Quasimodo Character Analysis in The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Quasimodo is a young man with a hunchback who lives inside Notre Dame and works as the cathedral’s bell-ringer. Quasimodo is abandoned by his parents as a baby and swapped for the beautiful infant Esmeralda when Esmeralda’s mother leaves her unsupervised. Quasimodo is then put up for adoption in Paris and taken in by Claude Frollo, a young priest who later becomes the Archdeacon of Notre Dame. Quasimodo is severely physically deformed and goes deaf because of the noise of the cathedral bells. He cannot talk easily and struggles to communicate with anyone other than Frollo, who teaches him a language of signs. Quasimodo is widely feared and hated in Paris—he is an object of ridicule and a victim of malicious gossip—and he comes to hate the outside world because he feels that people hate him. He is at home in Notre Dame and feels intimately connected with the cathedral. Quasimodo often behaves violently towards people when he is out in public because he has come to expect brutal treatment from them. At one point in the novel, he undergoes a public beating after Frollo orders him to try and kidnap Esmeralda. Despite his vicious exterior, Quasimodo is extremely loyal to Frollo and views him as his master and adoptive father. Although Quasimodo will do anything for Frollo, their relationship comes under strain when Quasimodo falls in love with Esmeralda, whom Frollo is sexually obsessed with. Frollo becomes jealous of Quasimodo and Quasimodo finds himself torn between the two individuals he loves most—Frollo and Esmeralda. Quasimodo’s essentially gentle nature is further demonstrated when he rescues Esmeralda from execution (she is accused of being a witch) and cares for her while she is under his protection in Notre Dame. Quasimodo is self-aware and kind, and he astutely observes that society is often fooled by beautiful appearances, while it rejects those who appear ugly but are kind underneath. He is associated with Gothic architecture throughout the novel, and his death at the novel’s end symbolizes a decline in interest in architecture with the end of the medieval period.

Quasimodo Quotes in The Hunchback of Notre Dame

The The Hunchback of Notre Dame quotes below are all either spoken by Quasimodo or refer to Quasimodo. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

Gothic Architecture, History, and Art Theme Icon

This was the first taste he had ever had of the delights of vanity. Hitherto, he had known only humiliation, contempt for his condition and disgust for his person. And so, stone deaf though he was, he relished the acclamation of the crowd like a real pope, that crowd which he had detested because he felt it detested him. What did it matter that his people was a pack of fools, cripples, thieves and beggars, it was still a people and he its sovereign. And he took all the ironic applause and mock respect seriously, although it should be said that mixed in with it, among the crowd, went an element of very real fear.

Related Characters: Quasimodo

Related Symbols: Notre Dame

Page Number and Citation: 88

Explanation and Analysis:

So it was that, little by little, developing always in harmony with the cathedral, living in it, sleeping in it, hardly ever leaving it, subject day in and day out to its mysterious pressure, he came to resemble it, to be incrusted on it, as it were, to form an integral part of it. […] One might almost say that he had taken on its shape, just as the snail takes on the shape of its shell. It was his abode, his hole, his envelope. So deep was the instinctive sympathy between the old church and himself, so numerous the magnetic and material affinities, that he somehow adhered to it like the tortoise to its shell. The gnarled cathedral was his carapace.

Related Characters: Quasimodo

Related Symbols: Notre Dame

Page Number and Citation: 164

Explanation and Analysis:

Quasimodo Character Timeline in The Hunchback of Notre Dame

The timeline below shows where the character Quasimodo appears in The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Appearances, Alienation, and Hypocrisy Theme Icon

The Supernatural, Rationalism, and Knowledge Theme Icon

...in surprise when they realize that this is the man’s real face. He is a hunchback and the crowd quickly recognizes him as Quasimodo, the bell-ringer of Notre Dame. Jehan shouts... (full context)

Robin Poussepain approaches Quasimodo and laughs in his face. Quasimodo picks Robin up and throws him into the crowd.... (full context)

