The novel "Notre Dame Cathedral", created on the verge of sentimentalism and romanticism, combines the features of a historical epic, a romantic drama and a deeply psychological novel.
History of the creation of the novel
"Notre Dame Cathedral" is the first historical novel in French (the action, according to the author's intention, takes place about 400 years ago, at the end of the 15th century). Victor Hugo began nurturing his idea as early as the 1820s, and published it in March 1831. The prerequisites for the creation of the novel were the rising interest in historical literature and in particular in the Middle Ages.
In the literature of France of that time, romanticism began to take shape, and with it romantic tendencies in cultural life in general. Thus, Victor Hugo personally defended the need to preserve ancient architectural monuments which many wanted to either demolish or rebuild.
There is an opinion that it was after the novel "Notre Dame Cathedral" that the supporters of the demolition of the cathedral retreated, and an incredible interest in cultural monuments and a wave of civic consciousness arose in society in the desire to protect ancient architecture.
Characteristics of the main characters
It is this reaction of society to the book that gives the right to say that the cathedral is a genuine main character novel, along with people. This is the main place of events, a silent witness to dramas, love, life and death of the main characters; a place that against the backdrop of transience human lives remains the same immovable and unshakable.
The main characters in human form are the gypsy Esmeralda, the hunchback Quasimodo, the priest Claude Frollo, the military Phoebe de Chateauper, the poet Pierre Gringoire.
Esmeralda unites the rest of the main characters around her: all of the listed men are in love with her, but some are selflessly, like Quasimodo, others are furious, like Frollo, Phoebus and Gringoire, experiencing carnal attraction; the gypsy herself loves Phoebe. In addition, all the characters are connected by the Cathedral: Frollo serves here, Quasimodo works as a bell ringer, Gringoire becomes a priest's apprentice. Esmeralda usually performs in front of the Cathedral Square, and Phoebus looks out the windows of his future wife, Fleur-de-Lys, who lives near the Cathedral.
Esmeralda is a serene child of the streets, unaware of her attractiveness. She dances and performs in front of the Cathedral with her goat, and everyone around from the priest to street thieves give her their hearts, revering her like a deity. With the same childish spontaneity with which a child reaches for shiny objects, Esmeralda gives her preference to Phoebus, a noble, brilliant chevalier.
The external beauty of Phoebus (coincides with the name of Apollo) is the only positive trait internally ugly military man. A deceitful and dirty seducer, a coward, a lover of booze and foul language, only in front of the weak is he a hero, only in front of the ladies is he a cavalier.
Pierre Gringoire, a local poet forced by circumstances to plunge into the thick of French street life, is a bit like Phoebus in that his feelings for Esmeralda are a physical attraction. True, he is not capable of meanness, and loves both a friend and a person in a gypsy, setting aside her feminine charm.
The most sincere love for Esmeralda is nourished by the most terrible creature - Quasimodo, the bell ringer in the Cathedral, who was once picked up by the archdeacon of the temple, Claude Frollo. For Esmeralda, Quasimodo is ready for anything, even to love her quietly and secretly from everyone, even to give the girl to an opponent.
Claude Frollo has the most complex feelings for the gypsy. Love for a gypsy is a special tragedy for him, because it is a forbidden passion for him as a clergyman. Passion does not find a way out, so he either appeals to her love, then repels, then pounces on her, then saves her from death, and finally, he himself hands the gypsy to the executioner. The tragedy of Frollo is caused not only by the collapse of his love. He turns out to be a representative of the passing time and feels that he is becoming obsolete along with the era: a person receives more and more knowledge, moves away from religion, builds a new one, destroys the old. Frollo holds the first printed book in his hands and understands how he disappears without a trace into the centuries along with handwritten folios.
Plot, composition, problematics of the work
The novel is set in the 1480s. All the actions of the novel take place around the Cathedral - in the "City", on the Cathedral and Greve squares, in the "Court of Miracles".
Before the Cathedral they give religious performance(the author of the mystery is Gringoire), but the crowd prefers to watch Esmeralda dance in the Place de Greve. Looking at the gypsy, Gringoire, Quasimodo, and Father Frollo fall in love with her at the same time. Phoebus meets Esmeralda when she is invited to entertain a company of girls, including Phoebus' fiancee, Fleur de Lis. Phoebus makes an appointment with Esmeralda, but the priest also comes to the appointment. Out of jealousy, the priest wounds Phoebus, and Esmeralda is blamed for this. Under torture, the girl confesses to witchcraft, prostitution and the murder of Phoebus (who actually survived) and is sentenced to be hanged. Claude Frollo comes to her in prison and persuades her to run away with him. On the day of the execution, Phoebus watches the execution of the sentence along with his bride. But Quasimodo does not allow the execution to take place - he grabs the gypsy and runs to hide in the Cathedral.
The entire "Court of Miracles" - a haven of thieves and beggars - rushes to "liberate" their beloved Esmeralda. The king found out about the rebellion and ordered the gypsy to be executed at all costs. As she is being executed, Claude laughs a devilish laugh. Seeing this, the hunchback rushes at the priest, and he breaks, falling from the tower.
Compositionally, the novel is looped: at first, the reader sees the word “rock” inscribed on the wall of the Cathedral, and plunges into the past for 400 years, at the end, he sees two skeletons in a crypt outside the city, which are intertwined in an embrace. These are the heroes of the novel - a hunchback and a gypsy. Time has erased their history to dust, and the Cathedral still stands as an indifferent observer of human passions.
