The synopsis of Judge Claude Frollo from the Disney film The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
Prologue[]
| “ | Judge Claude Frollo longed to purge the world of vice and sin. And he saw corruption everywhere, except within. | „ |
| ~ Clopin Trouillefou (the narrator) on Judge Claude Frollo. |
Frollo’s backstory regarding his early life and personal past is completely shrouded in mystery with little to nothing to even hint what his childhood was like to explain how he became the way he did, though he resides in Paris, France, where he initially serves as a court judge. Throughout his life (very likely through his position as judge) he became a deeply religious, pious, law-abiding but xenophobic man who devoted his life to a religious and genocidal crusade against the Romani population (or gypsies as he addresses them), abusing his position to inflict great suffering upon the race and believing them to "live outside the natural order" and engage in "heathen" behavior, as well as "inflame the people's lowest instincts". For this reason, many Romani citizens (if not all of them) held a great fear of the tyrannical judge who always segregated them whenever crime took place (regardless of whether they're guilty or not).
Frollo uncovering Quasimodo.
One winter's night, three Romani travelers (with the help from a sailor) attempt to enter Paris in secret, only to be stopped by Frollo and his soldiers. When one of the travelers (a woman carrying a bundle) attempts to flee, Frollo, thinking her to be hiding stolen goods, chases her through the streets of Paris while ordering his soldiers to have the other two travelers and the sailor arrested (and possibly executed) at the Palace of Justice. The woman arrives at the Notre Dame cathedral, where she tries to gain sanctuary, but Frollo catches up to her. As he wrestles the bundle from her, he kicks her in the abdomen, causing her to fall head-first on the front steps of the church and die instantly.
"Even this foul creature may prove one day to be… of use to me."
| “ | You can lie to yourself and your minions. You can claim that you haven't a qualm. But you never can run from nor hide what you've done from the eyes... The very eyes of Notre Dame. | „ |
| ~ The Archdeacon highlighting the fallacies of Frollo's self-righteousness. |
Frollo eventually finds out the bundle actually carries the woman's hideously deformed baby son, whom he attempts to throw down a well, believing him to be an "unholy demon" due to his deformities and that doing so would "send it back to Hell where it belongs". However, he is stopped by the Archdeacon of Notre Dame, who furiously berates him for murdering an innocent woman on consecrated ground. Though Frollo defends his actions regarding the death of the woman and his attempt to drown the child, the Archdeacon tells him that even though he could hide his crimes from the public and lie to himself about his justifications, he could never hide his crimes from the eyes of the Virgin Mary (Notre Dame being French for "Our Lady.") As the Archdeacon goes to give the dead woman a proper burial, he tells Frollo to adopt the baby and raise him as his own son in order to atone for his actions.
Fearing damnation, Frollo begrudgingly accepts and names the baby Quasimodo (which means "half-formed"). Frollo keeps Quasimodo out of the people's attention in the cathedral towers, as he believes that the child may have some future use for him as he intends to make his goals a reality. As Quasimodo grows up, Frollo regularly visited him and put his corrupted beliefs in the latter's mind as well persuading him to never venture outside to avoid the hatred of the world, which he describes as cruel and unforgiving for deformed people. It is also shown that he lied to Quasimodo about the fate of his mother, telling him she never loved him and abandoned him which caused him to take him in. The abuse continued for 20 years with Frollo going out of his way to shame him for being deformed. In spite of this, Quasimodo desires to venture outside the cathedral one day, hoping that people will accept him as one of their own in spite of his deformities.
20 Years Later[]
| “ | Good morning, Quasimodo. | „ |
| ~ Frollo greeting Quasimodo. |
Frollo reminds Quasimodo to stay at the bell tower always.
Twenty years later, Quasimodo has become the bell ringer of the cathedral, and Frollo has risen to become Minister of Justice and has almost complete control over Paris' affairs while King Louis XI is away at war. When doing his usual lesson with Quasimodo, Frollo is stunned to learn that Quasimodo is interested in attending the annual Festival of Fools. He refuses to let Quasimodo attend, as it goes against his edict that Quasimodo never leaves the bell tower under any circumstances. He also admits that even though he is required to attend the festival due to his status as a public official, he doesn't enjoy it at all and in fact utterly loathes the concept of the Festival of Fools, describing it as "the dregs of humankind all mixed together in a shallow, drunken stupor." He convinces Quasimodo to forsake his desire to attend the festival to avoid the harrowing judgments that the rest of Paris supposedly has for people who are deformed.