The crowd dresses Quasimodo in his “fool’s pope” robes. They hoist him onto a litter to carry him through... (full context)

Justice, Punishment, and Freedom Theme Icon

The “fool’s pope” procession follows Quasimodo from the hall. Gringoire thinks that perhaps now those left in the audience will enjoy... (full context)

On his litter, still at the center of the procession, Quasimodo enjoys the adulation and respect of the crowd. He has never experienced this before, and... (full context)

The crowd is alarmed—they assume that Quasimodo will hurt Frollo. Gringoire suddenly recognizes Frollo as the archdeacon of Notre Dame. Quasimodo leaps... (full context)

Frollo signals for Quasimodo to follow him and Quasimodo obeys. The thieves and rogues of the procession try to... (full context)

...help. One of the men disappears, while the other turns to face him. It is Quasimodo. Quasimodo shoves Gringoire to the ground and begins to carry Esmeralda away. Suddenly, another voice... (full context)

Quasimodo makes to attack Phoebus, but the king’s guards seize him and drag him away. Esmeralda... (full context)

Gringoire lies on the pavement where Quasimodo has thrown him, in front of an effigy of the Virgin Mary. At first, dazed... (full context)

Gringoire suddenly remembers that, earlier in the evening, Quasimodo tried to abduct Esmeralda. He asks her how she escaped. Esmeralda does not reply and... (full context)

One Quasimodo Sunday, 16 years before this story takes place, a group of old women gather round... (full context)

The strange child on the bench is extremely upset by all the attention and begins to cry and... (full context)

A rich woman goes by but turns away from the strange child in disgust. A wise man then passes with his wife and confidently informs the old... (full context)

...of his life, he comes across the abandoned baby in the church. The poor, orphaned child reminds him of Jehan and he adopts the baby out of compassion. He names the... (full context)

In 1482, Quasimodo is 20 years old. Frollo is now the archdeacon of Notre Dame and he appoints... (full context)

Quasimodo spends so much time in Notre Dame that he seems almost to become part of... (full context)

Life inside Notre Dame also shapes Quasimodo’s mind. He lives in extreme isolation and rarely communicates with anyone. Although Frollo taught Quasimodo... (full context)

Quasimodo falls into a state of depression after he goes deaf. As his deafness makes it... (full context)

Locked in isolation in the cathedral, Quasimodo goes slightly mad. He does not understand the outside world, which seems very far away... (full context)

Quasimodo views the statues inside Notre Dame as his friends and protectors. While people mock him... (full context)

Notre Dame is the whole world to Quasimodo. He feels that the cathedral is his mother and the bells are like his children,... (full context)

To the outside world, Quasimodo’s presence in Notre Dame seems to bring the cathedral to life. The people of Paris... (full context)

In the 19th century, with Quasimodo long dead, Notre Dame feels deserted and abandoned, like a body that has lost its... (full context)

Although Quasimodo loves Notre Dame more than he loves most people, he has great affection for his... (full context)

Frollo teaches Quasimodo to sign when he loses his hearing, which means that Frollo is the only person... (full context)

Frollo is 36 by the time Quasimodo turns 20. Frollo has grown into a stern, serious, and powerful priest and people fear... (full context)

...a priest who is not allowed to marry, Frollo has few relationships other than with Quasimodo and Jehan. As he pursues his studies, his worldview grows more rigid and his beliefs... (full context)

In their own ways, Quasimodo and Frollo both love Notre Dame. Quasimodo loves it for its beauty and because it... (full context)

...himself and his own experiments with the black arts. In fact, many people believe that Quasimodo is a demon to whom Frollo has sold his soul and who will eventually drag... (full context)

Quasimodo and Frollo are both widely feared and disliked in Paris: Quasimodo because of his strength... (full context)

...and make fun of Florian Barbedienne, who they say is a gambler and an imbecile. Quasimodo is led into the court and deposited in front of Florian. Quasimodo is tied up... (full context)