The novel depicts both private human passions (the problem of purity and meanness, mercy and cruelty) and people's (wealth and poverty, isolation of power from the people). For the first time in European literature the personal drama of the characters develops against the backdrop of detailed historical events, And private life and the historical background are so interpenetrating.
Cathedral of Notre Dame
In the back streets of one of the towers of the great cathedral, someone's long-decayed hand inscribed the word "rock" in Greek. Then the word itself disappeared. But out of it was born a book about a gypsy, a hunchback and a priest.
On January 6, 1482, on the occasion of the feast of baptism in the Palace of Justice, the mystery "The Righteous Judgment of the Blessed Virgin Mary" is given. A huge crowd gathers in the morning. Ambassadors from Flanders and the Cardinal of Bourbon should be invited to the spectacle. Gradually, the audience begins to grumble, and the schoolchildren rage the most: among them stands out the sixteen-year-old blond imp Jehan - the brother of the learned archdeacon Claude Frollo. Nervous author of the mystery Pierre Gringoire orders to begin. But the unfortunate poet is unlucky; as soon as the actors uttered the prologue, the cardinal appears, and then the ambassadors. The townspeople from the Flemish city of Ghent are so colorful that the Parisians stare only at them. General admiration is evoked by the hosiery Maitre Copinol, who, without defiance, converses in a friendly way with the disgusting beggar Clopin Trouillefou. To Gringoire's dismay, the accursed Fleming honors last words his mystery and offers to do a much more fun thing - to elect a buffoon's dad. They will be the one who makes the most terrible grimace. Applicants for this lofty title stick their physiognomy out of the window of the chapel. The winner is Quasimodo, the bell ringer of Notre Dame Cathedral, who does not even need to grimace, he is so ugly. The monstrous hunchback is dressed in an absurd robe and carried on his shoulders in order to pass, according to custom, through the streets of the city. Gringoire is already hoping for a continuation of the ill-fated play, but then someone shouts that Esmeralda is dancing in the square - and all the remaining spectators are blown away by the wind. Gringoire, in anguish, wanders to the Place de Greve to look at this Esmeralda, and an inexpressibly lovely girl appears before his eyes - either a fairy, or an angel, who, however, turned out to be a gypsy. Gringoire, like all the spectators, is completely fascinated by the dancer, but the gloomy face of a not yet old, but already bald man stands out in the crowd: he viciously accuses the girl of witchcraft - after all, her white goat beats a tambourine with a hoof six times in response to the question of what day it is today. number. When Esmeralda begins to sing, a woman's voice full of frenzied hatred is heard - the recluse of the Roland Tower curses the gypsy offspring. At this moment, a procession enters the Place Greve, in the center of which Quasimodo flaunts. A bald man rushes towards him, frightening the gypsy, and Gringoire recognizes his teacher of sealants - father Claude Frollo. He tears off the tiara from the hunchback, tears the mantle to shreds, breaks the staff - the terrible Quasimodo falls to his knees before him. The day, rich in spectacle, comes to an end, and Gringoire, without much hope, wanders after the gypsy. Suddenly, he hears a piercing scream: two men are trying to cover Esmeralda's mouth. Pierre calls the guards, and a dazzling officer appears - the head of the royal shooters. One of the kidnappers is captured - this is Quasimodo. The gypsy does not take her enthusiastic eyes off her savior - Captain Phoebus de Chateauper.
Fate brings the ill-fated poet to the Court of Miracles - the kingdom of beggars and thieves. The stranger is seized and taken to the Altyn King, in whom Pierre, to his surprise, recognizes Clopin Trouillefou. The local morals are severe: you need to pull out the wallet from the stuffed animal with bells, so that they do not ring - a noose awaits the loser. Gringoire, who made a real chime, is dragged to the gallows, and only a woman can save him - if there is one that she wants to take as her husband. No one coveted the poet, and he would have been swinging on the crossbar if Esmeralda had not released him out of the kindness of her soul. The emboldened Gringoire tries to claim marital rights, but the fragile songstress has a small dagger in this case - in front of the astonished Pierre, the dragonfly turns into a wasp. The ill-fated poet lies down on a skinny bedding, for he has nowhere to go.
The next day, Esmeralda's kidnapper is put on trial. In 1482 the disgusting hunchback was twenty years old, and his benefactor Claude Frollo was thirty-six. Sixteen years ago, a little freak was placed on the porch of the cathedral, and only one person took pity on him. Having lost his parents during a terrible plague, Claude was left with the baby Jean in his arms and fell in love with him with a passionate, devoted love. Perhaps the thought of his brother made him pick up the orphan, whom he named Quasimodo. Claude fed him, taught him to write and read, put him on the bells, so Quasimodo, who hated all people, was dog-like devoted to the archdeacon. Perhaps more he loved only the Cathedral - his home, his homeland, his universe. That is why he unquestioningly carried out the order of his savior - and now he had to answer for this. The deaf Quasimodo gets to the deaf judge, and it ends in tears - he is sentenced to whips and a pillory. The hunchback does not understand what is happening until they start flogging him to the hooting of the crowd. The torment does not end there: after the scourging, the good townspeople throw stones and ridicule at him. He hoarsely asks for a drink, but is answered with bursts of laughter. Suddenly, Esmeralda appears in the square. Seeing the culprit of his misfortunes, Quasimodo is ready to incinerate her with a look, and she fearlessly climbs the stairs and brings a flask of water to his lips. Then a tear rolls down the ugly physiognomy - the fickle crowd applauds "the majestic spectacle of beauty, youth and innocence, which came to the aid of the embodiment of ugliness and malice." Only the recluse of the Roland Tower, barely noticing Esmeralda, bursts into curses.
