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
The Pomme d’Eve is a dingy tavern in the University and is crowded with rowdy drinkers. Outside, Frollo paces back and forth on the pavement. He wears a dark cloak, which he has just bought from a nearby stall, in order to conceal his own attire. At last, Phoebus and Jehan emerge from the pub. Jehan is very drunk but Phoebus is used to drinking and announces that he must go—he is to meet Esmeralda at seven.
The fact that the tavern here is called the Pomme d’Eve (Eve’s Apple) hints that, just as Adam fell from grace in the biblical story of the Garden of Eden, Frollo will soon face dire consquences as a result of his obession with Esmeralda. Frollo wears a dark robe to disguise his identity from others and to protect his priestly reputation.
Themes
Phoebus asks Jehan if he has any money left, as Phoebus needs some for his meeting with Esmeralda. Jehan says he has spent all the money he took from Frollo. Jehan rambles drunkenly and Phoebus grows irritated and pushes him to the ground, where Jehan immediately falls asleep in the gutter. Phoebus then strolls away to meet Esmeralda. Frollo stops for a minute to look regretfully down at Jehan and then hurries after Phoebus.
Frollo has tried to raise Jehan to be a scholarly and spiritual person. Spirituality and holiness were associated with denial of worldly pleasures and abstinence in the medieval period. However, despite Frollo’s efforts, fate has intervened and Jehan has grown into a sensual and debauched young man. As Frollo’s obsession with Esmeralda intensifies, he loses sight of all other passions and interests, including his relationship with Jehan.
Themes
Phoebus strolls through the University and stops to urinate on a statue of a Cardinal. When he turns around, he sees Frollo, who is like a statue except for his burning eyes, standing and staring at him. Phoebus is alarmed and does not recognize the priest. He thinks he has been followed by the ghostly monk who is rumored to haunt the streets of Paris.
It is ironic that Phoebus urinates on the statue, as the Cardinal is a holy figure and, therefore, is believed to be divorced from worldly things like bodily functions. Phoebus’s assumption that he must be seeing something supernatural highlights how normal superstition was at this time; the reader, of course, knows that he’s only seeing a mortal man wearing unfamiliar clothes.
Themes
Frollo advances suddenly towards Phoebus and seizes his hand. Phoebus tries to draw back but Frollo’s grip is very tight. Frollo asks Phoebus whom he plans to meet. Phoebus says it is Esmeralda. Frollo snarls that Phoebus is a liar and, insulted, Phoebus shoves Frollo off and draws his sword. Frollo quickly tells Phoebus that, if he stays to fight, he will be late for Esmeralda. Frollo tells Phoebus that he will cut his throat another time and Phoebus agrees to a duel.
Frollo is sexually obsessed with Esmeralda and the intensity of his passion—which he must suppress because he is a priest and meant to be celibate—leads him to become jealous and possessive. Phoebus is very vain, despite his noble appearance as a handsome soldier, but he cares deeply about his reputation as a brave and honorable man. Both of them actively hide their true natures under superficial appearances of respectability.
Themes
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About to set off again, Phoebus suddenly remembers that he has no money. Frollo offers him a coin to pay the landlady at the hotel, on the condition that Phoebus allow Frollo to hide somewhere in the room and watch his tryst with Esmeralda. Phoebus agrees to this and takes the money. Frollo follows him to the door of an inn. A wizened old landlady, La Falourdel, lets them in and Phoebus gives her the coin. La Falourdel puts it in a drawer but, as she walks away, a small boy sneaks over and replaces the coin with a dry leaf.
Frollo’s desperate lust for Esmeralda—which he cannot express because he is a priest—manifests in unhealthy ways and drives him to extreme behaviors, such as spying on her and Phoebus.
Themes
Once they’re upstairs in the room, Phoebus tells Frollo that he can hide in a cupboard that looks out into the room. Frollo enters the cupboard and Phoebus shuts the door behind him.
By this point, it’s clear that Frollo’s attempts to repress his feelings for Esmeralda do not make his desire disappear; instead, they make it grow more intense and push him to extreme actions like this one.
Themes
