Judge Claude Frollo
Encyclopedia
Archdeacon
Claude Frollo is a fictional character
and the anti-hero
from Victor Hugo
's novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame.
which brings him a little money, most of which goes to fund his brother's alcoholism.
Frollo has a deeply compassionate side. He rescues Quasimodo
, a deformed hunchback
child whom he finds abandoned on the cathedral's foundlings bed. He adopts him, raises him like a son, cares for him, and teaches him a sort of sign language when Quasimodo becomes deaf. Frollo is a respected scholar and studies several languages, law, medicine, science and theology. However, he becomes infatuated with alchemy
, which leads townspeople to spread the rumor that he is a sorcerer. He also believes strongly in fate. When a visitor to Frollo's quarters sees a fly caught in a web and tries to save the fly, Frollo sharply holds him back, saying, "Do not interfere with the workings of fate!" His dour, prematurely aged appearance (at thirty-six he is already nearly bald), as well as his extreme and irrational fear of women, contribute further to his isolation from society.
Frollo also has strong passions, though he is a celibate
due to his station within the church. These passions erupt in him through his contact with the beautiful Gypsy girl Esmeralda
, and eventually they prove his undoing. He considers her to be a temptation sent by the Devil to test his faith, and begins by cursing her as a demoness, but finds he cannot resist her, and determines to give in to temptation. Esmeralda, however, is repulsed by his impassioned advances. Frollo orders Quasimodo to abduct her, a crime that Frollo himself instigated out of mad lust for her, and then abandons him when the hunchback is suddenly captured by Captain Phoebus de Chateaupers and his guards. Frollo ignores the poor hunchback when he is being publicly tortured for the crime. When Frollo discovers that Esmeralda is in love with Phoebus, he spies on the meeting between them which Esmerelda has arranged – with Phoebus' consent, as Phoebus only wants one night of passion. As Phoebus and Esmerelda prepare to have sex, Frollo, in a jealous rage, stabs Phoebus, and kisses Esmeralda when she faints. He does not attempt to intercede when she is turned over to the magistrate on charges of witchcraft and murder, however, but he stabs himself during her torture and shows her the wound as a proof of his love for her. She is unmoved however, as she is still in love with Phoebus, even after discovering the truth about his infatuation with her, and shortly before her execution he comes completely undone and leaves Paris in a feverish madness, not realizing that his adopted son, Quasimodo, has rescued her from the gallows. When he returns to the news that Esmeralda is still alive, he quickly becomes as jealous of Quasimodo as he was of Phoebus; the thought drives him to further insanity. Frollo later attempts to rape her at her sanctuary in the cathedral, only to be brutally beaten and nearly killed by Quasimodo, who doesn't realize who he is until he staggers into the moonlight. Frollo has had enough, and decides to rid himself of Esmerelda by handing her over to the authorities.
Frollo's time comes when a group of scoundrels, enraged by news that the French monarchy has ordered Esmeralda to be taken from the cathedral and hanged within three days, arms themselves to assault Notre Dame Cathedral. While Quasimodo is busy fighting off the scoundrels, Pierre Gringoire, Esmerelda's husband – whom she only married to save his life – and a hooded figure sneak into the Cathedral and convince Esmeralda to sneak out with them. The man's face is hidden behind a hood, leaving Esmeralda to guess his identity. They flee to a boat on the Seine River then separate when they head to shore, with Gringoire leaving Esmeralda with the unknown man. The hooded figure drags Esmeralda to a nearby gallows and identifies himself as Frollo by removing his hood.
Frollo issues his final ultimatum- either she accepts his love, or he hands her over to the authorities. She still refuses to reciprocate. Frollo leaves Esmeralda to a recluse to hold her for the royal soldiers coming to hang her and goes back to Notre Dame Cathedral. He then walks up to one of the cathedral's towers to watch the girl being hanged, unaware that Quasimodo has spotted him and followed him upstairs. He watches calmly while Esmeralda is taken to the gallows; then when the girl is actually hanged he bursts into an evil laugh – perhaps he is glad to have her out of his life, or perhaps he sees it as retribution for her rejection of him.
When Quasimodo sees him laughing at Esmeralda's hanging, he becomes enraged and pushes Frollo off the balustrade. A gargoyle suddenly stops his fall for a while. He cries out Quasimodo for help, but Quasimodo remained silent. Then, Frollo finally falls down the cathedral, until suddenly, the roof of a house breaks his fall. He slides down the roof, hits the pavement of the town square, and dies.