Frollo discussing his plans about what to do with the gypsies.
At the Palace of Justice, Frollo had his previous Captain of the Guards tortured by Pierrat Torturue, believing him to be a 'disappointment'. He then recruits a renowned soldier and war hero Phoebus to serve as his new Captain of the Guards and join him in his campaign against the Romani populace. Frollo also stated that the Romani people have a hideout known as the Court of Miracles, which he has been searching for 20 years to no avail. Though Phoebus is skeptical about the Romani as an actual threat and appalled by the way Frollo punishes his men for failure, he agrees to help Frollo.
While attending the festival, Frollo discovers a Romani dancer named Esmeralda, who both attracts and disgusts him with her beauty. Shortly afterward, Quasimodo is revealed to have changed his mind about attending the festival and has secretly joined the festivities, but his cover is ultimately blown when he is nominated to become King of Fools (an award given to the person with the "ugliest face in Paris") and the others figure out that he is the hidden bell-ringer. Frollo is clearly infuriated that Quasimodo has disobeyed him, and is even more so when he is ultimately crowned King of Fools.
In the midst of the cheers for Quasimodo, one of Frollo's soldiers, the Oafish Lieutenant, throws a tomato at Quasimodo, causing several more soldiers to incite the rest of the crowd to start throwing food at him as well. Several others tie him down, and the crowd continues throwing food at him, cruelly laughing at him and mocking him. Quasimodo begs Frollo for help, but a displeased Frollo allows the torment to continue to punish him for his disobedience; even refusing to allow Phoebus to put a stop to the torment.
Esmeralda then comes to Quasimodo's aid by cutting him loose, despite Frollo forbidding her. She berates the judge for tormenting the innocents he is supposed to protect. Frollo is unable to silence her and vows that she will pay for defying him. Esmeralda defies him once again when she proclaims that Frollo is the real King of Fools and throws Quasimodo's crown at his feet.
Enraged by this, Frollo orders Esmeralda to be arrested, but she is able to evade his guards at the Festival with magic tricks, which Frollo describes as "witchcraft". Frollo is left humiliated by his and his guards' inability to capture her. He then glares angrily at Quasimodo, who apologizes for disobeying him and vowing not to do so again, before returning to the Notre Dame cathedral.
Esmeralda is only able to escape Frollo's wrath by sneaking into Notre Dame, where she is beyond Frollo's reach due to the divine right of sanctuary. However, Phoebus is able to follow her in, but she stands up to him and fights him to a draw, earning his respect. Frollo barges into the cathedral and demands that Phoebus take her into custody, but Phoebus claims sanctuary for Esmeralda on her behalf. Frollo demands that Esmeralda be "dragged outside", but the Archdeacon arrives to defend her and reminds Frollo to respect the sanctity of the church. An angered Frollo then orders his guards to leave, but he himself hides behind a pillar.
Hunting Esmeralda[]
| “ | You've chosen a magnificent prison, but it is a prison nonetheless. Set one foot outside, and you're mine! | „ |
| ~ Frollo warning Esmeralda that he will hunt her down and make her his property if she leaves the cathedral. |
Frollo holds and taunts Esmeralda.
While the Archdeacon peacefully escorts Phoebus out of the cathedral, Frollo comes up behind Esmeralda and grabs her, threatening her by saying that 'gypsies' don't do well inside stone walls. He then proceeds to sniff her hair inappropriately and gropes her neck. Esmeralda is utterly disgusted and shoves Frollo away. He then accuses Esmeralda of "clouding his mind with unholy thoughts." As he leaves the cathedral, Frollo taunts Esmeralda saying he will have her arrested the second she steps outside of the church. He then posts guards at every entrance, effectively trapping Esmeralda inside the church.
Frollo Continues his Plans[]
| “ | I feel her, I see her, the sun caught in her raven hair, is blazing in me out of all control… like fire! Hellfire! This fire in my skin. This burning desire is turning me to sin! | „ |
| ~ Frollo confessing his lust for Esmeralda, during Hellfire. |
Frollo singing his song Hellfire.