A few weeks later, at the beginning of March, Captain Phoebe de Chateaupere is courting his fiancee Fleur-de-Lys and her bridesmaids. For fun, for the sake of the girl, they decide to invite a pretty gypsy girl who dances on Cathedral Square into the house. They quickly repent of their intention, for Esmeralda overshadows them all with grace and beauty. She herself gazes intently at the captain, puffed up with complacency. When the goat puts together the word "Phoebus" from the letters - apparently familiar to her, Fleur-de-Lys faints, and Esmeralda is immediately expelled. She also attracts the eye: Quasimodo looks at her with admiration from one window of the cathedral, Claude Frollo gloomily contemplates her from the other. Next to the gypsy, he spotted a man in a yellow-and-red tights - before she always performed alone. Going downstairs, the archdeacon recognizes his disciple Pierre Gringoire, who disappeared two months ago. Claude eagerly asks about Esmeralda: the poet says that this girl is a charming and harmless creature, a true child of nature. She keeps chastity, because she wants to find her parents through an amulet - and he allegedly helps only virgins. Everyone loves her for her cheerful disposition and kindness. She herself believes that in the whole city she has only two enemies - the recluse of the Roland Tower, who for some reason hates the gypsies, and some priest who constantly pursues her. With the help of a tambourine, Esmeralda teaches her goat tricks, and there is no witchcraft in them - it took only two months to teach her how to add the word "Phoebus". The archdeacon becomes extremely excited - and on the same day he hears how his brother Jean friendly calls out to the captain of the royal shooters by name. He follows the young rake to the tavern. Phoebus gets drunk a little less than the schoolboy, because he has an appointment with Esmeralda. The girl is so in love that she is ready to sacrifice even an amulet - since she has Phoebus, why does she need a father and mother? The captain begins to kiss the gypsy, and at that moment she sees a dagger raised above him. Before Esmeralda, the face of the hated priest appears: she loses consciousness - waking up, she hears from all sides that the sorceress stabbed the captain.
A month passes. Gringoire and the Court of Miracles are in terrible anxiety - Esmeralda has disappeared. One day, Pierre sees a crowd at the Palace of Justice - they tell him that they are trying a she-devil who killed a military man. The gypsy stubbornly denies everything, despite the evidence - a demonic goat and a demon in a priest's cassock, which was seen by many witnesses. But she cannot stand the torture with a Spanish boot - she confesses to witchcraft, prostitution and the murder of Phoebus de Chateauper. According to the totality of these crimes, she is sentenced to repentance at the portal of Notre Dame Cathedral, and then to hanging. The goat must be subjected to the same punishment. Claude Frollo comes to the casemate, where Esmeralda is looking forward to death. On his knees, he begs her to run away with him: she turned his life upside down, before meeting her he was happy - innocent and pure, lived only by science and fell, seeing the wondrous beauty that was not created for human eyes. Esmeralda rejects both the hated priest's love and his proposed salvation. In response, he angrily shouts that Phoebus is dead. However, Phoebus survived, and the fair-haired Fleur-de-Lys again settled in his heart. On the day of the execution, the lovers coo gently, looking out the window with curiosity - the jealous bride will be the first to recognize Esmeralda. The gypsy, seeing the beautiful Phoebus, falls unconscious: at that moment, Quasimodo picks her up in her arms and rushes to the Cathedral with a cry of "shelter". The crowd greets the hunchback with enthusiastic cries - this roar reaches the Greve Square and the Roland Tower, where the recluse does not take her eyes off the gallows. The victim slipped away, hiding in the church.
Esmeralda lives in the Cathedral, but cannot get used to the terrible hunchback. Not wanting to annoy her with his ugliness, the deaf man gives her a whistle - he is able to hear this sound. And when the archdeacon pounces on the gypsy, Quasimodo almost kills him in the dark - only the ray of the moon saves Claude, who begins to be jealous of Esmeralda for the ugly ringer. At his instigation, Gringoire raises the Court of Miracles - beggars and thieves storm the Cathedral, wanting to save the gypsy. Quasimodo desperately defends his treasure - young Jean Frollo dies from his hand. Meanwhile, Gringoire "secretly takes Esmeralda out of the Cathedral and involuntarily hands her over to Claude - he takes her to the Greve Square, where he offers his love for the last time. There is no salvation: the king himself, having learned about the rebellion, ordered to find and hang the sorceress. The gypsy is horrified recoils from Claude, and then he drags her to the Roland tower - the hermit, putting her hand out from behind the bars, tightly grabs the unfortunate girl, and the priest runs after the guards. Esmeralda begs to let her go, but Paquette Chantefleury only laughs angrily in response - the gypsies stole from her daughter, now let their offspring die too. She shows the girl her daughter's embroidered slipper - in Esmeralda's amulet is exactly the same. The recluse almost loses her mind with joy - she has found her child, although she has already lost all hope. Too late mother and daughter they remember the danger: Paquette tries to hide Esmeralda in her cell, but in vain - the girl is dragged to the gallows, In the last desperate impulse, the mother sinks her teeth into the executioner's hand - she is thrown away and she falls down dead. From the height of the Cathedral, the archdeacon looks at the Greve Square. Quasimodo, who has already suspected Claude of kidnapping Esmeralda, sneaks after him and recognizes the gypsy - a noose is put around her neck. When the executioner jumps on the girl's shoulders, and the body of the executed woman begins to beat in terrible convulsions, the priest's face is distorted with laughter - Quasimodo does not hear him, but he sees a satanic grin, in which there is nothing human anymore. And he pushes Claude into the abyss. Esmeralda on the gallows, and the archdeacon prostrate at the foot of the tower, that was all the poor hunchback loved.