. Frollo was animated by Kathy Zielinski and Dominique Monféry, and was voiced by the late Tony Jay
, whom directors Kirk Wise
and Gary Trousdale
chose for the role based on his brief appearance in their previous film, Beauty and the Beast
. Disney's Frollo, unlike Hugo's, is a justice minister
rather than an archdeacon, and lacks much of the original character's compassion and deep emotion, becoming more of an evil villain than a tragic anti-hero, but is still depicted as the ruler of Paris and effectively above every law in the city outside of the Cathedral, with his very own army of thugs who dress up as soldiers to enforce his will. Regardless, he still has strong passionate feelings for Esmeralda, and, as in the novel, plans to have her executed if she refuses to love him. Frollo is presented as a vindictive, coldly intelligent, arrogant, and genocidal sadist with little to no compassion or understanding for anyone or anything except himself. However, he is also perceived as a tragic figure, tormented by his maddening self-righteousness and narrow views, the opening song
noting that he longs to purge the world of vice sin and sees corruption everywhere except in himself. Frollo is symbolic of religious hypocrisy, which was also an enduring theme in the novel.
An inspiration to Frollo is the villain Jehan Frollo (Claude in all but name), played by Sir Cedric Hardwicke in the 1939 version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame
, which Disney borrows several ideas from. Like Disney's Frollo, Jehan is the Court Judge of Paris and has a deep hatred towards gypsies. He also has a black horse, wears black robes and a black hat, and has a nose, eyes, lips, and sideburns similar to the character in Disney's version. Tony Jay stated that he knew the part of Frollo especially from the 1939 film.
One night, Frollo chases a gypsy woman, believing her to be hiding stolen goods. They arrive to Notre Dame, where he snatches the bundle from the woman and kicks her down the steps, resulting in a fatal head trauma and breaking her neck. Frollo then discovers that the "stolen goods" are actually a hideously deformed baby boy. Believing the boy to be an unholy demon
, Frollo attempts to drown the infant in a well but is stopped by the Archdeacon
, who convinces him that, in order to save his soul from eternal damnation for committing murder on the steps of Notre Dame, Frollo must raise the baby as his own son. Frollo reluctantly agrees, hoping to somehow use the child to further his own purposes. Naming the boy Quasimodo
, Frollo raises him within the towers of Notre Dame, attempting to "protect" him from the outside world and convincing him that he is a monster and will never be accepted by society. He also lies to him about his mother, claiming that she abandoned him when he was a baby (which happened in the novel).
Twenty years later, Frollo appoints a new Captain of the Guard, Phoebus
, since his last one was "a bit of a disappointment" to him. He hopes to clear the gypsies out of Paris with Phoebus' help. While attending the annual Festival of Fools, Frollo discovers a Gypsy dancer named Esmeralda, who attracts Frollo with her beauty. Shortly afterwards, Quasimodo is revealed to have fled the towers and joined the festivities, only to be crowned the "King of Fools" and mocked by the townspeople. Frollo refuses to help in order to teach Quasimodo a lesson, and is enraged when a defiant Esmeralda decides to assist him instead. Esmeralda then ridicules and humiliates Frollo before claiming sanctuary within Notre Dame. That evening, Frollo is disturbed by his attraction to Esmeralda, fearing that this will result in "Hellfire
", and blames his own lust on her. Upon learning Esmeralda has escaped the cathedral, Frollo is enraged and begins a ruthless campaign to find her, burning down the houses of those that would shelter gypsies and interrogating the gypsies that were captured. He later attempts to execute an innocent family whom he suspects of collaborating with gypsies, but an appalled Phoebus intervenes and rescues them; Frollo declares Phoebus a traitor and attempts to execute him, but he is eventually rescued by Esmeralda after being left for dead.
Realizing Quasimodo assisted Esmeralda, Frollo convinces him that the Court of Miracles has been found and will eventually be attacked. A misled Quasimodo accompanies Phoebus to the Court, and Frollo and his army of thugs follow and arrest the gypsies. Frollo sees that Phoebus has survived and intends to "remedy it". He then sentences Esmeralda to execution. She refuses to become Frollo's mistress and is prepared to burn to death, but Quasimodo rescues her after she passes out and brings her to the cathedral.
Frollo gains entrance to the interior of the cathedral, directly defying the Archdeacon and flinging him down a flight of stairs. He then attempts to kill Quasimodo, resulting in a violent struggle in which Quasimodo throws Frollo to the floor and rejects all that Frollo had taught him. Quasimodo almost kills Frollo, but Esmeralda awakens, and Quasimodo rushes her to safety. Frollo chases them onto a balcony overlooking the city, and he and Quasimodo fight.