Florian begins to question Quasimodo, but Quasimodo is deaf and does not hear or respond. Florian thinks that Quasimodo has... (full context)

At the arrival of Robert d’Estouteville, Quasimodo states his name and occupation because he thinks Robert is the judge. Robert thinks that... (full context)

...the clerk to confirm the sentence and the clerk, who hopes that Florian might lighten Quasimodo’s sentence if he understands the situation, explains to Florian that Quasimodo is deaf. Florian, however,... (full context)

...baby crying. Paquette rushes upstairs but, instead of her daughter, she finds a large deformed child in her place. (full context)

...that she has drowned herself in the river. Gervaise asks what happened to the deformed child and Mahiette replies that the bishop blessed the baby and had him sent to Paris... (full context)

...the rat-hole, a crowd has gathered to watch the punishment at the pillory. The prisoner, Quasimodo, is strapped to the pillory, ready to be beaten. The crowd is excited to see... (full context)

Quasimodo has been tightly bound with ropes and shackles—a practice still used on prisoners in modern... (full context)

Finally, the beating is finished. The torturer climbs down from the platform and Quasimodo is left strapped to the pillory, where he must remain for another hour. No one... (full context)

The crowd begins to approach Quasimodo one by one. They insult him and jeer in his face. Although he cannot hear... (full context)

...few moments later, Frollo rides into the square on a mule and approaches the pillory. Quasimodo looks hopeful and his face is full of love as he watches Frollo approach. However,... (full context)

After Quasimodo has been tied to the pillory for half an hour, he suddenly begins to struggle... (full context)

Quasimodo recognizes Esmeralda because he tried to abduct her the previous evening. He has a vague... (full context)

...crowd is moved by the strangeness of this spectacle—the beautiful girl giving water to the hunchback—and they begin to cheer for Esmeralda. Another voice interrupts their cries, however, as Paquette la... (full context)

...him and Esmeralda says that she does. Phoebus then asks her if she knows why Quasimodo tried to abduct her and Esmeralda replies that she doesn’t know. Phoebus is clearly very... (full context)

...is usually alone. Frollo begins to descend the tower and, on his way, he passes Quasimodo. (full context)

Quasimodo also leans over the parapet and stares intently down into the square. Frollo stops to... (full context)

...Notre Dame do not ring as often or as musically as they did before. Although Quasimodo is still in the tower, a change has come over him. It is possible that... (full context)

On the morning of the festival of the Annunciation, Quasimodo rises to the ring the bells as usual. As he sets them going, some of... (full context)

As the cart reaches the gallows, Quasimodo, who has been watching the scene from Notre Dame, suddenly appears in the square and... (full context)

Quasimodo scales the tower of Notre Dame with Esmeralda in his arms and a huge roar... (full context)

Before Quasimodo rescues Esmeralda, Frollo dashes from the square. He heads for the university and finds himself... (full context)

...he believes is now dead. He decides to visit the bell-tower, to seek solace with Quasimodo, and he begins to climb the stairs. As Frollo steps out onto the platform in... (full context)

At first, when Quasimodo snatches Esmeralda, she thinks that she is dead and that her spirit is being carried... (full context)

After some time, Quasimodo returns and tells Esmeralda that she must stay in the cell by day but that,... (full context)

...Esmeralda wakes to find the sun shining into her cell. She is frightened, however, when Quasimodo’s face appears at the window. He tells her not to be afraid and says that... (full context)

Esmeralda is horrified by Quasimodo’s appearance, but she tries to see through this to his gentleness underneath. Quasimodo knows she... (full context)

...and that Fleur-de-Lys (whom she saw him with on the balcony) must be his sister. Quasimodo stays away from her and, although she tries to get used to his appearance, he... (full context)