Every more or less large city in countries where the main religion is Christianity (and not only in them) can boast of a cathedral and, sometimes, more than one.
Perhaps the most famous, most fascinating and unusual, which has absorbed many legends, is Notre Dame Cathedral, or Notre Dame de Paris. It can be called the heart of France.
On the square in front of the cathedral there is a sign “zero kilometer”, it is from this point that all roads of the country are counted.
It was built on the Ile de la Cite, which is also called the "cradle of Paris". Once upon a time there was an ancient temple of Jupiter on this site, and then the first Christian church in Paris - the Basilica of St. Stephen.
History of Notre Dame de Paris
The history of the cathedral begins with the appointment of the Bishop of Paris Maurice de Sully, who became the main initiator of the construction of the most remarkable temple in all of France. The ceremony of laying the first stone in 1163 was attended by Pope Alexander III, which gave rise to historians to assume that he personally laid this stone.
The construction of the building lasted for almost 170 years, although the main part of the cathedral was actually completed in 1196, when the nave of the building was completed. A few days after the completion of work in the nave, Maurice de Sgolli, who was already well over seventy, died. And the cathedral was completely completed in 1330.
Due to such a long construction period, the building of the cathedral contains features of both Romanesque and Gothic styles, which gives it both monumentality and elegance. In the south and east of the cathedral there are two bell towers, the height of which is 69 meters.
Features of the interior design of the cathedral
Since the decoration was completed in the era of domination gothic style, then there are no frescoes inside, and the only source of color is the giant stained-glass windows in the lancet windows.
Unfortunately, of the original stained-glass windows, only a part in the south “rose” window has survived to this day. It depicts Christ surrounded by the Virgin Mary, saints and 12 apostles.
In the 17th-18th centuries, the cathedral was partially rebuilt, the pulpit and tombs were demolished inside, and some of the original stained-glass windows were replaced with ordinary glass.
But real disasters befell the cathedral in the era Great French Revolution.
First, it was looted and partially destroyed, then turned into a "Temple of Reason", after which it completely became a wine warehouse.
Under Napoleon Bonaparte, the cathedral was re-consecrated, but after the return of the Bourbons, it was abandoned and was in danger of demolition.
In 1841, restoration began, which lasted 23 years. The repair work was led by Viollet-le-Duc, who came up with the idea of creating the famous statues of chimeras at the foot of the towers.
The Mother of God with two angels is located in the center of the main stained-glass window-rose, the diameter of which is 9.6 meters, and on the left and right, as a reminder of the original sin, are Adam and Eve.
Wrought iron with a bizarre pattern adds beauty to the doors of the entrance doors to the Cathedral.
The northern and southern portals have their own names, the northern - in honor of Virgin Mary, and the southern one - in honor of Saint Anna.
scenes Doomsday located on the central portal. The ledges are famous for the figures depicted on them: on the left - St. Dionysius, the first bishop, on the right - St. Etienne, the deacon.
Lighting in Notre Dame is natural, but very poor, as light penetrates only through high, lancet windows, glazed with stained glass.
As is typical for all Catholic churches, unlike Orthodox churches, there is absolutely no painting on the walls of the Cathedral. And only around the main altar the walls are covered with reliefs telling about the life of Jesus Christ.
The main, largest bell, whose tone is F-sharp, sounds quite rarely. All other bells that have their own names ring at eight o'clock in the morning and seven o'clock in the evening.
Bell names:
- Angelique Francoise, weight is 1765 kg, tone C sharp.
- Antoinette Charlotte, weight is 1158 kg, D-sharp tone.
- Hyacinthe Jeanne, weight is 813 kg, tone fa.
- Denise David, weight is 670 kg, F-sharp tone.
Believers are given the opportunity to venerate shrines on the first Friday of each month, as well as on Good Friday of the Catholic Lent. It is on these days that the Crown of Thorns, a particle of the Cross of the Lord and the Cluster from the Cross become available for worship.
But the line is huge, you need to come and take a seat early, long before the start of the ceremonies. 
Listening to the amazing sound of a six-ton bell, one cannot help but recall the immortal work of Victor Hugo and his main characters - the hunchback Quasimodo, the beautiful Esmeralda, the handsome Phoebe ... After all, the unfortunate Quasimodo entrusted all his troubles and sufferings to this bell.
And every Sunday a mass is held in the Cathedral, to which everyone is allowed. At mass, you can enjoy the sounds of the largest organ in the country. Admission these days is free.
Notre Dame de Paris is second in popularity only to the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre, tourists come here in millions.
Over the centuries of the existence of the Cathedral, a huge collection of ceremonial things and religious shrines has gathered there, such as a piece of a cross and a nail from the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, various manuscripts, sacred bowls, and robes.
During the tour, you will climb the 422 steps of the spiral staircase, go out to the observation deck and enjoy a beautiful view of the Ile de la Cité.
It is here that you will see the thirteen-ton bell named Emmanuel, which sounds only on special occasions - during great church holidays and after terrible disasters, when all peoples unite in common grief and compassion, for example, this happened after the tragedy of the twin towers in America.
The path also goes through Chimera Gallery created only in the nineteenth century.
To purchase tickets and get on the tour, you need to find the foot of the North Tower from the side of Monastery Street (Address: Rue du cloitre Notr-Dame), buy tickets and enjoy immersing yourself in history.