In his rage, Frollo reveals that he killed Quasimodo's mother and will now kill Quasimodo himself as he "should have done" twenty years ago. Frollo subsequently uses his cape to knock Quasimodo off of the balcony, but Quasimodo manages to hold on and ends up pulling Frollo along with him (but is unwilling to let him fall). Frollo dangles momentarily for his life, but he is soon able to climb on a gargoyle in perfect position to kill Esmeralda, who is attempting to save Quasimodo. However, as he raises his sword, the gargoyle that he is standing on starts to break and he falls, clinging on for dear life and dropping his sword. In his last moment, his sees the face of the gargoyle come alive and demonically roar, terrifying Frollo as the gargoyle breaks off completely from the balcony and sends him falling to his death into a vast lake of molten lead created by Quasimodo, clearly meant to symbolize the satanic fires of hell
and ending his tyranny once and for all.
In The Hunchback of Notre Dame II
, Frollo and his attitude towards gypsies are alluded to when Sarousch reminds Madellaine that when he caught her stealing food from him when she was little, he took her in instead of handing her to the authorities. This implies that Sarousch was aware of Frollo's prejudice towards gypsies.
Archdeacon
An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in Anglicanism, Syrian Malabar Nasrani, Chaldean Catholic, and some other Christian denominations, above that of most clergy and below a bishop. In the High Middle Ages it was the most senior diocesan position below a bishop in the Roman Catholic Church...
Claude Frollo is a fictional character
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
and the anti-hero
Anti-hero
In fiction, an antihero is generally considered to be a protagonist whose character is at least in some regards conspicuously contrary to that of the archetypal hero, and is in some instances its antithesis in which the character is generally useless at being a hero or heroine when they're...
from Victor Hugo
Victor Hugo
Victor-Marie Hugo was a Frenchpoet, playwright, novelist, essayist, visual artist, statesman, human rights activist and exponent of the Romantic movement in France....
's novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame.
In the novel
In his youth, Claude Frollo was a highly knowledgeable but morose young man who was orphaned along with his infant brother Jehan when their parents died of the plague. His studies led him to become the Archdeacon of Josas, which is his position during the events of the novel. He also has a small fiefFiefdom
A fee was the central element of feudalism and consisted of heritable lands granted under one of several varieties of feudal tenure by an overlord to a vassal who held it in fealty in return for a form of feudal allegiance and service, usually given by the...
which brings him a little money, most of which goes to fund his brother's alcoholism.
Frollo has a deeply compassionate side. He rescues Quasimodo
Quasimodo
Quasimodo is a fictional character in the novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo. Quasimodo was born with a hunchback and feared by the townspeople as a sort of monster but he finds sanctuary in an unlikely love that is fulfilled only in death. The role of Quasimodo has been played by...
, a deformed hunchback
Hunchback
Hunchback may refer to one of the following.*A derogatory term for a person who has severe kyphosis*The Hunchback of Notre Dame*Hunchback , an arcade and computer game from the 1980s*The Hunchback, a 1914 film featuring Lillian Gish...
child whom he finds abandoned on the cathedral's foundlings bed. He adopts him, raises him like a son, cares for him, and teaches him a sort of sign language when Quasimodo becomes deaf. Frollo is a respected scholar and studies several languages, law, medicine, science and theology. However, he becomes infatuated with alchemy
Alchemy
Alchemy is an influential philosophical tradition whose early practitioners’ claims to profound powers were known from antiquity. The defining objectives of alchemy are varied; these include the creation of the fabled philosopher's stone possessing powers including the capability of turning base...
, which leads townspeople to spread the rumor that he is a sorcerer. He also believes strongly in fate. When a visitor to Frollo's quarters sees a fly caught in a web and tries to save the fly, Frollo sharply holds him back, saying, "Do not interfere with the workings of fate!" His dour, prematurely aged appearance (at thirty-six he is already nearly bald), as well as his extreme and irrational fear of women, contribute further to his isolation from society.
Frollo also has strong passions, though he is a celibate
Celibacy
Celibacy is a personal commitment to avoiding sexual relations, in particular a vow from marriage. Typically celibacy involves avoiding all romantic relationships of any kind. An individual may choose celibacy for religious reasons, such as is the case for priests in some religions, for reasons of...
due to his station within the church. These passions erupt in him through his contact with the beautiful Gypsy girl Esmeralda
Esmeralda (The Hunchback of Notre Dame)
Esmeralda, or La Esmeralda , born Agnes, is a fictional character in Victor Hugo's 1831 novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame . She is a French Gypsy girl...