...him, but Phoebus does not hear her. He ties up his horse outside Fleur-de-Lys’s house. Quasimodo, who watches nearby, begins to weep and laments that one only needs to be handsome... (full context)

Phoebus has gone into Fleur-de-Lys’s house, where preparations for a wedding are underway. Quasimodo waits outside and Esmeralda watches from the tower above. At one point, Quasimodo looks up... (full context)

At last, Phoebus emerges from the house and Quasimodo catches the reins of his horse. Phoebus tries to push Quasimodo away, but Quasimodo insists... (full context)

Quasimodo returns to Esmeralda and tells her that Phoebus did not come out of the house.... (full context)

...up the wilted flowers and holds them to her breast. Although she does not see Quasimodo after this, one night she discovers that he sleeps on the ground outside her door... (full context)

Once Frollo is back in Paris, he hears that Quasimodo has rescued Esmeralda and that she has taken sanctuary in the church. In despair, Frollo... (full context)

...her and beg her to love him. Finally, Esmeralda catches hold of the whistle that Quasimodo gave her and blows into it. Frollo finds himself being lifted off Esmeralda and screams... (full context)

However, once they are outside, the moonlight reveals Frollo’s identity to Quasimodo. Quasimodo immediately lets Frollo go and falls on his knees before the priest. Esmeralda is... (full context)

...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... (full context)

Quasimodo notices that Frollo seems distracted. Frollo has been more aggressive towards Quasimodo recently and he... (full context)

As Quasimodo peers down from the tower, he sees strange, black shapes moving through the streets towards... (full context)

Quasimodo wonders frantically what to do. He wants to help Esmeralda escape, but he knows Notre... (full context)

...demands that Esmeralda be released and given back to the truants. Up in the tower, Quasimodo cannot hear Clopin’s words. Clopin sounds the attack and the truants begin to work at... (full context)

Up in the tower, Quasimodo tips rock after rock over the balustrade and onto the truants’ heads. He has made... (full context)

...fire seems to bring all the gargoyles to life on the façade of the church. Quasimodo can just be seen as he walks back and forth on the tower. (full context)

Clopin recognizes Quasimodo, but other members of the crowd are convinced it is a demon. One suggests that... (full context)

...truants. At the top, Jehan clambers over the balustrade and waves to the onlookers below. Quasimodo appears behind Jehan and seizes the top of the ladder. Quasimodo shoves the ladder away... (full context)

Jehan hides from Quasimodo behind a statue of a king. For a few moments, Quasimodo does not see Jehan... (full context)

...out for revenge. They find more ladders and ropes and begin to scale the walls. Quasimodo is horrified and cannot fend them all off. They look like hideous monsters besieging the... (full context)

On the battlements of Notre Dame, Quasimodo loses hope of fending off the truants, who continue to besiege the cathedral. Suddenly a... (full context)

Quasimodo sees that the guards have won and falls to his knees to give thanks. He... (full context)

Quasimodo desperately searches Notre Dame for Esmeralda. Before Tristan found Esmeralda in the square, Quasimodo led... (full context)

When he can find no trace of Esmeralda, Quasimodo returns to her cell. He finds it still empty and, in a fit of rage... (full context)

As he lies there, Quasimodo notices a figure that paces the aisle above him and looks out from the edge... (full context)

Quasimodo follows Frollo’s gaze and sees the hangman climb the ladder up to the gallows, carrying... (full context)

On the tower, Quasimodo weeps as he watches Esmeralda’s final death throes. He looks down at Frollo’s body on... (full context)

Quasimodo disappears from Notre Dame that afternoon. Rumors circulate that the demon Quasimodo has finally carried... (full context)

Quasimodo is never seen again after this day. After she is hanged, Esmeralda’s body is placed... (full context)

The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Quasimodo Character Analysis

Quasimodo Quotes in The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Book 2, Chapter 3 Quotes

Book 4, Chapter 3 Quotes

Quasimodo Character Timeline in The Hunchback of Notre Dame