Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Gothic Architecture, History, and Art
Lust, Sin, and Misogyny
Appearances, Alienation, and Hypocrisy
Fate and Predestination
The Supernatural, Rationalism, and Knowledge
Justice, Punishment, and Freedom
Summary
Analysis
In the “Court of Miracles,” the inhabitants are louder and rowdier than ever. They congregate in the tavern and every man has a weapon with him. Clopin Trouillefou checks that everyone is armed and says that they will set out in one hour. Beside the fire, Gringoire sits deep in thought. Jehan is in the tavern and he is very drunk. He cries out that, although he was destined to be a rich man, he has squandered it all for the sake of pleasure. He salutes the truants’ plan to raid Notre Dame and calls to the barmaid for more wine.
Medieval society is very oppressive. The people live under the king’s rule and do not have freedom of speech. However, the army of truants suggests that, when large numbers of people are organized, they can be a formidable and powerful force to challenge existing power systems. Although Frollo raises Jehan to be a devout scholar, fate intervenes and Jehan’s naturally passionate temperament leads him to become a criminal.
Themes
While some of the truants talk of Esmeralda, whom they plan to rescue, others discuss the many precious objects Notre Dame contains. Jehan says they should hang Quasimodo and he curses his brother, Frollo. Clopin approaches Gringoire and asks him what he is thinking. Gringoire says that he loves to contemplate the fire because the sparks “contain worlds.”
While some of the truants are genuinely interested in saving Esmeralda, others want to use the riot as an excuse to increase their own wealth. This suggests that people will often hypocritically use virtuous causes to justify their own immoral behaviors. Gringoire is not a very passionate man and, in this sense, is the opposite of Frollo. However, like Frollo, Gringoire believes that fire is a source of divine inspiration (Frollo believes that gold is fire made solid and is a divine substance made by God). Unlike Frollo, however, whose extreme passions seem to set his insides on fire, Gringoire’s moderate emotions keep him at a distance from the situation and he contemplates it in a detached way, as though he is outside of it, even though he is the instigator of the riot.
Themes
Clopin is confused and says that he just wants to rescue Esmeralda. Another truant tells Clopin that the king is in Paris, but Clopin says that this doesn’t matter and that they will defy parliament. At the stroke of midnight, Clopin sounds the alarm and the truants begin to creep through Paris and make for Notre Dame.
The truants know that, to get their own way, they must defy the ruling class and march against them in large numbers. While they’re only trying to rescue Esmeralda at this point, Hugo also foreshadows the French Revolution with this scene, indicating that someday rebels will defy their rulers in a much more direct and lasting way.
Themes