That night at the Palace of Justice, Frollo is disturbed by his attraction and lust for Esmeralda. Despite this, he is against God, shifting the blame of his crimes on others (including God and the Devil) and coming to the conclusion that Esmeralda must have put a spell on him to damn his soul, and that his desires for her were not his fault at all. He resolves to either have Esmeralda for himself or kill her if she refuses (which he expresses in the song "Hellfire"). Unbeknownst to Frollo, Quasimodo has helped Esmeralda escape the cathedral in gratitude for her rescue of him during the Festival of Fools, as well as feelings of love towards her.
Frollo burns the mill.
Upon learning from the Brutish Guard that Esmeralda has escaped, Frollo furiously declares that he will hunt her down even if he has to burn down all of Paris. The next day, he leads his men in a ruthless manhunt for Esmeralda, raiding portions of the city and capturing more Romani citizens. Frollo offers bribes of silver to the captured Romani in exchange for the location of Esmeralda, but they refuse out of complete disgust, and Frollo has them imprisoned, to Phoebus' disgust.
Frollo later arrives at the home of a miller and his family and accuses them of harboring Romani travelers in his home when he discovers a gypsy talisman on the miller's property. The miller protests for his family's innocence in the whole affair and begs mercy from Frollo, who refuses to listen and places the miller and his family under house arrest. He then orders Phoebus to burn down the mill with the family still inside, simply to make examples of the "traitors". Appalled that Frollo wanted to murder an entire family of innocent people, Phoebus furiously defies the order, inciting an annoyed Frollo to set the mill ablaze himself. Horrified, Phoebus goes into the burning building and lets the family escape to safety, only to be knocked out by the Brutish Guard.
Frollo then orders Phoebus to be executed for his insubordination, but before Phoebus can be killed, a disguised Esmeralda (having witnessed the event) throws a rock at Frollo's horse, causing the horse to throw Frollo off. This distracts Frollo's men long enough for Phoebus to steal the horse and ride away, prompting an angry Frollo to order his guards to kill Phoebus. Eventually, one of the guards managed to pierce Phoebus in the back near his heart with an arrow, sending him to fall into a river, to Esmeralda's shock. Leaving Phoebus for dead, Frollo appoints the Brutish Guard as his new Captain of the Guards and resumes the search for Esmeralda. Unbeknownst to Frollo and his men, Esmeralda was able to rescue Phoebus and secretly bring him back to Notre Dame where she and Quasimodo help nurse him back to health.
As night falls, Frollo's hunt has left Paris burning and in ruins, with Esmeralda still nowhere to be found and the deaths of hundreds, if not thousands of people. Frollo is at a loss to explain how Esmeralda could have possibly escaped Notre Dame when he had it completely surrounded. He then deduces to the accurate conclusion that the only way she could have escaped without alerting his guards would be if Quasimodo helped her.
Frollo ranting at Quasimodo about Esmeralda.
With that in mind, Frollo paid an unannounced visit to Quasimodo, and though at first, Frollo appears to be visiting him as he normally does. However, he furiously reveals that he is aware that Quasimodo helped Esmeralda escape. Though Quasimodo protests that he was only repaying the girl for her genuine kindness to him, Frollo angrily rages at him while destroying Quasimodo's house sets and setting a figurine of Esmeralda (which Quasimodo created) on fire, claiming that her kindness was "cunning" and that Romani people are not capable of love. However, Frollo calms down and concedes that Quasimodo could never stand a chance against Esmeralda's "heathen treachery" and promised to free him from her "evil spell" by claiming that he had discovered the Court of Miracles, and at dawn, he will attack it with a thousand men.
Using a gypsy necklace that Esmeralda gave to him earlier that details the location of the Court, Quasimodo and a recovered Phoebus tracked down the Court in the old catacombs underneath the city's graveyard, where they warned Esmeralda and the Romani citizens of Frollo's impending attack and that they need to leave the city immediately to avoid Frollo's wrath. Unfortunately, Frollo and his soldiers followed them in secret and laid siege to the Court, arresting all the Romani people (including Phoebus and Esmeralda). Frollo then admits that he deliberately lied to Quasimodo and that the supposed attack was nothing more than a ruse to mislead Quasimodo into leading him to the Court, mocking Quasimodo of "finally being of use" to him. Having succeeded in his goals in capturing Esmeralda and tracking down the Court of Miracles, Frollo declares to the Romani people that he will personally oversee their public execution at the town square; he even plans to do the same to Phoebus in order to "remedy his revival from the dead". As the guards take the Romani people into custody, Quasimodo begs Frollo to spare them, but his pleas fall silent as Frollo has two of his guards to chain Quasimodo back in the bell tower to prevent him from leaving again.