Children too, no doubt, should visit this one of the main attractions of Paris.
But to make it more interesting for them, first show them the Disney cartoon The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Then the kids will not yawn and dream of leaving as soon as possible, but will look at everything around and try to compare what they see in the cartoon with reality.
Address of Notre Dame Cathedral
- 6pl. du Parvis Notre-Dame
- Metro: Cite or St-Michel RER: St-Michel
Cathedral opening hours
- 8.00 – 18.45 (Saturday and Sunday: until 19.15)
The opening hours of the towers and the Gallery of Chimeras (may differ from the opening hours of the Cathedral itself)
- October 1 - March 31: 10.00 - 17.30
- April 1 - September 30: 10.00 - 18.30 (on Saturdays and Sundays in June, July and August until 23.00)
- Entrance closes a quarter of an hour before closing
- The cathedral is closed: January 1, May 1 and December 25
Entrance to the cathedral is free. The towers are paid for adults, under 18s are free.
Year of publication of the book: 1831
Victor Hugo's Notre Dame Cathedral was first published in 1831. The work is the first French historical novel. Many performances, musicals and ballets have been staged based on Hugo's Notre Dame Cathedral, as well as several feature films. The last French adaptation of the novel was released in 1999 under the title Quasimodo.
Novel "Notre Dame Cathedral" summary
At the beginning of January 1482, the Parisians celebrated the feast of baptism. In honor of this, they decided to stage a well-known mystery play in the palace, which gathered a huge number of people around it from the very morning. It is expected that the Cardinal of Bourbon will come to the city for the holiday along with the Flemish ambassadors. After some time, people begin to worry, and the start of the performance is delayed indefinitely. Most of all, a noisy blond youth named Jean stands out from the crowd. He is the brother of the city archdeacon Claude.
"Notre Dame Cathedral" novel tells that the most nervous of all is none other than the author of the production Gringoire, who does not understand what caused the delay in the start of the performance. As soon as all the actors were ready to make their speeches, the cardinal entered the city along with the ambassadors. This greatly distracted the Parisians and again delayed the demonstration of the mystery. The people froze in one place and looked at the visitors in surprise, not paying attention to anything. A guest from Flanders invites the crowd to choose a buffoon's pope. They were supposed to be a man who could make the ugliest face. Every now and then, funny facial expressions begin to appear from all the windows and streets. However, the ringer of Notre Dame Cathedral, a hunchback named Quasimodo, unanimously becomes the clownish pope. He is dressed in a luxurious robe and carried on his hands throughout Paris.
Gringoire still hopes that he will be able to continue the performance. Suddenly, one of the Parisians shouted that a beautiful sixteen-year-old gypsy Esmeralda was dancing nearby in the square. Frustrated with his idea, Pierre Gringoire goes to see the girl dance. He is fascinated by the beauty of the young gypsy. Watching her every movement, like the main character, the poet compares the girl with an angel. After the dance, the stranger approached the goat and placed a tambourine near her. The girl began to ask her various questions, and the animal tapped out the correct answer. Because of this, there were even accusations from the crowd that Esmeralda was actually a witch. Not paying attention to the exclamation, the gypsy begins to sing. Suddenly she hears an insult from the face of the recluse of the tower. The desperate woman curses all the gypsies, which greatly upsets Esmeralda.
Notre Dame Cathedral, the book tells that in the meantime a crowd approaches the square with Quasimodo in their arms. The hunchback is approached by his teacher, Claude Frollo, who rips off his robe and tiara and drags Quasimodo back to the Cathedral. Gradually, the people begin to disperse, and Pierre goes after Esmeralda. He sees how they are trying to attack the girl, and calls the guards. The shooters manage to catch one of the intruders, who turns out to be Quasimodo. Esmeralda looks up, notices her savior Phoebus and falls in love with him.
Walking around the city, Gringoire finds himself in the Court of Miracles. This is the place where the most dangerous villains and beggars of Paris live. Pierre is about to be executed, but Esmeralda appears and saves the man. Fulfilling the conditions of the villains, she undertakes to become his wife. A few hours later, the poet gets used to the role of the spouse of a gypsy. However, the girl admits that she agreed to the marriage only in order to save Gringoire from the gallows. For the whole evening, Pierre tells his newly-made wife about his hard life. However, Esmeralda did not hear a single word - she was still thinking about Phoebe.
The next morning, a trial is scheduled for Quasimodo, who kidnapped Esmeralda. In Hugo's Notre Dame Cathedral summary tells that the hunchback came to the Cathedral sixteen years ago. Then a four-year-old boy was thrown up, not wanting to raise a freak. Claude Frollo, who at that time was orphaned and had to raise his little brother Jean, picked up the hunchback and taught him everything he knows. A little later, he appointed Quasimodo as bell ringer. It was this work that led to the fact that the freak was completely deaf. However, despite this, he loved the Cathedral and Claude Frollo more than anything. To put it mildly, the ringer disliked all other people.
Since Quasimodo was deaf and could not understand what the judge was asking him about, the court session was rather difficult. However, this did not stop Esmeralda's kidnapper from being sentenced to lashes. The ringer did not understand what awaited him until the freak was brought to the pillory. During the execution of the sentence, the gathered crowd throws stones at the hunchback and mocks him. He asks for a drink, but no one hears the freak. At this moment, Esmeralda comes up the stairs, bringing water to Quasimodo. In the work "Notre Dame Cathedral" we can read that from an unexpected manifestation of kindness, tears begin to flow from the bell ringer. The gypsy hears the curse of the recluse again coming from Roland's tower. However, the rest of the crowd applauds the girl and calls her a model of beauty, youth and virtue.
