The plot of the novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo revolves around the lives of the characters named Quasimodo, Claude Frollo and Esmeralda. The novel is set in Paris, France in the late fifteenth century.
It begins with a description of the celebration of the feast of Epiphany which commemorates Jesus Christ taking the human form.
The protagonist in the novel is Quasimodo, who was abandoned as a baby at the entrance of the Cathedral of Notre-Dame which took care of orphans. Quasimodo is adopted by the priest Claude Frollo who is believed to be a sorcerer.
Claude Frollo initially studied philosophy, but shifted his focus to the study of alchemy and finding the Philosopher’s stone, which was believed to ensure immortality, and he is described by the author as being possessed by the devil.
Claude Frollo is a treacherous villain and the antagonist in the novel who is obsessed with the beautiful gypsy girl Esmeralda, and hounds her like a curse and desperately tries to make her fall in love with him, in spite of the fact that he is a priest who has taken the vow of celibacy and cannot get married.
Because Esmeralda repels Claude Frollo’s unwanted advances, he tells malicious lies about her, and falsely accuses Esmeralda and tries to frame her in the assault of Captain Phoebus who rescued her.
Hugo explores the complexity of human relationships in The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. Quasimodo has a complex relationship with Claude Frollo because he is grateful to Claude Frollo for adopting him when he was abandoned as a baby, but Quasimodo defies Claude Frollo and protects Esmeralda from him.