Final Battle[]
| “ | The prisoner Esmeralda has been found guilty of the crime of witchcraft. The sentence: death! The time has come, Gypsy. You stand upon the brink of the abyss. Yet, even now, it is not too late. I can save you from the flames of this world and the next. Choose me or the fire. | „ |
| ~ Frollo attempts to lure Esmeralda to him before she spits on his face. |
Frollo attempts to burn Esmeralda to her death.
Having succeeded in rounding up the entire Romani population, Frollo gets them all (including Phoebus and Esmeralda) locked up in cages as he intends to execute them all (with the help of his executioner Henriet Cousin) in the town square. Both the Archdeacon and the townspeople angrily protested at this and demanded the Romani to be released, but Frollo gets his soldiers to hold them off. As Frollo finishes his preparations in tying up Esmeralda (as his first victim) at the stake, he offers her a final ultimatum: he will pardon her and allow her to walk away alive, but only if she becomes his mistress. Esmeralda angrily refuses by defiantly spitting in the judge's face, and Frollo begins the process of condemning her and setting the stake on fire, to the citizens' horror and outrage. Though it would've seemed that Frollo is about to get away with his actions as he smiles wickedly while watching the flames surround Esmeralda, an outraged Quasimodo frees himself from his chains and swings into the courtyard to rescue Esmeralda from the burning stake. Quasimodo then swings back to the cathedral, loudly declaring sanctuary for Esmeralda before hiding her in a chamber for safety, to the delight of the Romani people and the citizens (including Phoebus and the Archdeacon).
Frollo losing what is left of his sanity following his failed attempt to execute Esmeralda.
Enraged that Quasimodo has interfered yet again, Frollo finally loses what remains of his sanity and orders all of his men to attack the cathedral by force, telling them to grab a wooden beam (which Quasimodo previously threw to crush Frollo's carriage) and use it to break down the door. In the chaos, Phoebus frees himself and rallies the citizens of Paris to free the Romani people and fight back against Frollo and his soldiers. As such, Phoebus, the Romani people, and the citizens engage in a fully-fledged battle against Frollo's soldiers while Quasimodo and his gargoyle friends take charge of the defense of Notre Dame itself and are able to prevent quite a few soldiers from entering the church. Eventually, Quasimodo and the gargoyles resort to pouring hot vats of molten copper down into the courtyard to stop the soldiers' advance. The molten copper completely surrounds Notre Dame and is successful in warding off Frollo's soldiers, but Frollo is able to cut a small entrance into the door with his sword, large enough for him to get in.
The Archdeacon attempting to stop Frollo.
As Frollo heads towards the staircase to the bell tower to confront Quasimodo, the arriving Archdeacon (being aware of what happened) confronts him for going insane with power and attacking the church. Declaring this to be the last straw, the Archdeacon furiously states that he will no longer tolerate Frollo's actions anymore, implying that he will report Frollo to King Louis XI and have him arrested and/or executed for his crimes. However, Frollo furiously shoves the Archdeacon out of the way and locks him out of the tower, telling that he himself and Quasimodo both have "unfinished business to attend to", and that the Archdeacon will not interfere this time.
Though Quasimodo is initially celebrating the victory against Frollo and his soldiers, Esmeralda has fallen unconscious because of smoke inhalation, and Quasimodo's attempts to revive her are not successful. Frollo finds Quasimodo sobbing over Esmeralda, believing her to be dead. Frollo appears to assert his guilt, vindicating his actions by stating he was simply doing his duty and says that it's time to end Quasimodo's suffering forever. However, Quasimodo notices Frollo's shadow raising a dagger, clearly intending to kill him. With that in mind, Quasimodo overpowers Frollo by pushing him to the floor and throwing the dagger away, filled with rage against Frollo for what he has done.