, and eventually they prove his undoing. He considers her to be a temptation sent by the Devil to test his faith, and begins by cursing her as a demoness, but finds he cannot resist her, and determines to give in to temptation. Esmeralda, however, is repulsed by his impassioned advances. Frollo orders Quasimodo to abduct her, a crime that Frollo himself instigated out of mad lust for her, and then abandons him when the hunchback is suddenly captured by Captain Phoebus de Chateaupers and his guards. Frollo ignores the poor hunchback when he is being publicly tortured for the crime. When Frollo discovers that Esmeralda is in love with Phoebus, he spies on the meeting between them which Esmerelda has arranged – with Phoebus' consent, as Phoebus only wants one night of passion. As Phoebus and Esmerelda prepare to have sex, Frollo, in a jealous rage, stabs Phoebus, and kisses Esmeralda when she faints. He does not attempt to intercede when she is turned over to the magistrate on charges of witchcraft and murder, however, but he stabs himself during her torture and shows her the wound as a proof of his love for her. She is unmoved however, as she is still in love with Phoebus, even after discovering the truth about his infatuation with her, and shortly before her execution he comes completely undone and leaves Paris in a feverish madness, not realizing that his adopted son, Quasimodo, has rescued her from the gallows. When he returns to the news that Esmeralda is still alive, he quickly becomes as jealous of Quasimodo as he was of Phoebus; the thought drives him to further insanity. Frollo later attempts to rape her at her sanctuary in the cathedral, only to be brutally beaten and nearly killed by Quasimodo, who doesn't realize who he is until he staggers into the moonlight. Frollo has had enough, and decides to rid himself of Esmerelda by handing her over to the authorities.
Frollo's time comes when a group of scoundrels, enraged by news that the French monarchy has ordered Esmeralda to be taken from the cathedral and hanged within three days, arms themselves to assault Notre Dame Cathedral. While Quasimodo is busy fighting off the scoundrels, Pierre Gringoire, Esmerelda's husband – whom she only married to save his life – and a hooded figure sneak into the Cathedral and convince Esmeralda to sneak out with them. The man's face is hidden behind a hood, leaving Esmeralda to guess his identity. They flee to a boat on the Seine River then separate when they head to shore, with Gringoire leaving Esmeralda with the unknown man. The hooded figure drags Esmeralda to a nearby gallows and identifies himself as Frollo by removing his hood.
Frollo issues his final ultimatum- either she accepts his love, or he hands her over to the authorities. She still refuses to reciprocate. Frollo leaves Esmeralda to a recluse to hold her for the royal soldiers coming to hang her and goes back to Notre Dame Cathedral. He then walks up to one of the cathedral's towers to watch the girl being hanged, unaware that Quasimodo has spotted him and followed him upstairs. He watches calmly while Esmeralda is taken to the gallows; then when the girl is actually hanged he bursts into an evil laugh – perhaps he is glad to have her out of his life, or perhaps he sees it as retribution for her rejection of him.
When Quasimodo sees him laughing at Esmeralda's hanging, he becomes enraged and pushes Frollo off the balustrade. A gargoyle suddenly stops his fall for a while. He cries out Quasimodo for help, but Quasimodo remained silent. Then, Frollo finally falls down the cathedral, until suddenly, the roof of a house breaks his fall. He slides down the roof, hits the pavement of the town square, and dies.
Adaptations
The novel has been adapted to film on numerous occasions. The most interesting change perhaps comes from the 1923 silent film version, in which Frollo isn't the villain at all; instead, he is a good archdeacon, and the villain of the novel is actually his younger brother Jehan. The 1939 adaptation also had its own obvious changes, with Frollo as a Judge rather than an Archdeacon and having the given name of his brother (Jehan) rather than Claude. This version of the story is said to be what most influenced the 1996 Disney adaptation, which had the same conditions aside from the name change. Many conclude that such changes were made to avoid a negative reaction from religious organizations. Typically, the adaptations omit Frollo's capacity for compassion, adding a selfish interpretation to his adoption of Quasimodo that is not present in Hugo's novel.| Actor | Version | Character |
|---|---|---|
| Victor Hugo's novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame The Hunchback of Notre-Dame is a novel by Victor Hugo published in 1831. The French title refers to the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, on which the story is centered.-Background:... |
Archdeacon Claude Frollo | |
| Walter Law Walter Law Walter Law , was an American actor. He appeared in 47 films between 1915 and 1936.He was born in Dayton, Ohio, USA and died in Hollywood, California.-Selected filmography:* The Forbidden Path * Camille... |
1917 adaptation The Darling of Paris The Darling of Paris is a 1917 silent film directed by J. Gordon Edwards and starring Theda Bara and Glen White. This is a very loose film adaptation of the novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo... |
Archdeacon Claude Frollo |