Spring comes and Phoebus spends time with his fiancee Fleur-de-Lys. The girl's friends decide to invite that charming gypsy who conquered everyone by dancing in the square. Entering the house, Esmeralda amazes everyone with her beauty. Even Phoebus cannot resist the girl's grace. Esmeralda's little goat makes a word out of letters. After reading "Phoebus" there, Fleur-de-Lys loses consciousness, and the gypsy is quickly driven away. Quasimodo is watching a girl walking down the street from the window of the Cathedral.
On the floor below, Claude Frollo is looking at her, who notices that the girl is in Lately walks in the company of the same man. He decides to get to know him, but it turns out that Pierre Gringoire, who was Esmeralda's husband by chance, was an old acquaintance and student of Claude Frollo. The archdeacon begins to ask about the gypsy, and the poet tells the story of her life. Until this time, Claude believed Esmeralda to be a witch and watched her closely. However, Pierre claims that the girl is absolutely pure and innocent. In addition, she has no time to practice witchcraft, because she wants to find her parents. The goat, which, with the help of a tambourine, answers the questions of the people, is nothing more than the result of training.
In the novel Notre Dame Cathedral, the summary tells that Phoebus and his friends decide to go to a bar. However, due to the fact that he has a date with a gypsy in a few hours, the man drinks the least. But the archdeacon's brother Jean, who was followed that evening by Claude Frollo, does not miss a single glass. Phoebus notices Esmeralda and comes closer to kiss the girl. Then she sees that someone's hand holding a dagger hangs over her lover. It was none other than the priest Claude Frollo. Suddenly, the gypsy faints, and, waking up a few hours later, finds out that she is accused of killing Phoebus.
If you read Hugo's novel "Notre Dame Cathedral" briefly, then we learn that several days have passed since the last events, during which Gringoire cannot find a place for himself, because Esmeralda has disappeared without a trace. One day, walking through the square, he notices that a large number of people have gathered at the Palace of Justice. Someone from the crowd tells the poet that a trial will now take place on a woman who plunged a dagger into a military man. Esmeralda tried to deny all the allegations, despite the fact that there was a large amount of evidence against her. However, when the torture with the Spanish boot begins, the gypsy breaks down and confesses in tears to everything she is accused of. As a murderer, witch, and prostitute, Esmeralda, like the protagonist of the novel, is sentenced to be hanged. Previously, she had to repent before all honest people under the walls of Notre Dame Cathedral. The girl is locked in the basement, where Claude Frollo comes to her. He confesses his love for Esmeralda, stating that before meeting her, his only interest was science. However, he cannot resist the beauty of the gypsy and wants to run away with her. Esmeralda rejects the archdeacon and does not want to be saved in this way.
The day of the execution comes, and Esmeralda notices Phoebus in the distance, who is talking with his bride Fleur-de-Lys. The gypsy faints, realizing that her lover is still alive. In Hugo's novel Notre Dame Cathedral, we can read that in the meantime Quasimodo runs up to her and takes the girl to the Cathedral. For a long time, Esmeralda arrives at the Cathedral, hiding from the court. It is difficult for her to communicate with the evil ringer, so Quasimodo decides to give her his whistle. It is the only sound he is still able to hear. Suddenly, a priest bursts into the girl and attacks her. Esmeralda calls Quasimodo, who pushes Claude Frollo out. The archdeacon persuades Gringoire and the beggars from the Court of Miracles to storm Notre Dame Cathedral and save Esmeralda. Quasimodo is trying his best to protect the girl. He even kills Jean. In all this fuss, Gringoire still manages to lead Esmeralda to freedom. He brings her to Claude, who once again offers the girl to run away with him for her life. He warns that the king of France found out about the revolt of the Parisians and ordered to find and execute the witch at all costs. The gypsy again refuses the priest, to which he takes her to the Roland Tower. The recluse, who constantly cursed Esmeralda, stretches out her hands to the girl and insults her. Paquette (that was the name of the recluse) says that once upon a time the gypsies took away her only daughter. She shows the girl the slipper of her child, and Esmeralda realizes that her mother is in front of her. Paquette manages to hide the gypsy at home, but after a while the king's guards find her and take her to the gallows. A woman, trying to save her daughter, sinks her teeth into the executioner, but he pushes her away. From a strong blow to the head Paketta dies.
1482. Celebration in Greve Square. The young poet Per Gringoire, with bated breath, is watching the staging of his play on the platform - allegorical and drawn out. The play ended in failure. For the entertainment of the crowds, they arrange a fun: the election of the Pope of Jesters. What terrible grimaces the contenders make! But the Pope is elected freak Quasimodo - the bell ringer of Notre Dame Cathedral. A red-haired, one-eyed, deaf hunchback - he doesn’t even need to make an effort, he’s so ugly. However, Quasimodo has incredible power, which leads the audience into a state of mock admiration.
Esmeralda, a lovely thin black-eyed girl, is performing in the square. She dances, sings, coins woven into them according to the gypsy custom jingle in her braids. Together with her, a little white goat Djali performs - on the orders of the hostess she beats time on a tambourine, depicts - very similarly - important persons of the city.
- This is sorcery! an ominous bald man speaks muffledly in the crowd. This is the archdeacon.