A shocked Frollo begs Quasimodo to listen to him, but Quasimodo has been finally fed up with Frollo's lies and stands up to Frollo, going on an emotional tirade about how all his life Frollo had told him that the world was a dark, cruel place, and that he now sees that the only reason why the world is like that is because of intolerant and wicked people who are just like Frollo. Following Quasimodo's tirade, Esmeralda finally recuperates, to Quasimodo's complete relief. Enraged that Esmeralda was still alive, Frollo draws his sword, but Quasimodo picks Esmeralda up and quickly darts onto the church's balcony and out of sight.
Death[]
| “ | Frollo: I should have known you'd risked your life to save that gypsy witch, just as your own mother died trying to save you. Quasimodo: What?! Frollo: And now... I'm going to do what I should've done TWENTY YEARS AGO!!! |
„ |
| ~ Frollo spitefully confessing that he murdered Quasimodo's mother when he was a baby, right before he attempts to kill Quasimodo once again. |
Judge Frollo finds Quasimodo and Esmeralda hiding among the balcony gargoyles, and tries to kill Quasimodo and Esmeralda.
Frollo is hunting down both Quasimodo and Esmeralda, and he finally finds them trying to climb down the wall. He tries to cut off the gargoyle structure that Quasimodo was hanging on, but Quasimodo leaps to another one out of Frollo's reach. Quasimodo keeps evading Frollo and manages to get Esmeralda to climb back onto the balcony.
Blinded by rage, Frollo finally confesses that he murdered Quasimodo's mother when she tried to protect him as a baby, which leaves Quasimodo and Esmeralda shocked. As such, Frollo proclaims that he will murder Quasimodo like he should have done 20 years ago. He blinds Quasimodo with his cloak and attempts to throw him into the molten copper below, but Quasimodo manages to hold on to the balcony and pulls Frollo down along with him.
Frollo makes an attempt to kill Esmeralda.
Despite hearing about what happened, Quasimodo tries to maintain his hold on the balcony while holding Frollo and the cape tightly. As Esmeralda attempts to pull Quasimodo to safety, Frollo is able to climb onto part of the wall onto another gargoyle structure while Quasimodo starts to lose his grip on the balcony (despite Esmeralda's attempts to reel him back in). With his eyes and mouth glowing in a more menacing tone, Frollo steadies himself and cackles evilly at their situation. With an evil grin, the demented judge raises his sword to kill both Quasimodo and Esmeralda, proclaiming that God shall smite the wicked and plunge them into the fiery pit of Hell.
Frollo meets his deserved fate by being incinerated to death in the molten copper.
However, before Frollo could make the final blow, the gargoyle, which he is standing on, ironically crumbles beneath him at this very moment, forcing Frollo to lose grip of his sword and hold onto the gargoyle with all his life. The gargoyle comes to life and furiously roars at Frollo, causing him to scream in great terror before breaking away from the cathedral, sending itself and a screaming Frollo plunging into the molten copper below, where Frollo finally gets his eternal comeuppance as he ends up being incinerated to death in the molten copper. At the same time, Esmeralda loses her hold of Quasimodo, but Phoebus manages to break into the cathedral just in time to save Quasimodo from falling into the molten copper, to Esmeralda's relief.
Frollo's death can be interpreted as divine intervention. The gargoyle, being a symbol of God, judges Frollo as the true wicked and therefore casts him into the "fiery pit" of Hell, symbolized by the molten copper. Alternatively, it might be the doing of Notre Dame itself, who is implied to be sentient throughout the movie and having finally had enough of Frollo and his wicked crimes. As such, Frollo suffers the very damnation he feared so much.
With Frollo finally dead and his plot foiled, Quasimodo reunites with Esmeralda and Phoebus before giving his blessing to their relationship. Quasimodo then ventures outside Notre Dame, where everyone (including the Archdeacon and the Romani citizens) happily praised Quasimodo as a hero for putting an end to Frollo's tyranny, fulfilling his lifelong dream of being accepted into society in spite of his deformities. Even Clopin hammers the point down by stating "what makes a monster and what makes a man", just to ensure to everyone that Quasimodo is the true man because of his kind and selfless nature while Frollo is the true monster because of his evil and corrupt one.