| Annesley Healy | 1922 adaptation Esmeralda (1922 film) Esmeralda is a 1922 silent film and an adaptation of a novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo. It was directed by Edwin J. Collins and starred Sybil Thorndike and Booth Conway.-Cast:* Sybil Thorndike as Esmeralda* Booth Conway as Quasimodo... |
Archdeacon Claude Frollo |
| Brandon Hurst Brandon Hurst Brandon Hurst was an English stage and film actor. He studied linguistics in his youth and began playing in theatre in 1880s. He was nearly fifty years old when he acted in his first film Via Wireless as Edward Pnickney in year 1915 and continued acting in the 129 other films until his death 1947... |
1923 adaptation The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923 film) The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a 1923 American film directed by Wallace Worsley and produced by Carl Laemmle and Irving Thalberg. It stars Lon Chaney, Sr., Patsy Ruth Miller, Norman Kerry, Nigel de Brulier, Brandon Hurst. The film is the second most famous adaptation of Victor Hugo's novel,... |
Jehan Frollo |
| Sir Cedric Hardwicke | 1939 adaptation The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939 film) The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a 1939 American monochrome film starring Charles Laughton as Quasimodo and Maureen O'Hara as Esmeralda. It was directed by William Dieterle and produced by Pandro S. Berman... |
Judge Jehan Frollo |
| Alain Cuny Alain Cuny Alain Cuny was a French actor.He was born René Xavier Marie in Saint-Malo, Brittany, and studied medicine for a while before entering the film industry as a costume and set designer. Cuny started acting in the 1930s... |
1956 adaptation The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1956 film) The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a 1956 French film version of Victor Hugo's novel of the same name, directed by Jean Delannoy and produced by Raymond Hakim and Robert Hakim. The film is the first version of the novel to be made in color.It stars Mexican actor Anthony Quinn as Quasimodo and Gina... |
Archdeacon Claude Frollo |
| James Maxwell James Maxwell (actor) James Maxwell was an American actor, theatre director and writer, particularly associated with the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester.-Early life:... (voice) |
1966 adaptation The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1966) The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a 1966 television series and an adaptation of the novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo.-Cast:* Peter Woodthorpe as Quasimodo* Gay Hamilton as Esmeralda* James Maxwell as Claude Frollo... |
Archdeacon Claude Frollo |
| Kenneth Haigh Kenneth Haigh Kenneth Haigh is a British actor. He played the central role of Jimmy Porter in the very first production of John Osborne's seminal play Look Back in Anger in 1956. His performance in a 1958 Broadway theatre production of that play so moved one young woman in the audience that she mounted the... |
1977 adaptation The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1977) The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a 1977 television series and an adaptation of the novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo.-Cast:* Kenneth Haigh as Claude Frollo* Warren Clarke as Quasimodo* Michelle Newell as Esmeralda... |
Archdeacon Claude Frollo |
| Derek Jacobi Derek Jacobi Sir Derek George Jacobi, CBE is an English actor and film director.A "forceful, commanding stage presence", Jacobi has enjoyed a highly successful stage career, appearing in such stage productions as Hamlet, Uncle Vanya, and Oedipus the King. He received a Tony Award for his performance in... |
1982 adaptation The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1982 film) The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a 1982 British-American TV movie, based on the Victor Hugo novel. It was directed by Michael Tuchner and Alan Hume, and produced by Norman Rosemont and Malcolm J. Christopher. It starred Anthony Hopkins, Derek Jacobi, Lesley-Anne Down and Sir John Gielgud... |
Archdeacon Claude Frollo |
| Ron Haddrick Ron Haddrick Ronald Norman Haddrick MBE is an Australian theatre, film and voice actor.-Early life:Haddrick was born in Adelaide, Australia, the only son of Olive May and Alexander Norman Haddrick.-Cricket:... (voice) |
1986 adaptation The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1986 film) The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a 1986 animated film and an adaptation of the novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo.-Cast:* Tom Burlinson as Quasimodo * Angela Punch McGregor as Esmeralda * Ron Haddrick as Frollo... |
Frollo |
| Tony Jay Tony Jay Tony Jay was an English actor, voice actor and singer. A former member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, he was known for his voice work in animation, film and computer games. Jay's distinctive baritone voice often landed him villainous roles... (voice) |
1996 Disney adaptation The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996 film) The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a 1996 American animated drama film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released to theaters on June 21, 1996 by Walt Disney Pictures. The thirty-fourth animated feature in the Disney animated features canon, the film is inspired by Victor Hugo's novel of... |
Judge Claude Frollo |
| Richard Harris Richard Harris Richard St John Harris was an Irish actor, singer-songwriter, theatrical producer, film director and writer.... |