Not only does he curse the pretty gypsy girl - the curse of the "Egyptian locust" is sent from her pit by the insane recluse of Roland's tower. Quasimodo in a jester's cap is carried through the streets. The archdeacon scolds him, the freak throws himself on his knees before the priest and kisses his hand.
In the evening, Gringoire saw a gypsy girl on the streets of the city and followed her. The girl realized that the poet was safe, and made a contemptuous grimace. And then two men attacked the girl, in one of whom the poet recognized Quasimodo. They wanted to take her away. The goat, pointing her horns at them, bleated plaintively. The poet rushed to the defense of the girl, but was no more dangerous for the attackers than a goat - Quasimodo threw him to the ground.
At the noise and screams, the guards arrived in time - the night watch. Captain Phoebe de Chateauper orders Quasimodo to be bound and arrested, the girl learns the name of the savior and thanks him heartily - he struck her imagination with beauty and bearing.
The poet wanders around the city and, to his misfortune, finds himself in the courtyard of Miracles - this is the courtyard where thieves and beggars live. Stink, dirt, creepy faces. In one corner, a young beggar is taking a lesson from an old beggar in how to mimic an epileptic fit with a bar of soap. In another corner, two thieves are quarreling over a stolen child, and nearby, a "poor patient" removes fake sores from himself, the terrible appearance of which forced passers-by to give him coins.
The King of Beggars orders Gringoire to be hanged. I'm not kidding. According to the rules of the beggars, the execution will be canceled if any woman takes the condemned husband. Vile beggars and thieves do not see any use in the poet, and mercy was not noticed in them from birth. Gringoire rescued by Esmeralda. With her charming grimace, she declares:
- I'm taking it.
The poet is told to break an earthenware mug. It is divided into four parts. It is announced that Gringoire becomes the husband of a gypsy for four years.
In the closet of a gypsy, the poet tries to hug her waist, but the girl shows him a sharp dagger, and the goat shows almost the same sharp horns. The girl saved him from the gallows: - that's all. The street dancer is a heavenly creature!
Gringoire devours a modest meal with appetite and offers friendship to the gypsy. There is also a conversation about love. It turns out that Captain Phoebus has captured the girl's imagination. The poet says that the name Phoebus means "sun".
- Sun! Esmeralda repeats admiringly.
Now let's fast forward sixteen years. On the porch of the Notre Dame Cathedral they threw a bag with a disgustingly ugly child of four years old: one-eyed, red, humpbacked. It was Quasimodo. Unexpectedly for the nuns, a young priest, Claude Frollo, adopted a freak.
The fate of the priest was not easy. He studied with passion, was immersed in books. Many considered him a warlock. During the epidemic, his father and mother died, and Claude took care of his little brother Jean. So the fate of the unfortunate freak touched the heart of a stern priest - after all, his brother could end up in an orphanage.
Quasimodo grew up in the shadow of the cathedral. The cathedral became his universe. Quasimodo's temper was vicious, because his appearance was ugly and everyone laughed at him. He was deafened by the ringing of the bells. And although Claude with great difficulty taught the freak to speak, deafness doomed him to dumbness. Quasimodo loved only the cathedral, especially its bells, and Claude Frollo, who was for him like a master for a dog.
Neither the priest nor the ringer enjoyed the love of the people. The old women used to say: "A priest's soul is like a ringer's body."
For attacking a “girl of easy virtue” and breaking the silence, Quasimodo was sentenced to punishment at the pillory. Here's the fun! Yes, the suffering of some in those cruel times served as entertainment for others.
Here are two women with a fat boy going to the Roland Tower to look at the "secret woman" who voluntarily imprisoned herself in a cell as a sign of grief and repentance. This is the Package. From the age of fourteen she led a dissolute life and quickly sank to the very bottom. God took pity on her and gave her a daughter. Paqueta fell madly in love with her Agnes. She dressed up the baby like a doll. She herself sewed tiny pink shoes for her - there were no others like them in the whole world! The girl was charming: huge eyes, curly black hair. And this little cherub was stolen by the gypsies. Only one slipper embroidered with beads and gold thread remained. Everyone decided that the gypsies ate the child at their demonic coven. And the mother, who turned gray in one night, locked herself in a cell and since then has been sending curses to the gypsies.
In the square, tied to a wheel, Quasimodo is scourged. The public is laughing. The unfortunate hunchback is also mocked by the fair-haired, pretty Jean, the brother of Claude Frollo. Alas, he grew up a frivolous rake. The bloodied hunchback is tied to the pillory. Stones and insults are thrown at him. "Pee!" - the freak begs, but in response - only an explosion of laughter.
Suddenly, a gypsy girl appears in the square, accompanied by a little white goat with gilded horns. She goes up to the pillory. Quasimodo is sure that she wants to hit him - to avenge the attempted kidnapping. The hunchback wriggles in the ropes. Esmeralda takes a flask of water from her belt and brings it to the thirsty lips. A tear slowly falls from Quasimodo's eye.
The people are also moved by the spectacle of beauty, charm and fragility, which came in a fit of mercy to help the embodiment of misfortune, ugliness and malice. Everyone shouts: “Glory! Glory!"
And only from the cell are curses heard to the “gypsy offspring”.
Some time later, young girls on the high terrace gossip. Fleur-de-Lys tries to captivate the handsome Phoebus, but he is rather indifferent to her. Noticing a gypsy with a goat, the girls ask Phoebus to call her to have fun. The beauty of a gypsy unpleasantly embarrasses noble girls. They begin to mock Esmeralda. The girl is embarrassed, she caresses her goat.
