his heart, for whom he experiences feelings comparable in strength only to those for Claude.
For her sake, he hides his feelings, showing her love not with words, but with noble deeds. The bell ringer agrees to bring Phoebus to her, whom Esmeralda saw one morning on the street, forgetting about her ambitions, and for what? - so that the girl would smile and rejoice, but the captain’s cruel refusal plunged her into deep sadness, and as a result, she would never offend sincere feelings And Noble act Quasimodo. The hunchback prefers to endure Esmeralda's insults rather than upset her. Around the same time, he composed poems, albeit without rhyme, albeit, but they clearly expressed his insight. It is most accurately expressed in the first lines, where there is a direct indication and description of Quasimodo’s feelings at the moment when Phoebus laughed in response to his call:
"Don't look at your face, girl,
And look into the heart
The heart of a beautiful youth is often ugly
There are hearts where love does not live."
But these words were not accepted by her, why?! Because Esmeralda was possessed by a certain stereotype: Quasimodo cannot say anything worthwhile. And she is faithful to this stupid statement, therefore, naturally, these incriminating, and therefore discrediting, words of the “bright” Phoebus are not understood. She cannot see the truly gigantic nature of Quasimodo: “For that drop of water, for that drop of pity, I am ready to pay with my life.”
She is too indiscriminate in people and in the relationships Phoebus - Esmeralda, Esmeralda - Quasimodo this is most clearly expressed. When the tramps storm the Cathedral, Quasimodo is deaf and does not hear that they have come to save Esmeralda. She is also deaf, but in her own way: she does not want to hear the truth about Phoebe. Esmeralda's deafness and Quasimodo's deafness are completely opposite and this is also one of the contrasts of the novel: she can, but does not want to hear the truth, he wants, but cannot...
IV.Esmeralda - Claude Frollo.
From the very appearance at the beginning of the novel, this man, it seems to her, is fraught with some kind of danger for her, and she quickly convinced herself of this, then Claude. But first things first.
Her feeling of fear is the basis for her prejudice against the priest. It’s not so much the person that frightens her as the cassock. The color black is generally a good basis for fear, and for a person with such a rich imagination as hers, better option and you can't imagine it! And the image of an evil priest suits black color perfectly.
I read that it is the archdeacon who is called the root cause of troubles. I do not at all agree with this statement - in my opinion, the beginning of all misfortunes is... Esmeralda! Yes, yes, exactly this sixteen-year-old child! Making Frollo believe that he was a danger to her was main mistake. He was emotionally exhausted, and at the same time, constantly hearing from Esmeralda that he could harm her, that there was danger for her, of course he believed her! Who among us wouldn’t believe it if we heard this at every meeting for several months! Claude is generally a very receptive person, and in such a state he believed everything...
Unable to wait any longer, he denounces her to the spiritual court, saying that she killed the captain, having seduced and bewitched him before. He vaguely hoped that the court would give her to him. But she was tortured! HER! Unhappy, he tore his chest with the dagger of his endlessly beloved Esmeralda! When the girl screamed in hellish pain, he plunged it deep into himself.
Realizing that he can no longer hide his love, he runs to her, into a stone bag, where, according to V. Hugo, “she languished long years her mother” confess to her, hoping that she will understand him.
Esmeralda's love for Phoebus and Frollo's love for Esmeralda are similar: they are blind and doomed to an unhappy end.
Claude runs headlong into this damp dungeon to express all his tenderness to her, to hear the cherished “I let you love me,” to get some healing ointment for his tormented soul. And what did he get by opening his soul to the one for whom he would “give up all the kingdoms of the world in order to plant a kiss on her foot and die”? He received only another portion of ridicule and mockery. The girl did not appreciate his love, listening but not hearing his confession. Yes, he brought her numerous sufferings, but to mock a person like that?!! I don't understand. Esmeralda certainly did not behave like a kind person, but rather like an evil and cruel person. In the end, she could have acted more humanely - Claude came to her with an open heart, he poured out his soul to her, showed his real self, he was sincere, and what did he get in return? - “Oh, my Phoebus!”
“Man should not be a beast to man,” says V. Hugo, but she violates this law. Behind the beautiful shell of a girl lies great faith into prejudices and at the same time the desire to destroy them, love and at the same time cruelty, a vision of external ugliness and at the same time a refusal to see the inner, sensitivity and simplicity.
Esmeralda treated Claude rather rudely and cruelly for a girl of sixteen. A man who is ready to be ridiculed because he acts differently from others (remember the scene when the gypsy gives Quasimodo, tied to the pillory, to drink), really cannot find even one kind words for another person? After all, Claude did not demand mutual love from Esmeralda, no, he said: “Humiliate me, beat me, but just let me love you! What does it cost you?” And she? Was her “kind” heart only enough to laugh evilly at him? Did she not understand that in front of people, Claude could not behave differently towards her? Did she really not understand that the rank of archdeacon obliges him to behave in a certain way, especially with a gypsy woman? And that the ban on appearing on the porch is also one of the means of protection from this all-burning love?!
Claude was not allowed to love women, but he broke this law for her sake, he, again for her sake, trampled on everything that was dear to him, he was ready to throw everything he had at her feet, for the sake of just her smile! And she? She just humiliated and laughed at him once again, and so viciously:
"She interrupted him with a terrible, harsh laugh:
“Look, my father, there is blood under your nails!”