1997 adaptation The Hunchback (1997 film) The Hunchback is a 1997 film based on Victor Hugo's novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame, directed by Peter Medak and produced by Stephane Reichel. It stars Salma Hayek as Esmeralda and Mandy Patinkin as Quasimodo, the hunchback of Notre Dame. The film was released a year after Disney's animated... |
Dom Frollo |
| Daniel Lavoie Daniel Lavoie Daniel Lavoie is a Canadian singer–songwriter.Lavoie was born in Dunrea, Manitoba, Canada. His mother was a musician and he learned to play piano at a young age... |
1997-2002, musical Notre Dame de Paris (musical) Notre-Dame de Paris is a sung-through French-Canadian musical which debuted on 16 September 1998 in Paris. It is based upon the novel Notre-Dame de Paris by the French novelist Victor Hugo... |
Frollo |
| Richard Berry Richard Berry (actor) Richard Berry is a French actor, film director and screenwriter. He has appeared in nearly 100 films since 1972. He starred in The Violin Player, which was entered into the 1994 Cannes Film Festival.-Selected filmography:... |
1999 parody Quasimodo d'El Paris Quasimodo d'El Paris is a 1999 French film that is a comedic adaptation of the novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo.-Plot:... |
Serge Frollo |
In the Disney film
An adaptation of the character, Judge Claude Frollo, served as the primary antagonist in Disney's 1996 musical animated version of the novel, The Hunchback of Notre DameThe Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996 film)
The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a 1996 American animated drama film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released to theaters on June 21, 1996 by Walt Disney Pictures. The thirty-fourth animated feature in the Disney animated features canon, the film is inspired by Victor Hugo's novel of...
. Frollo was animated by Kathy Zielinski and Dominique Monféry, and was voiced by the late Tony Jay
Tony Jay
Tony Jay was an English actor, voice actor and singer. A former member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, he was known for his voice work in animation, film and computer games. Jay's distinctive baritone voice often landed him villainous roles...
, whom directors Kirk Wise
Kirk Wise
Kirk Wise is an American film director, animator and screenwriter best known for his work at Disney. Wise has directed such Disney movies as Atlantis: The Lost Empire, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Beauty and the Beast...
and Gary Trousdale
Gary Trousdale
Gary A. Trousdale is an American film director known for directing movies such as Beauty and the Beast, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Atlantis: The Lost Empire. He frequently directs films with Kirk Wise....
chose for the role based on his brief appearance in their previous film, Beauty and the Beast
Beauty and the Beast (1991 film)
Beauty and the Beast is a 1991 American animated fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. The thirtieth film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series and the third film of the Disney Renaissance period...
. Disney's Frollo, unlike Hugo's, is a justice minister
Justice Minister
A justice ministry is a ministry or other government agency charged with justice. The ministry is often headed by a minister for justice or secretary of justice or secretary for justice; sometimes the head of a department of justice is entitled attorney general.Specific duties may relate to...
rather than an archdeacon, and lacks much of the original character's compassion and deep emotion, becoming more of an evil villain than a tragic anti-hero, but is still depicted as the ruler of Paris and effectively above every law in the city outside of the Cathedral, with his very own army of thugs who dress up as soldiers to enforce his will. Regardless, he still has strong passionate feelings for Esmeralda, and, as in the novel, plans to have her executed if she refuses to love him. Frollo is presented as a vindictive, coldly intelligent, arrogant, and genocidal sadist with little to no compassion or understanding for anyone or anything except himself. However, he is also perceived as a tragic figure, tormented by his maddening self-righteousness and narrow views, the opening song
The Bells of Notre Dame
"The Bells of Notre Dame" is a song from the 1996 Disney film, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, composed by Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz. It is sung at the beginning of the film by the clown-like gypsy, Clopin. It is set mainly in the key of D minor...
noting that he longs to purge the world of vice sin and sees corruption everywhere except in himself. Frollo is symbolic of religious hypocrisy, which was also an enduring theme in the novel.
An inspiration to Frollo is the villain Jehan Frollo (Claude in all but name), played by Sir Cedric Hardwicke in the 1939 version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939 film)
The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a 1939 American monochrome film starring Charles Laughton as Quasimodo and Maureen O'Hara as Esmeralda. It was directed by William Dieterle and produced by Pandro S. Berman...
, which Disney borrows several ideas from. Like Disney's Frollo, Jehan is the Court Judge of Paris and has a deep hatred towards gypsies. He also has a black horse, wears black robes and a black hat, and has a nose, eyes, lips, and sideburns similar to the character in Disney's version. Tony Jay stated that he knew the part of Frollo especially from the 1939 film.