Letters of the alphabet spill out of the gypsy's purse. The goat, apparently taught in advance, puts together the name FEB from the letters. This is how the secret of a gypsy in love is revealed. Esmeralda is called a witch and driven away. Phoebus leaves after her.
The priest questions Gringoire about his strange wedding. Gringoire often visits the gypsy girl, he loves her like a brother and is very attached to the quick-witted goat. The poet tells the priest that Esmeralda is a perfect child. On her chest is a talisman that will help her find her mother, but only if she remains a virgin.
It is clear that Claude Frollo was inflamed with a sinful passion for the gypsy. Unfortunately, he overheard a conversation between Captain Phoebus and a friend (schoolboy Jean). Phoebus boasts that the gypsy girl promised to come to him and give her love. The priest is angry. He follows the captain and asks him if it is true that he has a meeting with a street dancer.
Phoebus swears that it is. But he has nothing to pay the old woman who provides closets for dates. Claude gives the captain a large coin in exchange for a promise to let him into a nearby closet so that he can be convinced of the debauchery of the gypsy.
And so it happens. Exhausted by jealousy, the archdeacon overhears the chatter of the lovers. The gypsy asks the captain to teach her his faith, because they will get married, right? Phoebus assures her that the wedding will add nothing to their love. Embarrassed, Esmeralda tries to resist, but then exclaims fervently:
- Isn't it really funny? Dancer to marry an officer? I'll be your fun, your toy...
Phoebus pressed his lips to her bare shoulders.
And then the priest burst into the closet and hit the captain twice with a dagger. Then he pressed Esmeralda's lips with a kiss more burning than red-hot iron, and jumped out of the open window overlooking the river. A little later, soldiers of the night watch burst into the closet:
- The witch stabbed the officer with a knife!
Esmeralda is on trial for murder and witchcraft. Together with her, a goat is also tried for witchcraft (trials on animals at that time were not uncommon). At first, the girl denies everything, but under torture she confesses both to the murder and to participation in the witches' sabbats...
Esmeralda is sentenced to hang. A priest comes to her, confesses his love and persuades her to run away with him. When asked about Phoebe, Claude replies that he died. Esmeralda replies that then she has no reason to live either.
But Phoebus did not die. Such people are alive. Having recovered from his wound, he began to look after Fleur-de-Lys and was soon announced as her fiancé. Together with Fleur, they watch as the unfortunate gypsy is being taken on a wagon to the gallows. The gypsy did not immediately, but also noticed the captain and held out her hands to him: “Phoebus! My Phoebus! I'm not guilty!"
And then someone's strong hands grabbed her... It was Quasimodo. As if he carried the girl in his arms like a precious booty and disappeared into the Notre Dame Cathedral with a cry: “Refuge! Shelter! The crowd cheered, the women wept. It was a true lesson in mercy. At that moment, Quasimodo was truly beautiful.
From the top of the great bell tower, he showed his booty to all Paris and again shouted in a thunderous voice:
- Shelter! Shelter! Shelter!
And the crowd responded:
- Glory! Glory!
Claude Frollo did not know about this kidnapping. Therefore, a terrible ghost during his nightly walk around the cathedral seemed to him a figure in white with a faithful goat, clinging to his feet.
Quasimodo wants nothing for himself. He faithfully serves his goddess, fearing to offend her once again with his ugliness. Esmeralda asks Quasimodo to bring Phoebus to her. The hunchback fulfills her order, but the captain beats him, because he does not want to hear more about the girl at all. The ugly strong man could strangle the warrior with his bare hands, but does not do this, because he does not want to raise his hand against the one whom Esmeralda loves. Love for a girl transforms the hunchback's soul: he begins to compose songs, puts two vessels with flowers in Esmeralda's room. Water leaked out of a cracked crystal vessel, and the flowers withered. And the flowers in a simple earthenware vessel remained fresh. Phoebus is a flawed crystal vessel, Quasimodo is a simple clay one. Esmeralda understood this image and wore the withered bouquet on her chest all day. That day Quasimodo did not sing his songs.
Claude Frollo found out that the gypsy was alive, crept up to her and began to beg for love. But the girl summoned Quasimodo, and the unfortunate hunchback stood up for her, experiencing terrible agony, due to the fact that he opposes his tutor.
The priest, obsessed with jealousy now for Quasimodo, decides to end Esmeralda and his love at all costs. He deceives Gringoire, telling him that there is a decree of the king - to take the gypsy and execute him. The poet, who has made friends with beggars and vagabonds, persuades them to start storming the cathedral in order to steal the gypsy. The beggars launch an assault and this allows Claude, unrecognizable in a black hooded cloak, to take Esmeralda with him. But the girl again refuses him.
Then the archdeacon drags the dancer behind him and throws her into the cell to the hermit: “Watch out for the damned gypsy! She's being executed now!"
The recluse tells Esmeralda about her dead daughter: “Gypsies stole her and killed her! Here is her shoe!
And then the girl opens the talisman on her chest - there is exactly the same shoe. Mother and daughter found each other. But it's too late. Late!
The mother, with bestial strength, is trying to protect her daughter from the soldiers who have come to arrest the "sorceress". In vain - Esmeralda was captured. The old woman fell on the pavement - and her soul flew away.
Esmeralda was hanged. Claude de Frollo watched her death from the tower. Quasimodo pushed him down - and the sinful priest crashed.
Phoebus de Chateaupeure also ended tragically: he got married.
Quasimodo died under the gallows, embracing the body of his beloved.
The poet Gringoire saved the white goat Djali - and they serve as a consolation to each other.