She signed the death warrant with her own hands. To whom? - For myself. And for myself, and Claude, and Quasimodo, and Jehan, and Clopin. The gypsy listened to him, but did not hear, she saw these Tantalus torments, but the thought of pity for this man did not rush, did not even leave any noticeable trace in her soul. And why? -It’s very, very simple: she still believed that even when talking about love, the priest wished her harm. The girl convinced herself too much of this man’s deceit that now she was unable to break this truly unshakable stereotype. It was impossible for anyone to do this. Esmeralda, refusing such strong love, Frollo’s love, made another mistake, but for what, for what? -For the love of Phoebus, because of the belief that he will save her. Notice that not once did the girl think that he might refuse her. To believe in this or for such a thought to flash in your head, you need to be not so gullible and childishly naive.
In this love story, it is impossible to draw a clear conclusion, everyone determines it for themselves, but one cannot help but say that if they had been together, that is, if Esmeralda had preferred Phoebe to Claude, the story could have ended much more happily...
V. Esmeralda - Gringoire.
The story of their “wedding” is very unusual: Esmeralda, in order to save the hapless poet from the noose, agrees to be called his wife. Agree, a very brave and extraordinary act for a young girl?!! Once again the author convinces us of the originality and unpredictability of the young dancer. Here her sympathy and generosity are revealed, which did not extend to everyone (see paragraph IV).
Gringoire, unlike other men, is in love not with her, but with her goat. Strange. Unclear. But perhaps this is what helped save Esmeralda, with whom Djali was always with. After all, it was at Gringoire’s instigation that it was decided to lay siege to the cathedral, and the girl, unnoticed by anyone, would escape from it along with Frollo. It seems like a “happy ending”, but... Again, panicky fear of a man in a cassock prevents her from saving her own life.
It must be said that Pierre Gringoire is also not the “white and fluffy”: he forgets or remembers with extreme reluctance about the one thanks to whom he is still alive.
So let's leave Mr. Poet, let's not touch or condemn him for, even if very strange, but still affection. Everyone has their own choice...
VI. Esmeralda - Rock.
From the very beginning of the work, it is Rock, Fatalite, who controls her destiny: fatal beauty, fatal meeting with the captain, fatal blow, fatal meetings with the archdeacon, fatal salvation and no less fatal death. Does Fatalite have too much power over a girl's life? No. All these are steps of one ladder - without it, there would be nothing else: no meeting, no salvation, no death.
Everything in the life of a gypsy is controlled by fate.
Anarkia. Fatalite. Rock. Even the words themselves inspire you with an incomprehensible fear, a feeling of predetermination of your life. Scary. Frightening. But nevertheless, it is Anarkia who distributes destinies between us, and for Esmeralda, she also chose such a fate without looking, without thinking, what such a combination of different, opposite characters can give if we put them together. And yet, the ruthless hand of fate made just such a choice.
Fate is like a person conducting experiments. But only Fatalite puts them on in public, trying different combinations like a pastry chef and throwing the unsuccessful ones into the landfill. Dump of life.
Anarkia acted no less mercilessly with Esmeralda, but all the others connected with her events, like strong ropes, fall to where the girl takes them with her by the will of fate.
Only Phoebe de Chateaupert manages to escape such a “beautiful” fate - he had no feelings towards the gypsy, and therefore he remains on earth and does not die. But his cowardice, as well as the fear of being ridiculed in court for defending Esmeralda, largely determine his pitiful further existence.
...Yes, many lives, including the life of Esmeralda herself, are subject to the irrevocable lottery of fate...
Before meeting the girl, each of the heroes lived relatively calmly and, as everyone believed, happily. Her appearance opened true face each of them: Phoebus de Chateaupert - low and petty, Quasimodo - noble and reliable in helping, Claude Frollo - a passionate and loving nature, Fleur-de-Lys - a capricious and terribly stubborn girl... This list of qualities revealed in each of them, you can continue for a very long time. But one thing is clear: many only imagined themselves to be happy: Claude - as a clergyman, Quasimodo - among the bells, considering them almost the main thing in his life, Phoebus de Chateaupert - did he become happy when he met Esmeralda?! I think no. He believed that it was in vain to get involved with “this gypsy brat,” which brought him a lot of trouble (a wound that was jealous of Fleur-de-Lys, testimony to the court).
One thing becomes clearly visible: by the evil will of fate, Esmeralda becomes deaf to the people who tried to open her eyes to her beloved Phoebus.
Anarkia intervened in people's lives, connecting them in such a way that as soon as one fell into the abyss of oblivion, the rest would fly there too. Falling into the hands of death, the gypsy carried away both the archdeacon and the bell-ringer.
Each of them lacked just a little bit to be truly happy: Quasimodo would never become a handsome prince, Claude Frollo - young, Esmeralda - a noble and rich lady. Therefore, these three were doomed to eternal torment, because... Because Fatalite will do everything. This is what the ruthless Anarkia ordered and nothing can be done about it.
“...And serene angels look at human suffering and smile with their meek, indifferent smiles...” (Victor Hugo, 1834)
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