One night, Frollo chases a gypsy woman, believing her to be hiding stolen goods. They arrive to Notre Dame, where he snatches the bundle from the woman and kicks her down the steps, resulting in a fatal head trauma and breaking her neck. Frollo then discovers that the "stolen goods" are actually a hideously deformed baby boy. Believing the boy to be an unholy demon
Demon
call - 1347 531 7769 for more infoIn Ancient Near Eastern religions as well as in the Abrahamic traditions, including ancient and medieval Christian demonology, a demon is considered an "unclean spirit" which may cause demonic possession, to be addressed with an act of exorcism...
, Frollo attempts to drown the infant in a well but is stopped by the Archdeacon
Archdeacon
An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in Anglicanism, Syrian Malabar Nasrani, Chaldean Catholic, and some other Christian denominations, above that of most clergy and below a bishop. In the High Middle Ages it was the most senior diocesan position below a bishop in the Roman Catholic Church...
, who convinces him that, in order to save his soul from eternal damnation for committing murder on the steps of Notre Dame, Frollo must raise the baby as his own son. Frollo reluctantly agrees, hoping to somehow use the child to further his own purposes. Naming the boy Quasimodo
Quasimodo
Quasimodo is a fictional character in the novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo. Quasimodo was born with a hunchback and feared by the townspeople as a sort of monster but he finds sanctuary in an unlikely love that is fulfilled only in death. The role of Quasimodo has been played by...
, Frollo raises him within the towers of Notre Dame, attempting to "protect" him from the outside world and convincing him that he is a monster and will never be accepted by society. He also lies to him about his mother, claiming that she abandoned him when he was a baby (which happened in the novel).
Twenty years later, Frollo appoints a new Captain of the Guard, Phoebus
Captain Phoebus
Captain Phoebus de Chateaupers is a fictional character and one of the main antagonists in Victor Hugo's 1831 novel, The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. He is the Captain of the King's Archers. His name comes from Phoebus, the Greek god of the sun , with whom he shares handsome looks and skill at...
, since his last one was "a bit of a disappointment" to him. He hopes to clear the gypsies out of Paris with Phoebus' help. While attending the annual Festival of Fools, Frollo discovers a Gypsy dancer named Esmeralda, who attracts Frollo with her beauty. Shortly afterwards, Quasimodo is revealed to have fled the towers and joined the festivities, only to be crowned the "King of Fools" and mocked by the townspeople. Frollo refuses to help in order to teach Quasimodo a lesson, and is enraged when a defiant Esmeralda decides to assist him instead. Esmeralda then ridicules and humiliates Frollo before claiming sanctuary within Notre Dame. That evening, Frollo is disturbed by his attraction to Esmeralda, fearing that this will result in "Hellfire
Hellfire (song)
"Hellfire" is a song from Disney's 1996 animated feature The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The song is sung by the film's antagonist, Judge Claude Frollo, who is voiced by the late Tony Jay. It begins in Bb major, before turning to its relative minor G...
", and blames his own lust on her. Upon learning Esmeralda has escaped the cathedral, Frollo is enraged and begins a ruthless campaign to find her, burning down the houses of those that would shelter gypsies and interrogating the gypsies that were captured. He later attempts to execute an innocent family whom he suspects of collaborating with gypsies, but an appalled Phoebus intervenes and rescues them; Frollo declares Phoebus a traitor and attempts to execute him, but he is eventually rescued by Esmeralda after being left for dead.
Realizing Quasimodo assisted Esmeralda, Frollo convinces him that the Court of Miracles has been found and will eventually be attacked. A misled Quasimodo accompanies Phoebus to the Court, and Frollo and his army of thugs follow and arrest the gypsies. Frollo sees that Phoebus has survived and intends to "remedy it". He then sentences Esmeralda to execution. She refuses to become Frollo's mistress and is prepared to burn to death, but Quasimodo rescues her after she passes out and brings her to the cathedral.
Frollo gains entrance to the interior of the cathedral, directly defying the Archdeacon and flinging him down a flight of stairs. He then attempts to kill Quasimodo, resulting in a violent struggle in which Quasimodo throws Frollo to the floor and rejects all that Frollo had taught him. Quasimodo almost kills Frollo, but Esmeralda awakens, and Quasimodo rushes her to safety. Frollo chases them onto a balcony overlooking the city, and he and Quasimodo fight.
In his rage, Frollo reveals that he killed Quasimodo's mother and will now kill Quasimodo himself as he "should have done" twenty years ago. Frollo subsequently uses his cape to knock Quasimodo off of the balcony, but Quasimodo manages to hold on and ends up pulling Frollo along with him (but is unwilling to let him fall). Frollo dangles momentarily for his life, but he is soon able to climb on a gargoyle in perfect position to kill Esmeralda, who is attempting to save Quasimodo. However, as he raises his sword, the gargoyle that he is standing on starts to break and he falls, clinging on for dear life and dropping his sword. In his last moment, his sees the face of the gargoyle come alive and demonically roar, terrifying Frollo as the gargoyle breaks off completely from the balcony and sends him falling to his death into a vast lake of molten lead created by Quasimodo, clearly meant to symbolize the satanic fires of hell
Hell
In many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
and ending his tyranny once and for all.
In The Hunchback of Notre Dame II
The Hunchback of Notre Dame II
The Hunchback of Notre Dame II is a 2002 direct-to-video sequel to the 1996 Disney animated film The Hunchback of Notre Dame. It was produced by Walt Disney Animation Japan...
, Frollo and his attitude towards gypsies are alluded to when Sarousch reminds Madellaine that when he caught her stealing food from him when she was little, he took her in instead of handing her to the authorities. This implies that Sarousch was aware of Frollo's prejudice towards gypsies.
Other appearances
- Frollo appears in the Disney's Hollywood StudiosDisney's Hollywood StudiosDisney's Hollywood Studios is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort. Spanning 135 acres in size, its theme is show business, drawing inspiration from the heyday of Hollywood in the 1930s and 1940s...
night-time show Fantasmic!Fantasmic!Fantasmic! is a Disney nighttime show at Disneyland in the Disneyland Resort, Disney's Hollywood Studios in Walt Disney World and Tokyo DisneySea in Tokyo Disney Resort. The show features fireworks, live actors, water effects, fire, music, several boats, decorated rafts and projections onto large...
as one of the main villains called on by the Evil Queen to fight Mickey MouseMickey MouseMickey Mouse is a cartoon character created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks at The Walt Disney Studio. Mickey is an anthropomorphic black mouse and typically wears red shorts, large yellow shoes, and white gloves...
. He is destroyed along with the other villains in the show's conclusion. Frollo made appearances at Disney's Hollywood Studios in the daily Disney Stars and Motor Cars Parade. In 2009, the parade moved to the Walt Disney StudiosWalt Disney Studios ParkWalt Disney Studios Park is the second theme park to open at Disneyland Paris, owned and operated by Euro Disney S.C.A.. It is located to the west of the hub, next door to Disneyland Park at the heart of the resort in Marne-la-Vallée....
park at Disneyland Resort ParisDisneyland Resort ParisDisneyland Paris is a holiday and recreation resort in Marne-la-Vallée, a new town in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. The complex is located from the centre of Paris and lies for the most part within the commune of Chessy, Seine-et-Marne....
and it is uncertain if Frollo will appear in this version, renamed Stars'n'Cars. Frollo makes a brief cameo appearance during the night-time show Disney's World of Color at Disney California Adventure. "Hellfire", the song that Frollo sings in the feature film, is also heard in the show. Frollo also appears at the Walt Disney Parks and ResortsWalt Disney Parks and ResortsWalt Disney Parks and Resorts is the segment of The Walt Disney Company that conceives, builds, and manages the company's theme parks and holiday resorts, as well as a variety of additional family-oriented leisure enterprises...
as a meetable character. - Frollo makes a brief appearance at the beginning of the House of Mouse special House of VillainsMickey's House of VillainsMickey's House of Villains is a direct-to-video film produced by The Walt Disney Company. It is a film adaptation of the Disney Channel animated television series Disney's House of Mouse, starring Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Daisy Duck and Disney Villains that have appeared in...
. At one time, he was sitting with the Mad HatterMad HatterHatta, the Hatter is a fictional character in Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and the story's sequel, Through the Looking-Glass. He is often referred to as the Mad Hatter, though this term was never used by Carroll...
who was annoying him and making fun of his bulbous hat, but he had no dialogue. He also appeared sitting near the two outraged guests, but still no dialogue. - Frollo is also slated to appear in the upcoming Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance, along with a world based on the Disney movie called La Cité des Cloches. He will be voiced by Jim CummingsJim CummingsJames Jonah "Jim" Cummings is an American voice actor who has appeared in almost 100 roles. He has appeared in classic animated movies such as Aladdin and The Lion King, as well as taking on roles in more current films, such as Bee Movie, Princess and the Frog, and Winnie the Pooh.-Personal...
. - Frollo leads a team of Disney villains in The Kingdom Keepers IV: Power Play in order to free their leaders, Maleficent and Chernabog.
External links
- Many faces of Frollo
- Fansite
- Frollo in the Disney Archives-Villains.